Can Catholics Manscape?
Response to James S.
Dear James,
Thank you so much for your question. Whether or not it is moral to groom downstairs is a new question for me. I would say that the principle of adornment to please one's spouse applies here:
“Nevertheless a woman may use means to please her husband, lest through despising her he fall into adultery. Hence it is written (1 Cor 7:34) that the woman that is married thinketh on the things of the world, how she may please her husband. Wherefore if a married woman adorn herself in order to please her husband she can do this without sin.” - SmTh II-II, Q. 169, a. 2, Resp.
As for the objection, if one says that shaving pubic hair is deceitful or attempting to look like a child, then one would have to say the same thing about a man's face. Yet, many religious orders have at one time or another required that their subjects be clean-shaven.
In Christo Rege,
James
Although the rates are lower than the general population, Catholics do get divorced. Far more live for years and even the rest of their lives in unhappy marriages. For many couples, including those who would say that their marriage is strong, sex is a point of division rather than unity. This can come from a variety of factors. There may be sexual trauma, sex may be painful, there may be a fear of getting pregnant, there may be emotional or physical abuse or neglect. For some couples, sex is a bargaining chip or a manipulation tool.