These are some photos of Amandla Stenberg at last year’s European premiere of The Hate U Give. The photos caused some murmurs on fashion blogs because Amandla had some armpit fur. This is nothing new for celebrity women, but because every generation thinks they invented these trends, we’re now learning that the women of Generation Z (the kids born in the ‘90s) are putting down their razors more than ever before:
Fresh off the return of the full bush, there is yet another triumph for team no-nicks-and-cuts. According to a recent study, nearly one in four women under the age of 25 have stopped shaving their underarms. Signaling a long overdue shift in society’s standards of female beauty, it wouldn’t have been possible without the women who bucked convention in the first place.
During the golden age of Old Hollywood, Sophia Loren redefined bombshell beauty by displaying bushels of armpit hair in curve-hugging halter dresses. On the other side of the spectrum, Patti Smith’s underarm fuzz was a cool complement to her gender-bending style in the ‘70s. Equally radical were two of the ’80s biggest rule breakers, Madonna and Lisa Bonet, who each tossed the razor with bad girl aplomb.
Of course we’d be remiss not to mention America’s sweetheart Julia Roberts, who greeted the crowd at the Notting Hill premiere—and sent shock waves through the industry—with unapologetic thickets of underarm growth in 1999. Or Lola Kirke, who took the 2017 Golden Globes red carpet with visible, sweetheart-neckline-adjacent body hair. And when actress and passionate social-justice activist Amandla Stenberg sported underarm fluff at the European premiere of The Hate U Give, it was yet another powerful sign of solidarity.
One in four (under-25) women are not shaving their pits now? Sure. I’m Xennial and I had a lot of friends who didn’t shave their pits (and at times, their legs) too. It’s not new, nor is it notable, nor is it a fashion or beauty conversation, in my opinion. I’m sure there are many women who do it for feminism, or do it to normalize natural body hair (I also prefer my natural, unwaxed bush, for what it’s worth). But, on the other side, you can still be a feminist and still like things as natural as possible and still shave your pits. It’s not always a feminist/beauty conversation, sometimes it’s just a general preference. For me, I shave my pits because I go to the gym four times a week and I SWEAT, and I feel “lighter” and less sweaty with shaved pits. I also shave my legs to the knee every day because I hate the feel of stubble. It’s just a personal preference!
Photos courtesy of WENN.
I wax and never looked back.
But in Jamaica women dont shave.
Everyone is different.
I was never so happy as when I was a surfing naked non-shaving hippy. Ar age 24 I conformed to get a job & please a man; wasteful chase. I say to this gen- go Go GO!! Love yourself & change the world !!
Reminds me of all the historical dramas, like Outlander, where the woman is stripped to the waist, but somehow, she’s shaved her armpits while fleeing the British soldiers.
I shave my pits because I use natural deodorant and find that hairless pits help it work better..I rarely shave my legs though but that is mostly out of laziness and because I live in Canada so my legs are covered up like 85% of the year lol
OriginalLAla, are you me? LOL. I live in Canada too, I have recently started using natural deodorant , and ITA that hairless pits seem to help. (Maybe it’s the brand I’m using, but if I don’t keep them shaved the deodorant seems to wear off really quickly.)
As for my legs, I shave them only if I am going to be wearing shorts or a swimsuit or something like that…if I’m on vacay and am just lazing around the house, no razor shall touch them, hahaha.
LOL, it’s basically only bare leg weather for like 2 months up here so I rarely bother!
My daughter shaves her armpits for deodorant to work better. She has never shaved her legs and does not plan on it. She says it’s her body, time and comfort and she doesn’t want to. I’m like “okay” – my mother has always said I should make her. I think it’s kind of cool that she came to that on her own and I’ve heard her defend her choice when other kids in high school we negative or rude.
Your daughter sounds awesome. I love hearing about girls and young women making decisions for themselves and parents who support them.
