To Shave or Not To Shave? #pithairdontcare

Type the hashtag #pithairdontcare into your Instagram search bar and thousands of images of women showing off their underarm fill your screen. Days before we went to press Jemima Kirke, of GIRLS fame, was photographed on the red carpet in a show stopping dress revealing that she, too, was among the growing lists of females in the public eye to go au natural 'up there'.

I'll be honest, when I first saw these images of celebs looking like the ultimate women whislt flashing their hairy pits my mind felt confused and somewhat perplexed. That morning, I’d woken up feeling refreshed after a glorious 8 hour sleep and I wasn’t downing cranberry juice to rid my body of narcotics. So, I had to except this was not my mind getting the better of me, this was a hot piece of female WITH hairy armpits! I was intrigued. Could this signal the beginning of the end of my rocky relationship with Morrisions Twin Swivel Disposables?! I sure hoped so.

For so long we have been led to believe that femininity and body hair are not relatable – they weren’t even frenimies, they were just plain enemies. My mind simply could not compute this new furry (sorry, fiery) love affair. The images on my smartphone felt taboo, like seeing your boss in the showers at the gym (which, thanks to my gymophobia, is a scenario that will never become a reality for me).

As feminists it's OUR choice to be silky smooth (or sport designer fuzz). If we’re really honest though, who are we really shaving for -- ourselves or as a courtesy for others? God forbid Sandra from work notices our ankle-tash!

The body hair debate has been snowballing for decades and has a major role in some of the great (and not so great) fashion trends over the years. Think Scouse-brows (yes, even those of us without the famous accent have been guilty of getting MASSIVLEY carried away with our eyebrow pencils, resulting in whole days spent looking “surprised”) which mercifully evolved into HD brows (life-changing, everyone should have a pair). And, last year saw the Bush make an unexpected comeback -- that's right, thanks to American Apparel and their (in?)famous mannequins with pubes we were all able to put down our razors, bin our Veet and fist pump the air.

The bald vagina had reigned triumphant throughout the nineties and the noughties thanks to the internet revelation and porn being a mere mouse click away. And we conformed to that false and, frankly, childlike image.

I rejoiced last year when the Bush made it’s Almighty return. My regrowth however has not been without its struggles, not least created by the trauma my poor hair follicles had experienced over the years.

In the end I settled for a DIY Leaning tower of Pisa-esque strip but have shaved it off several times for fear that someone notice a slight puffing around my groin.

This leads me to believe that, weather I like to admit it or not, I shave to please others -- I'd ask those of you still adamant it's part of their femininity to raise their hand if they too grow their own leg warmers for winter? Ah, I'll say no more.

#pithairdontcare #instagram #fur #nush #vagina #scousebrow #eyebrow #hdbrows #feminism