AIBU to think armpit hair is a moral issue?

[ICBINEG]

How did it come to pass that the natural appearance of an adult woman has become socially unacceptable?

Adult women have hair on their arms, legs, fanjo and (if you can bear the disgustingness of it all) armpits.

In a not at all surprising turn of events the natural appearance of an adult male is still considered attractive including (god forbid) hairy legs, arms, balls and armpits.

Why have we adopted a prepubescent look as the optimum for women but mysteriously not done the same for men?

AIBU to next shave myself when shaving becomes compulsory for EVERYONE and not just those without a Y chromosome?

Observation of my SIL suggests it can take over a year to unlearn the societal conditioning and start seeing your own hairy armpits as attractive....a whole year to stop thinking the natural female form is repulsive....AIBU in thinking that society is totally fucked up?

I never shave under my arms, i never shave my legs, but i do shave my fanjo sometimes, because my DP doesn't like hair in his mouth

you'll be very pleased to hear....

I'm a beauty therapist and at least a third of my treatment slots in a week are filled by woman wanting various waxing treatments!!!! also I have my legs, armpits and most of my fanjo hair waxed every 4 weeks!!!!

DISLIKE HAIR!! I wax for myself, my partner wished I'd leave a little bit more there!!

You feel "cleaner" without hair? why?

Men are also 'forced' to shave their face for work and to have short hair-at least we have the freedom to choose our hair length. And to wear earings at work

Dh shaves his armpits in the summer, especially abroad. We've spend August in 44C and i did my observation on armpits. Half men shaved them, half not, those with hairy armpits did smell.

Oh no inthenight do you not know your doing it so you are like prepubescent girl!

2girls yes I do. I shave my fanjo to feel cleaner. I hated being pregnant as I couldn't get to it and I honestly felt vile.

I was always very very hairy. I'm completely pale and very thick dark haired as well as being incredibly hairy. If I shaved my legs it'd last all of 4 hours before stubble came through. Waxing was horrible, painful and lasted a couple of weeks and resulted in ingrowing hair. So in the end I got my legs lasered and bikini line and I loved it. I could wear skirts and go to yoga and have sex without feeling like we had to concentrate above the waist...honestly felt like I had so much more time on my hands as didn't have to bother about getting rid of leg hair.

I actually like the unshaved armpit look though - I think it looks kind of sexy and subversive and rebellious... confident as well which is very sexy. I wonder if the full muff might even have a come back - just as fake boobs and plastic surgery look a bit daft now... I pick and chose about armpit hair - depends how I'm feeling. DH prefers it shaved but I'm not shy about it like I was my legs.

Someone up thread said they were embarrassed about giving birth with a full bush. Can I assure you that MW have dealt with much worse than a bit of pubic hair

Someone upthread used the phrase "no-one gives a shiney shite",which is actually the opposite of my experience but encapsulates what for me is the problem quite nicely. I personally don't give a shiney shite about having hairy armpits, hairy legs, and if I lived on a desert island would quite happily prance around in my hirsute glory - and I'm another one who finds hairy armpits actually feel less sweaty and clammy than shaven ones (though, in the interests of honesty I do have problems with my hairy upper lip/chin and hairy nipples - even though having been single for over 6 years now, it's not like anyone sees the latter). But I'm intensely aware of the fact that many (not all) other people do give a shiney shite - they would actually think me disgusting and dirty if I didn't shave. And I do (most of the time) crumble in the face of that sort of social pressure, then feel rather bad for being so cowardly.

And it's totally different from men choosing to have beards or not - that genuinely is an aesthetic choice. There are fashions which come and go for being clean shaven/bearded/having designer stubble/soul patches. But no one says they're dirty, or unmanly, or unhygienic, or plain "eurgh" for making the choice that happens to be out of fashion at the time.

oh, i find that i actually feel cleaner, "down there" when im not shaved, it tends to take any, um, moisture away and i can get a bit sore if i have shaved and get a bit hot and sweaty

It is amazing isn't it how many people 'spontaneously' decide that they feel more attractive (just to themselves) when they look the same as whatever fad is currently sweeping the country/world.