Wait till she falls head over heels for a boy XD
Ditto on shaving for the sake of deodorant. I use this hemp stuff from our local farmers market, and I will be honest, it doesn’t work as well as drug store brands, so I have to apply it more often, but I am much less scared of what’s going into my body.
same on both accounts, almost. I switched to a natural deodorant earlier this year and find that it definitely makes a difference whether my pits are shaved or not. I don’t enjoy shaving my pits but I like the new deo so I am making an effort. I also rarely shave my legs. I live in NY but only wear shorts maybe for a month or two out of the year, and my leg hair is fine enough to not be that noticeable anyway.
I’ve been waxing my legs since my early 20s, but only shave my armpits when I remember, which isn’t very often. I would probably shave more frequently if it weren’t too cold to wear sleeveless shirts in my office. That place is like a refrigerator.
Same, except for Canadian residency. I’m also post menopausal so my leg hair is pretty fine and doesn’t grow much, lol.
Mine too,lol. I am 52 & my hair is really fine, what little I can grow. I am part Sioux and can literally count the number of hairs under my arms if I let them grow. And I have no bush anymore..😑
But good on them if that is what makes them happy.
I graduated beauty school in Feb 2017 and this was a discussion we had a few times bc a girl got a talking to from her job for having armpit hair, job said it was a hygiene issue and the gal disagreed, she was a daily showeree and deodorant wearer. I’m big on underarm shaving for myself, I know what you mean about feeling lighter. I didn’t think it was bad that she had armpit hair, but I felt so bad for her that her boss made such a big deal about it.
That’s just sexist, plain and simple. If a man doesn’t shave his pits, no one bats an eye and it isn’t viewed as a hygiene issue at all.
@elimaeby, !!!! Yep, exactly 🖖🏽
So much money to be made from razors, lasers, shaving cream, depilatories, etc. Not much money to be made from our natural bodies. Ad campaigns aimed at women, and sexism have shaped the vast majority of women’s preferences.
Yes. It simply isn’t a hygiene issue! Just aesthetics.
Personally, I shave because the hair makes me itchy.. And I always wax my legs because shaving has given me horrible rashes.
I quit shaving pits and legs for years in the 90’s as a response to being strongly encouraged (forced ) by societal expectations. Feminist response but also I was a dirtbag hippy traveler for much of that time so it fit the lifestyle.
Eventually I resumed shaving both underarms and legs because quite simply, I prefer it.
I sweat profusely and it’s just less stank to do my armpits and the legs is more about maintaining the skin under the hair. My skin begins to feel scaley to me within days if I don’t. Also I like the feel of hairless legs. So now I do it.
I encourage any woman to forgo shaving if that’s what you feel.
Same here, I didn’t bother with shaving when I was young, but now it (the hair) itches me and I don’t like how it looks and feels… had my underarms lasered and it’s been wonderful not dealing with it.
LOL my legs only usually get done if I’m going for a pedicure, or know I’m wearing shorts or a dress or something, but I hate doing that. Underarms I do pretty frequently, but it’s all just personal preference. Do what you like!
Ahhhh youth…..
I am hitting the pre menopausal stage and I am already seeing hair on my neck and chin. I maintain because I just cannot carry a beard and hair in other areas are growing so fast that I can go out and get Bigfoot as a spouse.
Oh, I remember the first time I found a very long chin hair! I was shocked I hadn’t noticed it earlier!!
I used to work with the adult wards in my county, and one time I was asking a 90+ year old woman what she wanted me to bring her while she was in rehab after a stroke. She wanted her tweezers. She told me she used to pluck her brows, but now only really did it around her chin. She was so cute. I think of her every time I pluck a chin hair
Not trying to stalk you, manda, but my mother-in-law made me promise that if she ever is incapacitated, I will pluck her chin hairs!
I shave. It just looks and feels nicer. I still have nightmare just remembering when my gym teacher was a sub for history teacher in primary school. She came in a skirt that day and had stockings and the hair went through them and it was just ouch. I didn’t even start growing hair on my legs then 🙂 I don’t judge women who don’t shave or wax I just wouldn’t like it on myself. Having said that I’m pro bush – I mean, neat one. So, I do support body hair I guess.
