According to Dr. Breanne Fahs, “Probably most women don’t say: “I’m dying my armpit hair as a direct act of political resistance. But it becomes an act of political resistance because it highlights the presence of an otherwise silent or erased aspect of women’s bodies.”

Society has this weird thing about women being hairless. Even the women in shaving adverts are shaving a bald leg. The first time society called on women to remove body hair was an advertisement that came out in 1915, the ad pictured a woman in a sleeveless top and her armpits were bare. Before this, women didn’t shave anything and now it seems they go to extremes to remove “unwanted” body hair.

After this advertisement came out, women were ambushed with the media saying that they should remove unwanted hair. The first "women's razor" came around in 1915, before then women would use depilatory powder. The brand X-Bazin promised to remove "humiliating growth of hair on the face, neck, and arms".

In the 40's the first electric razor for women came out. During this time there was a shortage of nylon, which meant ladies were showing bare legs more often. Because of this, massive amounts of hair removal products were being produced. Most of the creams and powders produced were irritating for the skin so women were dependent upon razors.

In the 1960's the first wax strips came out. In the 70's the removal of hair around the bikini area also became popular, due to a huge swimsuit fad. Today hair removal is a huge part of most women's beauty routines. You can read more about the history of hair removal on this timeline by Elle.

Although hair removal today has become a societal norm, many female celebrities are fighting against this standard. Women like Miley Cyrus, Drew Barrymore, Kelly Rowland, and even Beyoncé have all been spotted with hairy pits.

Alongside these celebrities many everyday women have been growing out their armpit hair, some even dye it. They have received their fair share of criticism for it, but many women view this as a small protest against today's beauty standards.

This style has recently become a trend. Many women are sporting an armpit hair bush, and they are rocking it just as well as the pinup models before 1915. Many women have also taken to dyeing their pits eccentric colors, like pink and bright blue.

Whether they are just temporarily giving the armpit bush a go, or throwing out their razors for good, women can agree that having hairy pits makes them feel powerful to embrace their natural beauty.