6 Times People Flipped About Lady Body Hair For No Good Reason

Though it's been more than a century since Gillette started marketing razors directly to women, ladies still feel enormous pressure every time they step into the shower to keep their skin baby-smooth. The majority of women in American shave regularly to adhere to a  perceived standard of what femininity is "supposed" to be. In fact, the average woman shaves 12 times a month over the course of her lifetime. We've got to hand it to Gillette — that's a ton of razors.

But, there has always been a contingency of women that chooses not to shave their body hair. Whether it's about sexual identity, gender identification, a general IDGAF attitude toward body hair, or just embracing your right to be feminine in any way you define it, more and more ladies are being forthright about their decision.

It's really no one's business why these women choose to ignore their razors. Our bodies are our bodies, thank-you-very-much — and no one has the right to tell us we're wrong, or gross, or whatever other unsolicited feedback people feel the need to spread. As one of our contributors, Roxie Jane Hunt, brilliantly explained in an article on the topic: "You don't have to understand it...It is simply a choice made by a woman you have never met, regarding her body and how she chooses to use it, and it is not your place to judge that."

Unfortunately, people have strong, unsolicited opinions when it comes to body hair. And, those opinions become magnified the second a famous face decides to embrace her body hair and not try to hide it. We've noticed a trend of this happening more in recent years: people collectively freaking out about lady body hair for no good reason.

Ahead, we outline a few of those instances. Click through and ask yourself: What's the big deal anyway?

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Julia Roberts has been wearing her body hair naturally for years, as evidenced by this now-infamous photo from the 1999 premiere of Notting Hill. The photo is routinely referenced whenever the topic of body hair is discussed. Just last year, The Mirror mentioned Julia's underarms, snarking that they "were more Shepherds Bush" than Notting Hill.

When Madonna showed off her armpit hair in an Instagram snap in March 2014, people weren't all that sure whether her fuzz was real. Regardless of its authenticity, the reactions were decidedly split. Most of the comments on Instagram were negative: "Ewwwww yuck she didn't shave?!" one commenter exclaimed. Very mature, people.

Back in 2010, Mo'Nique showed up to the Oscars flaunting her unshaven legs. People were less than kind about it, (check out the comments on this thread), but she stood by her decision, explaining: "I tried shaving one time, and it was so uncomfortable and painful. I said never again would I do that to myself."

But, in a recent interview with Wendy Williams, Mo'Nique showed off freshly shaved legs. She claims the reason she started shaving was because, as she got older, her hair started falling out in patches. So, she opted for the razor to keep things even. Which just goes to show there really is no such thing as a "right" approach to body hair. Sometimes, opinions will change based on a whole array of non-of-your-beeswax reasons, but at the end of the day it's a personal choice.

Late last year, a bevy of women on Instagram started showing off their dyed armpit hair. When we reported on the trend, there were plenty of supporters. But, of course, there were more than a few naysayers in the mix. The most disappointing were probably Kathie Lee and Hoda, who dissed the look, calling it "freaky," and acted disgusted on live television.

Last summer, when Daria Werbowy snapped a pic of her baby armpit fuzz, it started a discussion as to where body hair falls within the typical scope of "beauty." Since Daria is a model, she, by definition, is representative of what is "beautiful." But, some don't consider body hair to fit that standard, which is why Daria's Instagram snap was so important.

Just recently, Miley Cyrus showed off her armpit hair, and then dyed it pink. She's one of the first mainstream celebrities to embrace this "trend," and people had a lot to say about it. While plenty of women applauded Miley for showing off her underarms (and, a hint of her pubic hair), a lot of her fans were confused — which lead to some unfortunate comments. One tweeter claimed that the dye job made Miley "officially gross." The irony? That tweeter was a dude — probably with armpit hair.

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