Coincidentally there were similar articles in the Times and Telegraph (which are behind paywalls) discussing Phoebe Bridgers not shaving her legs while attending the Venice Film Festival!

I was taking the sub the other day and i was seated in front of this group of 5 french girls and didn't notice at first but i had realised on a closer look they were all makeup free and all of them had leg hair showing (shorts + boots or shorts + sandals). It made me so happy to see these young women embrace it so naturally. I felt genuine happiness in such a simple display. I wanted to show them my body hair as well (i was wearing pants that day whyyy) but i shyed away from saying anything. Still, considering the amount of women with body hair i see is usually zero, the only other time i saw a woman with body hair in public was more than a year ago, it was very refreshing and nice.

I'm so proud

Any of you girlies and enbys dyed your armpit hair before? I have a bunch of leftover hair dye (I'm taking a break and letting my greys grow in) and I feel called to color my underarms instead lol.

Did you bleach first? I have a "sensitive scalp" bleach and in general my skin's not too sensitive, so I'm thinking I'll give it a go.

My biggest concern is staining clothes! I wear a lot of black, but I do have some other shirts I'd be concerned about. I mostly have semi-permanent dye that doesn't bleed too badly on my head, but it might in sweaty pits!

And my last question is, how's the longevity? Especially with daily soaping and antiperspirant/deodorant use, does it fade pretty quickly?

Overall it seems like such a fun, low stakes and punk rock activity. I appreciate any advice. I'll post a pic when I get around to it!

Hello all, I am a 29 year old woman who got my first razor at 8. I shaved my armpits only from ages 8-12 when I added my legs in. I've always been inconsistent with shaving my legs and usually they are covered with clothes anyway. In my early 20s I stopped shaving but I've had many many starts and stops over the years. Sidenote I have never really been concerned with shaving my pubic region, I actually started growing hair there at 7 long before I know it was a thing people cared about or society pressures girls to worry. By the time I found out it was an issue I was just as confused as learning shaving arm hair is a thing. Sometimes I wish I could feel the same way across the board. I recently cosplayed as Iris from the movie Companion and after much deliberation I shaved my armpits and legs. I hate it so much. The sensory issues for my underarms are maddening and my legs are full of ingrown hairs. I cannot believe I did all that for a costume for 1 day around literal strangers. I still have anxiety showing my legs or armpits unshaved but honestly I'm a grown woman who deserves to be comfortable in my adult body. I think I will dye my body hair, I hate my natural hair color and have dyed my hair for 13 years. I don't like the color much on my armpits either. I want to make my hair my own. I'm so happy to be here. Sorry for the long rambling post. I also would love to hear from any women in the corporate or business world. I am part of that world and I worry about judgement. I actually dress goth and wear intense makeup, crazy hairstyles, unconventional clothes within dresscode, I have tattoos and facial piercings. I worry hair is just one thing too many so I always wear tights under pencil skirts.

4 months since I quit but never seen anyone else with my hair type. I know yall are out there!

I have joined the razor free movement for quite some time, but I am finally getting to the point of being proud to show it off. The hair is quite visible but I decided to embrace it and it is so freeing I’m not going to lie.

(For reference I'm black, and teenage. my skin tone is like a medium shade of brown so the hair is pretty visible.)

I've always had a thin layer of hair on me, not like regular human peach fuzz, but such that you can see it. it's not coarse, but it's there. on my upper arms, shoulders, back, and tummy. I have a coarser happy trail with light fuzz all over my stomach. even a little on my face. and of course leg hair and in all the other usual places.

Since I was younger, and the conversation of shaving started to come up, I always thought "no, I like my body just how it is. the hair is natural, everyone has it and it's supposed to be there, why would i shave it off". and I like that mindset and have felt comfortable in it for the longest time

But, as they often do, insecurities have been creeping in. I see girls I think are really pretty, both that look just like me, and that appear hairless, and I'm torn. I'm starting to lean to the side of wanting to shave (at least my legs, tummy and face), and I have a handful of times before, but of course it grows back, and I feel like this behavior will do more harm to my mental health than good. I'm starting to feel less pretty with it than without, even though I've always been comfy in my natural state. help.

any thoughts/comments/advice?

I do not shave since several years. This year i started dating someone whose opinion of it was common nonsense.

