Do you shave your armpits?

I do it once a month. Usually when it starts to smell. I don't shave my legs or anything else as body hair doesn't bother me but armpit hair gets wiffy after a certain length. My late OH shaved his too for the same reason.

Waxing: haven’t shaved my armpits since 1999.

Only if I am wearing something where other people will see my pits.

I don’t understand why so many people have voted YABU??!!

I shave mine sometimes but sometimes I leave it for ages, depends how I’m feeling. But I LOVE that more young women are starting to feel confident to leave their natural body hair. Very cool. And I cannot stand it when I see that being judged by others, especially women. It’s hair. We all have it. Who cares.

Every 3 days, if I'm going to wear a low-cut blouse, or when I'm going to bathe at night, I'll notice the beard under my armpits and shave.

I do it every 3 days, I normally shave them in the sink on my bathroom at night before taking my night shower, I do it out of personal preference since I feel more comfortable if I don't have hair in my armpits and I also wear sleeveless blouses a lot.

Very, very rarely.

Yes, every 3 days, it is my personal preference to have hairless armpits and I also like to wear sleeveless or strapless shirts and I will need to shave my armpits then when I leave it for more days than normal I get thorns and it feels uncomfortable apart from that it doesn't take me long. I do it in the morning when I get up, just a few minutes shaving my armpits in front of the bathroom mirror is more than enough.

I lacked the confidence until this year to let it grow completely. Now I’ve done it! I notice people look twice because it’s not normal where I live to see a woman with armpit hair but literally no one has said anything to me.

I shave them when I remember. I went a year without shaving them once, and the pp is right, once it goes to that lovely silky feeling hair, they are much less sweaty than shaved pits.

Shaving, or anything really, for the sake of social expectations or even just another individuals expectations isn't cool with me. Should always be primarily personal choice and preference

I can't say I feel it's a great deal different these days, except perhaps that people are less vocal about it. I do like to explore questions like this about social norms and expectations etc, hearing how people feel and why, and reading about the history of them and how it varies in different cultures

The same people slightly horrified by a women with armpit hair get confused when I expressed an interest in waxing mine, because I'm a man. I wanted to give other parts a go after getting my nose & ear hair waxed, so I did everything except the "private" bits which I can't bring myself to do because I'm uncomfortable with that. I quite enjoy the sensation of having the hair ripped off, and the woman who does the waxing is great to chat with

I don't understand the association with smelliness. Men don't generally smell any more than women and they tend to have hairy pits.

I don't shave my head either, but you wouldn't look at someone with hair on their head and think they had a smelly head just because of the hair. Armpits get washed much more often than heads do as well.

I do also shave when swimming with judgy people though, so I'm not immune to social pressure even though I wish I was.

Hair actually wicks the sweat away from your skin so it dries quicker.OK that makes sense. I thought it was weird that I get armpit odour if I shave, and no odour if I don't.

Hair actually wicks the sweat away from your skin so it dries quicker.

Smell is a product of bacteria plus moisture - same bacteria on hairy as shaven armpits.

I occasionally shave my armpits (once a year or so if I'm going swimming with someone judgy) - I can tell you there is no difference in smell.

Shaven armpits make you more prone to ingrown hairs, spots, cysts etc.

I don't give a shit what you do with your armpits, just saying the association with smelliness is annoying! Same goes for pube shaving.

I don’t have many as I used to wax every 5 weeks but I now shave daily , I hate the feeling of any hair

I do mine on a Sunday, same as my legs. Neither are on show very often, legs more so in the summer months but I’d never wear a sleeveless top so my armpits are only on show when I’m in my swimming costume.
It’s just habit, I don’t really know why I do it.
Dds rarely bother.

I agree with some PP. Hair wicks the sweat away from the body, and away from the bacteria that create a whiff... I find my pits smell more when shaven.

I shave if my pits are on show, so usually in summer. I lack the confidence to look hairy.

I let it grow for 4 months last winter when they weren't on display, and about a month in, it went lovely and soft, and sweat wicked away better.

I feel more sweaty when freshly shaven, because the sweat is just sitting directly on the skin. Especially when wearing sleeves. Freshly shaven looks fine for 12 hours then goes stubbly anyway.

I'd love it if society dropped all the predjudice about women's body hair and insinuating that it's dirty, unhygeinic and smelly. I returned to shaving this spring as I wear a lot of vests for sport so my armpits are on public display for most of the year. I shave them entirely because of society, and because fitness and beauty are often so closely entwined, so it really would stand out in that setting. And people would notice when you do activities like boxing, moving your arms in close proximity.

Yes. I've never let my armpit hair grow !

Every day , I wash take an extra probably 5 seconds to do each one and deodrant . I wear vest tops through summer while not at work , and just don’t like the hairy look , rightly or wrongly I associate it with smells , deo can’t work as well through hair , also people who say it does I assume use an aerosol one which I don’t . I guess I’m of an age where not shaving is more closely related to hippy smells and not bothering , rather than reclaiming your armpits .

I used to shave every other day without fail and remember the shock of seeing my Mum's friend who hadn't shaved.
Now I don't bother unless I fancy it so every few months.
DD is a teenager and her friends are quite cool and most don't shave. She does occasionally but quite often leaves it for a few months. I'm glad it's getting to be more of a choice than when I was young and you would quite possibly actually die if a hint of stubble could be seen.

Don't shave at all in the winter, a few times over the summer. Who can be bothered with all that faff? Not me!

Nope!!! And I saw a beautiful woman in Waitrose yesterday wearing a vest too and I shaved pits, I love that women are reclaiming their bodies in this way.

No, had them lasered years ago- no hair at all.