I mean hardly anybody says 'oh yes I just have to shave my eyebrows off, because I just feel more attractive (just for me)... even though EVERYONE was doing that at some point in history....just not at the moment.

Or the whole rolls of fat thing that was popular and a sign of wealth and status back in the day...not currently a sign of wealth and status and oooohhh WHAT a surprise, suddenly no-one finds themselves attractive if they look like that now....bet they did at the time though...

"Can I assure you that MW have dealt with much worse than a bit of pubic hair"

Except that we did have someone come onto one of these threads fairly recently to say that their friend, a trainee midwife, sniggered at women with full bushes.

So no, no pressure on women at all...

I have the undercarriage of my fanjo waxed right round to my bum hole because I also 'feel cleaner'. I am very hairy and have very heavy periods. I have never been arsed one way or the other about underarms. I sometimes have them waxed but often leave them for months at a time - i don't sweat much so it isn't an issue (i still wear strappy tops).

I also have had my forearms lasered. The hair was so thick and dark against my pale skin i was embarrassed by it and it used to catch on watches and bracelets. Twats used to point at my arms and laugh, i was often asked if i was a man in drag or other such hilarious comments.

I have never been with a man who has expressed any opinion on my body hair but my dad does tell me how 'disgusting' it is if i don't shave my underarms (i just laugh). I don't like shaving as my hair is dark you can still see the roots under the skin and it can give me a rash. So i wax or nothing.

I have totally found that hairy armpits are more comfortable, less sweaty and less smelly than shaved and deodarized.

I still think it is a pretty serious issue if people feel 'dirty' in their natural state. A form of body dismorphia surely?

Hairy armpits, hairy downstairs mixup, sometimes shaved legs.

I think for some people this becomes an issue/non-issue depending on their own specific bodies. Some people have a lot more body hair, or the body hair they have, is a lot more noticeable (thicker, darker, faster-growing.) So if you are fairly light-haired and the hair you naturally grow is fairly sparse, you have probably never come under as much pressure to depilate as the woman who has thick dark hair (particularly if she is fair-skinned).

Just like the whole feminists-and-bras issue: if you have small tits you can go without a bra and be more comfortable than if you have big ones.

my DH will veet his armpits because he can't control his BO otherwise. I hate it and would prefer him hairy so he's under the pressure!

Ha yes! I would never go without a bra due to pain out and out....and yes I have an easier time of it with hairy pits because I have fair hair....

• opposite kind of pressure

sorry!

But icbineg what if you actually are dirtier rather than just feel dirtier? When i am hairy in my undercarriage i can smell myself more, also bodily fluids stick and when i have my period or just go to the toilet it takes a lot longer to clean up. So i find waxing saves time and effort.

Underarms tho i don't even need deodorant as i just don't seem to sweat, even when hairy, so i don't bother with them much.

LST what are you on about??

There are lots of individual, personal reasons why some women remove their body hair, just as there are individual reasons why some men remove theirs.

But en mass, there is far greater pressure on women to be hair-free, and to be judged for not complying.

icbineg there was a good point upthread. It's a lot easier to get clean and feel fresher down below at the time of the month when you haven't got a jungle going on down there. I just can't imagine not shaving. Each to their own.

ahh just caught up on your previous posts LST ... I don't feel like a prepubesent girl as I leave my very lovely Brazilian line!!! lol!!

Do you wash and brush your head hair ICBINEG

I don't know why some of you are so desperate to believe there's a patriachal conspiracy behind hair removal. The majority of women feel nicer, cleaner and more comfortable after shaving/waxing, and so they choose to do so. Some women feel happier in their natural state, and so they choose not to shave. It's that simple.

inthe it was my attempt at being funny.

Apologies