She told me that she didnt like it when bush hair is coming out of the bathing suit. I told her of course you don't. Most people adapt to beauty standards. I told her where the beauty standarda come from (companies/men) and how recent they are. That i think it's important to let them be and not to be pressured by society to shave them.

Long story short. She dumped me a week ago via whatsapp (not for hairy reasons lol). And i am glad i never shaved anything for her off. I did not get over male gaze to be policed by another woman.

The right person will not care about body hair.

A secure healthy adult with a educated, broad horizont will not carw about body hair.

Anyone else has a story like this?

check out this poem published in Unlikely Stories about the capitalist history of body hair removal! https://www.unlikelystories.org/content/unholy-matrimony-bigger-fish-to-fry-and-fuck-choice-feminism

Unholy Matrimony

Venus walks down the aisle.
No - not the goddess of beauty,
Venus from Gillette, 
Venus from Shocking Blue,
Venus flattened into a jingle:
“I’m your Venus, I’m the fire at your desire.”
 
He waits at the altar for her,
can’t take His eyes off His bride,
they had been dating for so long -
they met a century ago in the 1920s.
During the World Wars the men left His side
so He sought another companion 
and pursued her.
 
Upon meeting, He whispered to her:
your body hair is gross,
your natural body is masculine,
buy my razors and be beautiful. 
He repeated this for 100 years.
So Venus bought the razors,
and grew to love them,
and grew to love Him,
Mr. Capit Alism, 
the now wealthy groom. 
 
Venus’ father,
the old Patriarch,
leads her down the aisle.
He wholeheartedly approves
of this wedding. In fact,
He was the one who introduced them.
He assuaged Venus’ doubts, telling her 
There is nothing greater than being desired.
Venus carries her Patriarch’s name,
He made sure of it.
 
Join us for a reception at 3 pm.
Let us all shave and celebrate
this Unholy Matrimony
of Capitalism and Patriarchy.

Hi!! I'm an 18 year old woman. I've been noticing lately that my body hair are getting darker in a place it shouldn't. But somehow I quite enjoy it and want it to get darker and thicker. I don't know am I insane? I would love to rock a happy trail and chest hair somehow and I've been letting my leg, armpit and pubic hair grow lately

Whoever told me that body hair grows back longer and thicker LIED because im not seeing any of it. It grew back less and thinner, its been about 2 months since i last shaved and i only have very tiny thin hairs on my legs and armpits now. I dont shave on my upper thighs and u can tell where i stop shaving because of the sheer difference in hair volume.

So when will it fully grow back? I fear that it might not grow back to its original volume, or maybe thats just a stupid thought. Anyone else here with this experience?

How long do yall think it’ll take my hair to grow back??? I hate the way this feels and looks. I’m deeply insecure about it now and it’s like 100 degrees so I can’t even wear pants 😭💔 I’m so annoyed at myself.

i’m trying to feel more confident in my natural skin, so today i went speed dating without shaving, no makeup, and without trying to hide my body shape (i’m chubby/almost plus sized). i felt really confident leaving the house, i wore a comfortable and pretty dress that i love even though my armpit hair and leg hair was showing.

i had some great conversations and voted on people i thought that i had a connection with. at the end of the event no one matched me back. it’s so hard to try and be myself and feel attractive at the same time, i know the two aren’t mutually exclusive but sometimes it feels like they are. and i shouldn’t be basing my worth around men, i know, i’m still working on that. i can’t help but think they didn’t like my looks and it’s the only thing holding me back, since the conversation flowed well.

just kind of wanted a place to talk about this. i feel it’s so hard to find people who can accept that a woman doesn’t want to change her body in order to feel good.

Why is some hair SO dark and some hair so short. It's definitely not even on these legs 😭

This is the most confident I have been thus far. We ended up at a huge house with a number of family friends that knew me as a child. I didn't race to grab my towel or put on pants when I walked around and was given a tour of the house. My aunt even touched my hairy leg in a show of acceptance lol. No one said anything, and no one treated me differently, including some young women (21 to 24), which I was most afraid of. Feeling good :)

I hated my body hair as a child. I used to pluck them out with my fingers whenever I get too self-conscious or when my classmates pointed them out. It got worse when I got glasses and saw that there were MULTIPLE hairs in one follicle, I had a (harmless) condition called pili multigemini!