I would love to forgo shaving my pits but I really feel like I’ve ‘ruined’ my hair there. I literally shaved from the instant i even had anything to shave so I feel like if i left them now i wouldn’t get sweet whispy fluff, i’d just get mad spikes in all directions that itch. I also use natural deodorant so reading other comments above has been helpful regarding its effectiveness when used with hair. When I started using the natural salt rock thing it was quite something to get used to the feeling of sweating but once I got my head round the fact that I wasn’t smelly, the sweat actually does its job and cools me down.
Yeah, I too regret ever starting to shave my pits: it wasn’t even that hairy, I could have plucked them I think! But now it looks gross when I don’t shave them and I like the feeling of the hairless, dry skin (I can’t do deodorant, I know antiperspirant isn’t great but I don’t like the feeling of sweat). I shave my legs in summer about once or twice a week and about once a month in winter. I can’t wax, it always gives me ingrown hairs even if I use a lufa daily and exfoliate like crazy :/
Shaving hair is like a haircut. It cannot change the texture or colour of hair. It cannot affect the thickness. It is physically and biologically impossible for that to happen.
Oh I know Kittenheels! But I started shaving my pits when there was only some baby hairs there, of course puberty happened and some coarser hairs have grown, but I wonder if, if I had started to just pluck back them, there would be less if it to deal with now (which, since I’m not that hairy, would be almost nothing at all)
I shave my pits because I am a stinky sweater and that helps reduce BO for me. I waxed my pubic area briefly but hated it and shaving gives me bumps so I’m all for the full bush. And I shave my legs once in a while (only to the knee) if I’m wearing a skirt.
I’m in the laser-it-off camp. That’s only my personal preference though. I think it’s up to each person and it’s none of anyone’s business. Personally, I have very dark hair and light skin, so laser is very effective on me. I’ve lasered my underarms, forearms, full leg and bikini. I even did a few sessions of a Brazilian laser and the pain was excruciating in very short bursts. It’s possible that I have a phobia about my own personal body hair.
Same here ! I was bullied in high school over hairs. It made me deeply insecure with it so I’ve had it all lasered off and never looked back.
I’ve lasered my full Brazilian bikini, my lower legs (ugh, why didn’t I go on and do the whole legs?), and my arm pits. I’m very much a feminist and this preference doesn’t preclude me from feminism.
It’s each person’s personal preference after a lifetime of being influenced by the media to be silky smooth and enticing. No company is making money off women’s body hair, so millions of dollars go into shaping each woman’s personal preference. Just sayin’
Gosh I haven’t shaved my legs since we got married in front of family in March. Armpits I have to shave at least once a week because I sweat profusely and they get quite itchy and sometimes get sebaceous cysts. Agree on the full bush, Kaiser. So, are the kiddos going to say they are also somehow superior for not washing their hair next?
Personal choice and none of my business.
This. Big time.
It’s a personal choice. I’m not a big fan of hairiness on men or women, lol, so I like to shave.
I used to be self conscious about my arm pit hair and would shave every other day. Now… I really don’t care. I will shave if its before an event, but for every day like at the gym?? I don’t really care, its less trouble, and no one ever even mentions it.
My ladybits on the other hand… I like brazillian waxes! Its just easier and feels nicer.
turning 50 this year. do not shave pits. I think underarm hair is sexy. my diva younger friend used to laugh when it was not seen as much and I said just you wait. I was right *smug*. 🙂
Your body, your hair. Shave or don’t shave. No business of anyone else’s either way. I don’t see this as a debate honestly. Or a feminist stance and I don’t think younger Gen Z women do either. They aren’t as caught up in the idea of every personal choice being a statement. They do what they want and I am of the same thinking.
