The Secret Struggle Gen Z Won’t Stop Talking About: What Is ‘Whisker Fatigue’?

Ever wake up feeling like your nether regions just went twelve rounds with a barbed wire fence? Welcome to the club of ‘whisker fatigue’—a bizarre, yet all-too-real affliction that TikTokers have brilliantly dubbed to explain that annoying, often mysterious itch and sting “downstairs.” Turns out, it’s not just your imagination or some weird cosmic joke. With over 80% of women grooming their pubic hair and gnarly ingrown hairs playing tug-of-war with their nerve endings, this ancient battle with body hair is far from over. So, if you’ve ever wondered why your “bush” has a mind of its own, causing pain whether it’s wild, trimmed, or bare, you’re not alone—and yes, there’s an actual term for this saga. Intrigued? Well, buckle up and let’s unravel the hairy truth behind ‘whisker fatigue.’ LEARN MORE

TikTokers have come up with the term ‘whisker fatigue’ to describe an incredibly intimate issue women sometimes have.

Gen Zers, people born between 1997 and 2012, appear to be relieved after finding out the reason why they are getting pain and irritation downstairs.

“Especially over the last 10 years, more than 80 per cent of women groom their pubic hair,” cosmetic gynaecologist Dr Michael Reed told The Guardian.

“Body hair has long been seen as unclean and uncivilized as far back as the Roman Empire,” he said.

And according to The Review of Beauty’s 14,000-people poll, 82 per cent of straight women said they remove some of their pubic hair, while 15 per cent said they are completely clean.

Although 65 per cent of women said they were worried about what their new male partners would think about their bush, half of the men who were polled said they weren’t bothered either way.

What is ‘whisker fatigue’?

TikTokers are relieved after learning what ‘whisker fatigue’ is (Getty Stock Images)

With the apparent growing trend of women speaking out about letting their pubic hair grow, people online seem to be reporting issues of ‘whisker fatigue’.

“Ok but does anyone wake up and there bush is sore?? Like a stinging pain. I get it randomly and idk whyyy,” one person commented underneath a viral video on TikTok.

While a second said: “It’s impossible… it hurts when too long, like a ponytail when taken out, when it’s short it’s spiky and pokes and hurts, and when it’s bare there’s ingrowns, bumps, and uncomfortableness when it grows back. We can’t win.”

People have reported pain and irritation from not shaving their pubic region (Getty Stock Images)

Dr Nikki Ramskill, of The Female Health Doctor Clinic, warns that ‘very long pubic hair can become uncomfortable because the hairs are coarse and curly’.

She told the Metro that ingrown hairs ‘can then bend back on themselves, tug at the skin, or get caught in clothing and underwear’.

“This constant pulling can feel like a sharp, irritating pain, a bit like when the hair on your head gets tugged,” the doctor explained.

“When hairs are pulled or bent, the tiny nerves around each follicle get stimulated, which is what causes pain or sensitivity.”

How to deal with ingrown hairs

Ingrown hairs can be painful (Getty Stock Images)

Healthline reports that if ingrown hairs don’t get better on their own, you can help them along by applying warm compresses, exfoliating with mild scrubs and avoiding hair removal until healed.

If a hair is close to the surface, you can carefully use sterile tweezers to lift it once it emerges, but be careful to not dig into your skin.

To reduce inflammation or infection, consider over-the-counter creams, but be sure to consult a GP if symptoms get worse.

Over on TikTok, viewers were glad after finding out what ‘whisker fatigue’ means, as one person said: “Genuinely was relieved to find out it was so common lol cause I never knew how to explain to all the judgy ‘free the bush girls that IT HURTS IF I DON’T KEEP IT TRIMMED.”

Another added: “No but that is literally one of the only reasons I shave. I practice slash and burn agriculture.

“The bush is cultivated until it gets too long and the hairs get caught in the elastics of my underwear, and it gets whisker fatigue, I shave it bald, pattern repeats infinitely.”

“Whisker fatigue is too accurate waitttttt,” someone else said.