Lice-nce to kill: How Sex and the City wiped out the louse
Scientists say TV series' promotion of waxing has put the humble pubic louse on the endangered list

A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
Thank you for signing up to TheWeek. You will receive a verification email shortly.
There was a problem. Please refresh the page and try again.
PUBIC lice are on the retreat and it's all thanks to Sex and the City. That's the result of a study by the British Association of Dermatologists [BAD], which claims that the American TV series is partly responsible for laying waste to the lice.
Figures reveal that between 1997 and 2003, the prevalence of pubic lice declined from about 0.41 per cent to 0.17 per cent. According to the Daily Mail this decrease is a consequence of an episode of Sex and the City screened in 2000 depicting "several of the main characters - Carrie, Miranda, Charlotte and Samantha - undergoing a wax where all the hair is removed".
The bikini wax, or 'Brazilian Wax', has been lousy for the pubic louse or the Phthirus pubis to give it its scientific name. The Mail says it "evolved from its ancestor, the gorilla louse, about 3.3 million years ago and adapted to live in areas of the human body with a similar density of hair to that of the gorilla".
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
For thousands of years pubic lice lived in peace, nestling in our nether regions, and passing from from body to another during sexual intercourse. But now, thanks, to Sex and the City, the lice are in danger of extinction.
Dr Kun Sen Chen, one of the authors of the research which will be presented at the BAD annual conference in Liverpool next week, says that public lice have not been able to survive the changing attitudes to body hair sparked by the mass media.
"What we have seen at work is the law of unintended consequences," says Dr Kun Sen Chen. "In popularising hair removal Carrie Bradshaw and co have contributed to ridding humanity of the pest that had plagued humans for millions of years. Sadly there isn't an Emmy for that."
Pubic lice enjoyed their heyday in the early 1960s when the sexual revolution saw their prevalence soar from 0.8 per cent in 1954 to 3.2 per cent in 1964. In recent years, however, they have dwindled and not just in Britain. Sydney's main sexual health clinic hasn't treated a woman with pubic lice since 2008 while male cases have fallen by 80 per cent in the last ten years. Given that cases of other sexually transmitted diseases have increased this doesn't point to a drop in promiscuity.
The authors of the research don't give all the credit for the decline of pubic lice to Sex and the City. Incidences may also be down because sufferers no longer go to clinics for treatment. Instead they visit their local chemist for over-the-counter remedies.
Either way, the future for pubic lice looks hairy, which is more than can be said for a bikini wax.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
Sign up to our 10 Things You Need to Know Today newsletter
A free daily digest of the biggest news stories of the day - and the best features from our website
-
Why New York City was caught off guard by flash flooding
Talking Point Is climate change moving too fast or are city leaders dragging their feet?
By Theara Coleman Published
-
Today's political cartoons - October 2, 2023
Monday's cartoons - Biden's EV plan, the Senate dress code, and more
By The Week Staff Published
-
What is Rep. Matt Gaetz's endgame?
Today's Big Question The MAGA congressman loves to sow chaos, but there might be more to his latest moves than just disruption.
By Rafi Schwartz Published
-
Reader favourites
Speed Read A selection of short but sweet features from across The Week magazine
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Home Office worker accused of spiking mistress’s drink with abortion drug
Speed Read Darren Burke had failed to convince his girlfriend to terminate pregnancy
By The Week Staff Published
-
In hock to Moscow: exploring Germany’s woeful energy policy
Speed Read Don’t expect Berlin to wean itself off Russian gas any time soon
By The Week Staff Published
-
Were Covid restrictions dropped too soon?
Speed Read ‘Living with Covid’ is already proving problematic – just look at the travel chaos this week
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Inclusive Britain: a new strategy for tackling racism in the UK
Speed Read Government has revealed action plan setting out 74 steps that ministers will take
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sandy Hook families vs. Remington: a small victory over the gunmakers
Speed Read Last week the families settled a lawsuit for $73m against the manufacturer
By The Week Staff Published
-
Farmers vs. walkers: the battle over ‘Britain’s green and pleasant land’
Speed Read Updated Countryside Code tells farmers: ‘be nice, say hello, share the space’
By The Week Staff Published
-
Motherhood: why are we putting it off?
Speed Read Stats show around 50% of women in England and Wales now don’t have children by 30
By The Week Staff Published