Xiao Meili photographed her armpits to bring attention to issues of gender inequality
On social media and red carpets, from New York to China, hairy underarms are having a mainstream moment.
Women are proudly showing off their growth on Instagram and YouTube, and it’s not just Miley Cyrus anymore. Jemima Kirke of “Girls” flashed her fair-colored au naturel look — earning some cringes — at the June 1 CFDA awards, one of the top fashion events of the year.
On Sina Weibo, a popular microblogging site in China, the women’s rights activist known as Xiao Meili held an “Armpit Hair Competition,” complete with prizes that included condoms and a vibrator, to protest societal pressure on women to shave under there.
Her effort earned more than 1.7 million hits.
“In the past two decades, there have been a lot of commercials and advertising for hair removal cream and laser removal of hair that have talked about women needing to shave their underarm hair and that the armpit area should be clean,” said the 25-year-old Xiao, whose real name is Xiao Yue.
“My mother’s generation didn’t care about that, but now it has become a headache for women in the summer as they have to consider whether to shave that area or not,” she said.
Love it or hate it, not shaving under the arms has morphed into a call to action for other women as well who are looking to be free of the constraint or choose for themselves without ridicule.
Xiao said in China, pressure to shave has come from the West.
“Women’s underarm shaving in China only has about 20 years of history and that is because of advertising, which has changed people’s minds,” she said.
Xiao is known for eye-catching protests, and three of her contest participants were among five women’s rights activists whose detentions in March received worldwide attention. In 2013, she shaved her head to protest the way women have to get higher scores than men to be admitted to some university courses.
“To shave or not is up to the woman,” she said. “The purpose of this contest is not to call on people not to shave their underarm hair. It’s to not criticize those who don’t.”
“With the help of social media, the conversation is reaching a new level,” said Angelique Serrano, beauty director for InStyle magazine. “People are sharing their personal choices in a public way.”
Maria Del Russo, a beauty editor for the millennial-focused fashion, style and beauty site Refinery29, said expression of identity is key in the mix.
“I think the reason more and more women are using social media to show off their body hair choices is connectedness. Since the idea of women having body hair is not considered the ‘norm,’ women who feel that it is their norm are likely attempting to make connections with other women who feel the same way.”
If there’s any statement to be made, she said, it’s this: “What one woman decides to do with her body hair is her business, and hers alone. For plenty of women, it’s just hair.” Leanne Italie , AP
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