Millenial here and in a very conservative state. I don’t shave my armpits and rarely shave my legs, but a lot of the women i know here are very into being perfectly hairless, eyelash extensions, hair extensions, tanning, etc… they kind of all look like the same stepford wife to me. I like to see the younger girls embracing less makeup and shaving because perfectionism is a huge cultural issue here and it’s problematic as hell.
I don’t understand judging women if they want to be hairless or have hair, wear makeup or not, tan or not, etc etc. It is not more or less womanly to do those things.
Living in the morridor is a specific type of cultural bubble not everyone understands. Certainly some women go big on the cosmetic section of their lives because they like it, but a huge part of it in the LDS culture here is perfectionism in the social hierarchy, especially for young mothers. The judgement at church is massive and debilitating, and something that people outside of “the bubble” don’t really understand. When you grow up in the church hearing from your leaders that you should be wearing makeup or your “ugly knees and bony shoulders” should be covered, and your entire life duty is to attract a worthy man and have kids who also must look perfect at Church, you’re not really doing your hair and makeup because you like it, but because you’ve been taught you’re ugly or unworthy without it.
We like to think we’ve moved past it as a society, but ime, nothing has changed where i live.
@brody, agree. Nothing wrong w doing that but to be expected to do that is not right.
Dude I could never live in Utah. Trying to fit into that ridiculous stepford Mormon mommy thing would kill me. I would rebel so hard! Some of that weird perfectionist culture has migrated north to Canada, but fortunately most of the LDS peeps where I live are 1st or 2nd generation and from all over the globe. I dig diversity.
It is a feminist issue because have you read some of the male comments on social media? Every woman has the freaking right to do with her body hair as she damn well pleases. It does not make her ugly, or less feminine or what-freaking-ever.
I shave because I hate tickling hair.
I shave under my arms cause I am a heavy sweater and it helps my antiperspirant work better plus cuts down on funk gathering & lingering there. I only shave my legs in the summer and even then it’s maybe 3 or 4 times since my leg hair is blonde.
I shave every single day (seriously, my friends joke about how my legs are always smooth) and I live in Canada so it’s pretty cold here a lot of the time lol! I do it because if I even have a little bit of hair growing I get SO itchy. However, I think the woman not shaving are amazing. If you don’t want to do it, don’t do it!
Only thing I shave is my face (microblading)!
I prefer shaving my armpits, have tried not shaving too. I shave my legs when I feel like it. I prefer shaved legs for comfort, but I’m a lazy shaver.
Nay but it’s their underarms. I’ve got bigger things to worry about.
That said, it’s not an option for me.
Years ago, I was at Disney World and this older, beautiful woman was waving and yelling down the street to her friend and she had the prettiest armpits I’d ever seen, so, as soon as possible I got mine lasered.
I had some other parts lasered too and let me tell you…
the pitters hurt the worst.
You wouldn’t think so but they do.
Still glad I had it done but the laser doesn’t work on blonde or gray hair, so, you might want to do it sooner than later and I still run a razor over my ‘pits once in a great while for the blonde peach fuzz.
Oh, and if you have darker skin you need to find someone who really knows what they are doing because the laser is attracted to dark and you could get tiny burns.
Everyone should do what they want. In the winter I’m lazy about it , but in the summer I prefer to shave .
Personally I think it’s gross and unhygienic. Even my husband shaved his armpits to help with armpit sweat and odor. I don’t shave, I epilate since it lasts longer than shaving, but whatever makes you happy. Just don’t get mad if people say you stink
But hair doesn’t cause BO!!! On the contrary, the hair reduces the bacterial growth which will cause BO. You can say that you prefer hairless but the “hygiene” argument is BS, I’m sorry.
It’s funny how much policing of our bodies gets called a “hygiene” issue by those who don’t fully have their arms around the facts, isn’t it.
Thanks for correcting a common misperception.
Your body, your choice. Full stop. Why on earth would someone think that they need to impose their own standard of “beauty” and what is acceptable on someone else???
