Recently, the well-known online news website, EliteDaily, posted an article titled “Armpit Hair is Trending, and It’s a Step Forward for Women Everywhere.” In said article, author Emily Arata says that, “real femininity is finally being celebrated” by women not shaving their armpits.
Hold on. Is this article implying that if you indeed shave your armpits or take part in the “post-Kardashian era of fake eyelashes and laser-crafted hairlines,” you’re not really a feminist? I beg to differ. Real femininity is equality between the sexes. In the dictionary definition, there is no talk of extended vacations for your razor or cutting down your beauty regimen time in half.
The aforementioned article is actually quite paradoxical. It tries to celebrate femininity by shaming women who want to shave their armpits — not for the attention of men, but because it makes them feel confident. The article suggests that women, collectively, shave their armpits in order to please men. Does this mean we buy figure-flattering clothes to please men, too? What about makeup? Tattoos? Are we altering our body for the sole pleasure of being attractive to men?
The answer is NO. Of course, you want to look appealing on a first date or when you go out to a party. But the real reason for that is self-confidence. I, personally, feel the most confident when I do my makeup well and put on clothes that look good on me — even if it’s just for a girl’s night. And, guess what? I’m still a firm believer in the equality between men and women.Just because I choose to do things that, I feel, improve my appearance, my feminist card is taken away? I don’t think I’m the only one that sees a problem with this.
No one should be shamed for their daily routines. People should not be telling women what they should or should not do with their bodies. If you want to grow your armpit hair out, by all means, go ahead! But, if someone tells you that growing your armpit hair is helping feminism, you should take your razor to their face. Kidding, of course. But put your razor where you want, when you want. In reality, the inches of your armpit hair are not helping the cause. What will help, however, is speaking your mind on issues such as this one.
Women should feel that they can be feminists, even if they shave their armpits, legs, vaginas, eyebrows, whatever. No one decides your femininity for you. Shame on EliteDaily, and shame on women shaming other women. We're all in this together.
