You might not be a fan of boyfriend jeans, top knots or jumpsuits, but those won’t seem quite so offensive after you scratch your head at the newest summer trend.
Underarm hair, which has traditionally been seen as unfeminine and perhaps even unclean, is having its moment in the spotlight.
Yes, really. And no, not just among granola-crunchy hippies, either.
Celebrities from Madonna and Miley Cyrus to Lena Dunham have been challenging beauty norms recently with their own long-haired ‘pits, with “Girls” star Jemima Kirke photographed just one week ago flaunting her own body hair on the CFDA Awards red carpet.
Meanwhile, a women’s rights advocate in China has been asking women to post photos of their own unshaven armpits online.
“Men have more freedom in terms of what do with their bodies,” Xiao Meili, the Chinese advocate, told The New York Times. “I’m just saying if some people don’t want to shave, the rest of us should not think their underarm hair is disgusting, unhygienic, uncivil or not feminine enough.”
Women around the world have been following her lead, posting their own hairy pictures with hashtags like “#armpithairdontcare.”
It may be the 21st century, and there may have been a ton of progress made in terms of what people feel “free” to do with their bodies, but based on the widespread criticism and even cringing that these women elicit from the general public, this is a trend that may not take off.
Interestingly, even our ancestors took part in the ritual of hair removal.
The first recorded instances of have been said to date back to the ancient Egyptians. Mass production and modern advertising in the early 20th century allowed for cheaper products to became available to all, leading to the expected norm of “hairless” women. And now, suddenly, some young girls are even dyeing their armpit hair a brighter color to bring more attention to this once avoided body part.
While we may or may not be willing to dive into this trend, we’d love to hear what you think. Let us know in the poll below, and leave a comment expressing why you feel the way you do.
