As if women don’t have enough to worry about with the constant disapproval of wrinkles, grey hair, weight gain and chipped nail polish, now their armpits (or “oxters” in my Scottish vernacular) are under scrutiny. So much so that just a tiny glimpse of hirsuteness can elicit revulsion or shame.
So why is it OK for men to let their hair grow free but not for women? Is this need to depilate purely for the sake of hygiene? Surely not, because most men continue to leave their pits “au naturel,” and no one mentions revulsion about that. Quite the contrary, in fact. They consider it super macho to let their pheromones spread far and wide.
Repugnance at the sight of female oxter hair is absolutely a cultural issue and based entirely on the world’s relentless focus on how women should look.
If my memory serves me right, Sophia Loren was the first celebrity who had the courage to reveal her armpits adorned with hair. There’s an epic Getty Images photo of her to prove it. Other celebrities who don’t shave include Madonna, Julia Roberts, Miley Cyrus, Lisa Bonet and many more. Only last week, I was watching Wimbledon and more than a few of the top female players had underarm hair sprouting from all over. Not exactly a new phenomenon at Wimbledon. Back in the 90s, Steffi Graf didn’t seem at all embarrassed to show off her oxter hair.
The 1920s is most likely the time when American women began shaving. This is when we began to see advertisements for depilatories and women’s razors.
Most European women, on the other hand, regard winter as a blissful time when underarm hair can go on the rampage, free and unchecked. It’s the time when that burgeoning growth can double as a layer of warmth. Scandinavian and eastern European women are more fortunate. They can use the “winter” excuse all year round, knowing that there are only a handful of summer days in which they wouldn’t even take their cardies off, let alone expose their armpits, shaved or not. In Japan, hair removal traditions date back 1,200 years and women routinely used rough shells to remove facial hair. And whilst I’m on this tack, this is also the time of year when men’s pimply backs are also allowed to erupt in dark seclusion?
Women go through so much discomfort for the sake of today’s society’s perception of beauty. I mean, one would never see a Rubens’ beauty with shaved armpits.
Women are now injecting Botox into their armpits to stop sweating. Botox is injected under the arms and paralyzes the sweat glands. Each treatment costs about $700. There’s also laser therapy or Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) treatment that kills hair follicles by firing them with a short burst of light. Very expensive and needs about six sessions and regular maintenance thereafter.
If you can’t afford those treatments, an old-fashioned method is to make a thick, warm paste of sugar and lemon juice. Spread it over the armpit with strips of cloth applied on top. When the sugar cools, rip the strips of cloth off. Torture!
We are all, male or female, blessed with hair for a reason. Behind the knees, the ears, the groin and the armpits. It’s all designed to purge toxins in the form of perspiration. To prevent perspiring by using anti-perspirants or cosmetic treatment means those toxins are staying in our bodies.
Thankfully, there is a growing awareness that women should be able to choose whether to shave or not. In 2012, a group of women formed Armpits4August. Its aim was to encourage people to grow their body hair for good health and for charity. The group aimed to raise money for polycystic ovary syndrome, as PCOS symptoms include excessive hair growth. Their motto is “Let it grow, let it flow, let it go: The power of female armpit hair.”
And currently trending on “Weibo,” China’s version of Twitter, is “Pit Pride,” where women in China have been bombarding social media with photos of their unshaven armpits.
And if men think that only denuded armpits are attractive, some shaved armpits are just plain ugly — gnarled and knobbly and discolored from constant rough and blunt razoring. It’s very sensitive under there, you know, and some armpits just cannot tolerate all that unnatural handling.
Women should be free to decide whether or not to shave under their arms and not be condemned for it.
Sadly, I am a conformist. It’s the easiest option for the majority of women. For those who don’t shave, wear your hair and be proud!
Sue Quigley writes regularly for the Hernando Sun. She can be reached at 727.247.6308 or emailed at [email protected]