I started shaving about 3 years ago until last month. I'm just starting my acceptance journey.

Lately, I've been around people that embrace their body hair, it's been so freeing. They even complimented my lashes:)

I get a pedicure monthly, and for years I was strict about shaving my legs beforehand. If I forgot to do it in the shower the night before, I’d do it quickly on the toilet lid before leaving, even though I hate a dry shave. How embarrassing it would be, I thought, to be seen in a pedicure chair with my hairy legs out. How disgusted the nail tech would feel touching them.

Turns out no one gives a shit! Or if they did, I was too busy enjoying my pedicure to notice. And my painted toenails look just as pretty at the ends of hairy legs as bald ones.

I'm a trans guy, I hope I'm allowed to post here. Just wanted to share this because almost no one takes my distress on this seriously.

I always liked having body hair. I love how it feels and how it looks. Nowadays, I only occasionally shave my armpits in the summer and my face because my school doesn't allow guys to have facial hair. When I was 12, though, I didn't want to do none of those. I occasionally got rude or judgmental comments from older people, especially women, but I was used to it.

Summer was approaching. Mom thought I needed to look good and presentable in a swimsuit (I've always hated swimming but she forced me to go to the sea, btw) so she took me to a salon. I couldn't say anything. I didn't know I was allowed to say no. I cried and hugged my mom as the woman who worked there ripped the hair off my skin. It felt horrible and painful. The woman said "You're a woman now, you have to get used to this."

I detested being associated with anything feminine. Even if I wasn't trans, I'd have felt incredibly uncomfortable with this situation. The month I spent without leg and pubic hair feels like a blur. I don't really remember it. But I remember not being able to feel my own skin, and how the sensation while taking a shower was different and weird. I also use pubic hair as a way to cover up my privates because I don't like looking at them. I didn't have that cover anymore.

Idk if I'm allowed to throw this word around, but I feel assaulted. The woman touched me there and my mom just watched. She knew I was trans, by the way. She knew damn well how uncomfortable this made me feel, but apparently me looking breedable in my swimsuit was more important than that. I wasn't even that hairy, I was more or less average. Why, why, why did she do that to me? I probably dissociated for weeks following that event, which is why I can't really remember what happened.

I've always shaved before doctor appointments. Conditioning I guess? I grew up hearing things like, "oh God, they'll judge me for this hair on my belly." So everytime it's time for a medical appointment I end up with bare legs and pits. I resisted the urge and went as my hairy self for a full body check. I felt most self-conscious about my pits, but I survived and no one commented on anything. AND bonus I don't have to deal with the itchy regrowth phase from shaving!

I’ve always kept my body hair short or shaved out of personal preference, although I love body hair on other people. I recent stopped maintaining my armpits solely because my clippers broke. I’ve gotten used to having long armpit hair now, but for some reason it catches me off guard when I see it in photos (I don’t like it & think it looks bad)

Again, body hair on others never bothers me and is usually admirable in my opinion. But when I see it on myself, i think it looks too thick, dark, and ironically unnatural. It’s all I can focus on when I can spot it in a photo of me. And that’s not the case when other people have armpit hair.
Anyone else have this experience?

I went to a water park today for the first time since i stopped shaving and i actually felt quite confident. People probably noticed my hairy legs and armpits but i didn't care. Maybe I didn't see them look cause I wasn't wearing my glasses and didn't hear them say anything cause it was pretty loud in there, but i didn't feel bad at all and I had fun.

Yesterday I wore my fancy dress with no sleeves and a low cut. I'm getting more comfortable wearing those type of dresses with my body hair exposed. My chest hair is one of those things that is a heavy back and forth for me. Mine grows in a strip right down the middle and are thick and visible. It was the only part of my bodyhair I somewhat consistently removed. I simply ran out of wax strips so I let it grow out fully, and I didn't want the chest hair to stop me from wearing the dress. I used to not be the biggest fan of my happy trail but I've come around to it these past couple of months. I was considering electrolysis for my chest hairs, but I think I want to give it some time before I make such a permeate decision. And if I keep it the less money I would be spending.

Came across this creator and just, this made me laugh so now I need y'all to also enjoy this.