Are you a Cameron Diaz (she doesn't) or a Miley Cyrus (she certainly does!)?
 

Do you plume your feathers or not? Do you tend to your lady garden or just let nature take its course? This is the subject of a film that has been shortlisted for a prize at this year's St Albans Film Festival, taking place from 1 - 4 May 2014.

 

It is fitting that a film exploring a taboo subject amongst women is up for a gong, as this year's festival is taking as its theme Birds and Flight (with the word ‘birds' including women) and there will be a panel discussion on women in film as one of the 50 events happening in 16 venues across the historic Hertfordshire city.

 

Michele Becker (director) and Natalie B (Radio presenter with Heart fm and narrator of the film) collaborated on the film after the topic caused discussion amongst a group of their girlfriends whilst in the pub at Christmas. The pair decided to interview ordinary women who were willing to discuss their intimate grooming as there has been an enormous change in attitude - and behavior - around this subject in the past 5 - 10 years, with strong views on both sides.

 

"Celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow, Cameron Diaz, and Caitlin Moran have spoken out recently about it, but ordinary women not so much," says Natalie B.

 

"There are a lot of sensitivities around the subject, with regards to feminism, porn, and hygiene - and it has become a bit taboo for ordinary women to discuss. We wanted to try and break down that barrier. When subjects are pushed under the carpet, we start losing the ability to make informed choices."

 

Celebrities like Gwyneth Paltrow ‘rocking a 70's vibe' and renown columnist Caitlin Moran calling it the ‘Big Bush Backlash' and very recently Cameron Diaz appearing on Graham Norton have made their pro-bush stance known. But many others - revered by young girls - such as Miley Cyrus, Rhiannon, and countless other pop stars, let their skimpy costumes do the talking for them, and are clearly anti-bush.

 

As such, there is also growing concern on the pressures felt by younger women to maintain a high level of waxing, due to the expectation of their male counterparts as well as their peers.

 

About Michelle Becker - Michelle has BSc Hons Degree in Psychology and 12 years working as a Learning & Development Manager for large British multinational retail & fashion organisations. She created Pink Soul Photography in 2008 for Photography and Filmmaking. Central to Michelle's work is always a passion and intuition for discovering people's truths and telling their story in a creative way.

About Natalie B - Natalie B is a radio presenter and voiceover artist. She hosts a daily breakfast show for Heart Home Counties Mon - Fri 6am -10am. Her voiceover work includes narrating TV shows for Sky1 and BBC 3, promos for BBC 2 and MTV and has commercial and corporate clients including LinkedIn, Shell, NHS, DietChef and National Express.