I wax and shave because hair usually makes me sweat more and that makes me feel gross (like underarms, vag) and I shave my legs maybe once a week. I do it for ME, not because of society. I think everyone can do whatever they damn well please and it has nothing to do with feminism or societal expectations. Different strokes for different folks. What other people do with their lives and their bodies doesn’t and SHOULDN’T concern me (or anyone else).
I’m severely allergic to deodorant of any kind (I get huge cysts if i use it even once). I also cannot shave due to skin sensitivity. I actually find that my underarm hair does not hold the b/o and make me stink. I mean without the deodorant I find that I can sweat and not stink. If I get too wet or sticky I just take a quick shower or wipe with a wet towelette or something similar. My husband has never once in his life worn deodorant because his father told him as a kid that it is deodorant that makes you smell. In 28 years I have only “smelled” his b/o once and that was from him drinking too much the night before and I think his body was oozing alcohol. But even though he works outside in the Mississippi heat he has never ever smelled like stinky sweat. However, many of the people I work for have terrible body odor in the summer here and they wear deodorant so…..
I shave my legs and pits because I feel better about myself doing so and if I’m working out (do it 4-5x a week) little deodorant marks would stick to armpit hair and I find that unappealing on myself. That said, you do you and feel proud in your body! I remember my friend being a judge Judy when she found out I don’t wax my nether region and being all offended! I told her I tend to my garden when needed and if I need a trim I do it myself. Don’t get me started on women who find natural bushes “gross”…. again do what you want but don’t judge me for preferring my body a certain way.
Haven’t shaved my pits or bush regularly since I was in college. Now I only do it if I know I’m going to be sleeveless around my mom who is a boomer with odd ideas about bodily autonomy. I even forgot to shave t
For my wedding day and had to steal a razor from my brother!
I don’t know why people think hair makes you stink more when the opposite is true.
In my opinion both men and women should shave adopts to at least this length (it’s not like this is barely anything) but rest of body hair isn’t a big deal (if you trim the longest parts).
Shave because I want to and that’s good enough for me.
To each it’s own …. let s see if it settles or if it s at end effect …
In the 70s hair was in …. then it wasn’t
It comes and goes
And Jesus Amandla is lucky she doesn’t have much hair … if I don’t wax for a month I have a dead raccoon under my armpits …
and I agree with the other it helps with deodorant…
It depends on your type of hair too
“Dead raccoon under my arms” has been my favorite line of the morning: hahahaha. I am against any woman feeling her natural body – even with a dead raccoon under each arm – is unacceptable, but I support your (brainwashed) right to choose.
Amandla Stenberg is so beautiful! That’s really all I’ve got on this topic. To each their own armpits.
This is absolutely a feminist and beauty issue. If societies around the world think the female body in its natural form is unhygienic, that is a problem and a huge double standard. I personally shave, but I don’t think women should have to if they don’t want to. There was a great Podcast on this on Call Your Girlfriend a few weeks ago.
If it’s “unhygienic” for women, then it’s also unhygienic for men no? Yup major double standard here. Women and men should do what they want. I remember a lot of male athletes in high school shaving their arms and legs. A lot of men with tattoos shave their arms and legs too. Do you !
I could never not.
I have insanely thick and coarse hair which is great on my head, but it’s just as thick everywhere else too. I get 5 o’clock leg shadows and just hate feeling stubble.
Personal preference I guess, for the women and the observer. Some people think it’s hot, some people think it’s nasty. I don’t think there’s really a point to discussing it other than everyone saying how they feel and it not mattering to us. You do you ladies!
Exactly! 100% this post. Your body, your choice. You don’t owe anyone an explanation as to why you do or don’t remove or keep your body hair. Just like it’s a non conversation if you have short or long hair on your head. Or if you like to paint your nails or keep them unvarnished. It’s all about your preference and mood.
