Women Are Speaking Out Against the Stigma of Body Hair by Sharing ‘Armpit Hair’ Photos on Social Media

Armpit hair. It’s something every woman’s got, and yet we rarely talk about it. In fact, whenever it does come up in conversation, it typically has to do with the best ways to get rid of it—from the best types of razors to waxing treatments and more. But have we ever stopped to wonder why we even get rid of the stuff in the first place?

Let’s back up—there’s nothing wrong with wanting to shave your armpit hair. Some women may get more of it than others, and might find it irritating or just not like the look of it.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

🎡☸️🎡 If you can’t find me in my old haunts, I’ll be in my wheel house. Photo/makeup/styling by @willfrolicforfood

A post shared by Annabeth (@annabethsings) on

In fact, one study published in The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality found that some of the most common reasons women shave their body hair include “People would look at me funny if I didn’t,” “Men prefer women without pubic hair,” “I think it’s cleaner,” and “It makes me feel attractive,” among many others.

And to that we say, you do you, girl!

But what about those women who don’t mind—or even like their armpit hair? Why do they have to succumb to society’s standards that tell them that they’re not beautiful unless they shave it off? They might keep it out of fear of judgment and insecurity, which isn’t fair. After all, men have armpit hair, and they don’t need to shave it to be accepted—why do women?

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Something like this takes a lot of nerve to post, even though I know it’s my body and I shouldn’t care about the opinions of others. Does this make you feel uncomfortable? Why? Does the hair on my head elicit that same reaction? Does male armpit hair? One day, just over a year ago, I slowly began to question why I do the things I do and I stumbled upon a couple of things I realized I was doing solely for the comfort of others and not for myself. I was shaving my underarms because that’s what I had always been taught was expected of me, because that’s just what women are supposed to do in order to be accepted and considered beautiful. Yet it was taking up my time, money, and not to mention severely irritating my skin. Typically when a woman makes the personal choice not to shave they’re labeled a man-hating feminist, or someone who is dirty and doesn’t take care of them self. However, this choice shouldn’t concern anyone, but the individual. This choice can come from a place of self love and doesn’t necessarily need to be a huge political statement. This social norm has emerged over only the last century as a result of male marking and the desire to cultivate an entire industry out of female body shame and insecurity. They slowly began posting ads of women with hairless armpits, claiming this was the most beautiful way to present oneself and advertising razors. I’m not asking you to like it, or do it yourself. I’m not making character judgements about women who do shave. I’m just asking you to question. Are you doing this because you genuinely enjoy it or are you doing it because you are worried about what others would think? Do you feel disgust or have you simply been socialized to this biased standard of femininity? We need to begin questioning everything in order to determine if we are living for ourselves or simply for the approval of others.

A post shared by Taylor Christine (@livingaweinspired) on

Well maybe these armpit hair-loving women have had to live in silence before, but recently, we’ve seen an uptick in women embracing their armpit hair. That’s right, they’ve finally begun to find their voice—and confidence.

Women from all over have recently been posting to social media showing off their armpit hair, and explaining why they’re into it. And the photos and stories are really, truly beautiful.

“To all the men who’ve asked me to grow my hair out for them, I’m sure this isn’t what you meant. But I live for me, not for you,” one woman posted, smiling with her hairy armpits raised.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

“You are not damaged goods just because you’ve made mistakes in your life. You are not going nowhere just because you haven’t got where you want to go yet. Those are the things you actually are not. Now I want to tell you what you are. You are your own definition of beautiful and worthwhile; that’s what you are. You are someone who is wiser because you made mistakes – not damaged – wiser…You know it’s not about perfection. It’s about just getting on with things, sometimes. Sometimes, you just get credit for getting up and going on with things – you don’t have to do it perfectly. And I think that we mistake, our mistakes for damage and we think other people will judge us for them. But I want you to know that the way I see mistakes, they don’t make you damaged. They make you clean.” -Quote by Taylor Swift, one of my biggest inspirations. ❤ I learnt to embrace my body in its natural state (without removing body hair or adding makeup in particular). This selfie is of me taken during April 2018 in Sydney, Australia. If you’re reading this, feel free to repost this photo. Just make sure that you tag me in both the photo and the caption. ♥ ❦ ❥ ♡ ❧ ღ ♥ ❦ ❥ ♡ ❧ ღ ও #EmpowerFemales #EmpoweringFemales #EmpoweredFemale #EmpoweredFemales #EmpowerGirls #EmpoweringGirls #EmpoweredGirl #EmpoweredGirls #EmpowerWomen #EmpoweringWomen #EmpoweredWomen #EmpoweredWomenEmpowerWomen #Feminist #FeministForLife #BodyPositivity #BodyPositive #BodyPositiveBabe #BodyPositiveVegan #BodyPositivityMovement #BodyPositiveMovement #BodyPos #BodyPosi #BodyPositiveYoga #BodyPositivePower #BodyPositiveBlogger #BodyHairPositive #BodyHairPositivity #BodyHairDontCare #BodyHairMovement #BodyHairLove

A post shared by Miss Body Hair Positive (@bodyhairpositive) on

“I’m very much still just learning how to embrace the discomfort with less resistance, how to soften the judgments/insecurities, and how to return to radical self acceptance & self love,” said another. “I’m doing this for me, because I want to. And truth be told, that’s the only reason I need.”

“Accept yourself for who you really are, don’t wait for others to accept you first… most of them can’t even accept themselves,” another woman wrote, flaunting the hairy pits.

The takeaway from it all? Don’t be afraid to embrace who you are just because society says one thing. If you don’t want to shave your armpits anymore, then don’t!

Join the conversation by using the hashtag #armpithair or #armpithairissexy on your Instagram or Twitter.

What are your thoughts on armpit hair? Would you ever grow your armpit hair to lengths like these? Tell us why or why not!