Editing Merkin (section)

===Film===
Sometimes in filmmaking, merkins can be worn by actresses to avoid inadvertent exposure of the genitalia during nude or semi-nude scenes. The presence of the merkin protects the actor from inadvertently performing "full-frontal" nudity which can help ensure that the film achieves a less restrictive [[film rating|rating]].<ref>Duchovny, David ''DVD commentary for [[Steven Soderbergh]]'s'' [[Full Frontal (film)|Full Frontal]]</ref>

A merkin may also be used when the actor or actress has less pubic hair than is required, as in the nude dancing extras in ''[[The Bank Job]]''{{cn|date=February 2024}}. [[Amy Landecker]] wore a merkin in ''[[A Serious Man]]'' (2009) for a nude sunbathing scene; clean shaving was not common in 1967 when the film is set.<ref>{{cite news| first=Jada | last=Yuan | title=''A Serious Man's'' Amy Landecker: 'The Correct Term Is Merkin' | url=http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/09/a_serious_mans_amy_landecker.html | date=2009-09-28 | access-date=2010-04-28 | publisher=[[New York (magazine)|New York]]}}</ref><ref name=Allure-Gelder/>
*[[Kate Winslet]] said she refused to wear a merkin in ''[[The Reader (2008 film)|The Reader]]''.<ref name=Allure-Gelder>Lindsy Van Gelder (26 August 2009). [http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/blogs/daily-beauty-reporter/2009/08/your-bikini-line-your-business.html "Your Bikini Line, Your Business?"] ''[[Allure (magazine)|Allure]]''.</ref><ref name=Allure-Morrill>Hannah Morrill (3 June 2009). [http://www.allure.com/beauty-trends/blogs/daily-beauty-reporter/2009/06/kate-winslet-unscripted.html "Kate Winslet, Unscripted"]. ''[[Allure (magazine)|Allure]]''. Many sources claim that she wore a merkin by only quoting part of this interview (found in full in the printed issue):
{{quote|Let me tell you, ''The Reader'' was not glamorous for me in terms of body-hair maintenance. I had to grow it in, because you can't have a [[Bikini waxing#Styles|landing strip]] in 1950, you know? And then because of years of waxing, as all of us girls know, it doesn't come back quite the way it used to. They even made me a merkin because they were so concerned that I might not be able to grow enough. I said, "Guys, I am going to have to draw the line at a pubic wig, but you can shoot my own snatch up close and personal."}}
</ref>
*[[Gina Gershon]] wore a merkin in ''[[Killer Joe (film)|Killer Joe]]''.<ref>Graham, Bill (26 July 2012). [https://thefilmstage.com/features/interview-killer-joe-emile-hirsch-and-gina-gerson-on-getting-dirty-single-takes-and-a-chicken-bone/ "Interview: 'Killer Joe' Stars Emile Hirsch and Gina Gershon on Getting Dirty, Single Takes and a Chicken Bone"]. ''[[Thought Catalog]]''.</ref>
*In the director's audio commentary of [[The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011 film)|''The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'']], director [[David Fincher]] discussed how a merkin was used for actress [[Rooney Mara]], after she suggested to him that the character she portrayed in the film was a natural redhead in the book and dyed her hair black. Consequently, the merkin she wore was made in the color red. For the release of the movie in [[Japan]], Fincher stated: "I believe in Japan we had to put a mosaic over it because fake pubes are considered to be&nbsp;... nasty."<ref name=Brevet>Brevet, Brad (12 March 2012). [http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/learned-david-fincher-girl-dragon-tattoo-commentary/3/ "What I Learned Listening to David Fincher's 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' Commentary"]. {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131211150944/http://www.ropeofsilicon.com/learned-david-fincher-girl-dragon-tattoo-commentary/3/ |date=2013-12-11 }} ''Rope of Silicon''.</ref><ref name=Mara_merkin>[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/13/rooney-maras-merkin-for-dragon-tattoo_n_1146276.html "Rooney Mara Naked, Merkin Details For 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo{{'"}}]. ''[[The Huffington Post]]''. 13 December 2011.</ref>
*In [[Stanley Kubrick]]'s film ''[[Dr. Strangelove]]'', the character of the [[President of the United States]], played by [[Peter Sellers]], is bald and is named "Merkin Muffley".<ref>{{IMDb title|0057012|Dr. Strangelove}}</ref>
*In the Italian film ''[[The Skin (film)|La Pelle]]'' (English: ''The Skin''), which takes place during the Allied occupation of [[Naples]] after World War II, blond merkins are made for the local prostitutes to pass for blondes for the US soldiers.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Axmaker|first1=Sean|title=Videophiled: 'Adua and Her Friends' and 'The Skin' – Survival, Italian Style |url=http://www.cinephiled.com/videophiled-adua-friends-skin-survival-italian-style/|website=Cinephiled|access-date=6 April 2018|date=22 January 2015}}</ref>
*In the film ''[[The Greasy Strangler]]'', the character Janet wears a merkin.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Yamato |first1=Jen |title='The Greasy Strangler': Inside the Most WTF Movie of the Year |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-greasy-strangler-inside-the-most-wtf-movie-of-the-year |work=The Daily Beast |date=4 October 2016 |language=en}}</ref>
*In the film ''[[Never Been Kissed]]'', the main character Josie Gellar's assistant is named Merkin. The character is portrayed by [[Sean Whalen]].