It should be a total non issue, to be honest. Female shaving only became a thing in the 1900s when razor companies wanted to expand their market. It has no influence on hygiene otherwise. Personally, I only shave regularly in the summer and only once a week then because my skin is too sensitive otherwise. I honestly could care less what people think, especially if they’re men lol.
That may be true about shaving in America, but other cultures have been removing hair (threading, etc.) for centuries.
I’ve found that women are just as judgmental on the body hair thing. I’m with you, it should be a non-issue.
Sometimes I want to shave, so I do (I did my armpits last night).
Sometimes I don’t want to shave, so I don’t (I have maybe done my legs once this summer?). My body, my business 🤷🏻♀️
To each their own! At this time I like shaving but who knows what the future will bring.
I still shave because I have dark hair and get the prickly stubble if I go more than five days or so. I have noticed the younger women aren’t shaving, wearing bras or wearing make up very much around me. Maybe it’s because I live in a laid back artsy town but more power to them!
And the other 2/3’s are getting laser hair removal! I’m all for the Bush, but I’m shaving my pits. In winter, I love to grow out my legs. As for other people? Do as you wish! Who cares??
My best friend PLUCKS HER ARMPIT HAIR. With tweezers! Just thinking about it makes my eyes water….I stopped shaving because my underarm skin is so sensitive and haven’t looked back, and it has gotten me some rude comments from family and friends….but my 7 year old niece thinks it’s cool so that’s that! To each their own!
I love you Ana. You can’t pick your family, but you could use some better friends! <3
I find it gross, but I find a lot of things gross. Truthfully, I find people in general gross.
I don’t judge because your body, your choices. My daughter won’t shave. She’s happy. If she’s happy, Mama is happy.
Yay. I would love to not shave my armpits, or my legs. I am exceptionally hairy, for one thing. For another, my hair is quite thick and dark, no matter where it grows on my body (except my head sometimes, grrrr). I have always hated shaving, because I always struggle with cuts, ingrown hairs, etc. Because my hair is thick, it gets trapped underneath the skin when it grows back. Plus, when my skin rubs up against bare skin, like in my armpits, or when stubble starts to come in, it’s abrasive, and it causes a rash. I have spent a lot of time and money on figuring out how to make this work for me in a way that doesn’t cause these problems, and I haven’t. And it doesn’t matter what I do, whether that’s shaving or epilating.
I’ve gotten to a point where I’m just like, if I have hair, it’s got to be for a reason. Whether that’s under my armpits, or anywhere else, it serves something of a purpose, even if that purpose is to prevent sensitive skin from getting chafed. I still shave, because I don’t have the luxury of getting by without shaving (my hair is v conspicuous, it always invites comments), but if I could, boy would I ditch everything so FAST. Going through all of this additional stuff, every time I shave, is time consuming. It costs money. And it is, by and large, starting to not be worth it for me.
I rarely shave my pits or legs anymore either. I still do on “special occassions” like if I was doing a fancy event or something…but day to day….nah. I have stepped out to many a a grocery store shopping with my hairy legs and pits and I dont care 😛
I’m 57 and don’t shave unless I’m wearing a sleeveless outfit.
I wouldn’t dare going a day without shaving my armpits. I shave my legs every other day in the summer, but am much more lax about that in the winter.
Of course you can be a feminist and still shave your arm pits (or not). For me, that is what feminism is – freedom of choice.
Gen X, never shave not a hippie. Peace out.
YAY!!!!! For years I’ve been insulted all young women are making their V-Jays like a hairless baby; I feel it says our natural sexual parts are unacceptable. I DETEST BARE V-JAYS; they seem infantilized to me. (If a guy or gal can’t spit out a few pubes out now and then, he/she doesn’t deserve to be in your bed, ladies). Also, men are not told to shave IN ORDER TO BE ACCEPTABLE. Just more sexist shit that we’ve internalized and don’t bother to question. YAY YAY YAY for our natural bodies, without companies brainwashing us into spending lots of money shaving and perfuming into pale imitations of the real thing. I love these courageous young folks. <3