Real Talk: Why I Love My Armpit Hair aka #PitHairDontCare

I initially stopped shaving my armpit hair out of laziness, and a certain distaste for razor burn. But now I’ve come to absolutely love my pit hair–so much so that I’ve been profiled on BuzzFeed for it.

Recently, a photo of me was re-posted on Instagram by a stranger. In this photo, I’m wearing a bathing suit and a flower crown, pumping my first in the air and beaming. The caption said, “No law to say you need to remove hair in order to raise your arm #humanbeauty.” The first comment was some guy replying, “That’s more than mine though lmao.”

At first, the Instagram photo made me nervous, because I feared an onslaught of messages from strangers telling me what a hideous hairy beast I am. But honestly, even if those messages come, so what? It’s not like they’d get me to change anything.

I didn’t expect to love my pit hair. But once it had reached a certain length, I felt a certain primal connection to it. I felt more authentically myself when my pit hair was long. And, perhaps most surprisingly, I felt sexy AF. I imagined pheromones just pumping out from my armpits like the popcorn scent that comes out of movie theaters. I looked at myself in the mirror with my long pit hair and I said, “Damn! Yes!”

(Oddly, I don’t feel the same way about my leg hair. I keep both because it simplifies my life, but I feel sexier with smooth legs and a groomed bikini line – and beautiful bushy pits. Ain’t that weird? Bodies, man.)

Having pit hair hasn’t really changed the way I conduct my life in any tangible way. I might have a moment of self-consciousness if I’m wearing a tanktop and stretching my arms above my head in public, but people rarely comment on it to me. It might be a result of living in New York; it might be that people are just warming up to the idea of pit hair. But most of the comments I get on my armpits are positive. One reviewer who saw me perform described me as “a striking woman, tall with short hair, unshaven underarms, and no apparent body shame.” #accurate

I would feel naked if I got rid of my armpit hair now. It’s fun to play with when I’m just lying around in bed. And, men aren’t expected to remove theirs, so why should I have to remove mine?

So, random guy who commented on that photo of me this morning: I’m happy for you. I’m glad that your body hair is so thin; I’m sure it must be so manageable and easy for you! But if you think your opinion on my body hair is in any way relevant, you may want to re-think the way you’re spending your time and energy. I love my hairy pits and if you have a problem with that, that’s none of my concern.

Photo courtesy of Bored Panda