Hair removal in women has long been linked with ideals of femininity and sexual appeal. Rebecca Herzig, author of Plucked: A History of Hair Removal, traces back the modern-day notion of body hair being unattractive in women to Charles Darwin’s 1871 book Descent of a Man.
But why was the 19th-century idea about hairiness bringing “sexual inversion, disease pathology, lunacy, and criminal violence” not equally applied to all genders? According to Herzig, this had to do with the enforcement of “gendered social control” at a time when women were having a more prominent role in society.
Fast forward to the 21st century, when many women are increasingly challenging this cultural norm by choosing to control their own bodies and how they display them.
While some do so in private, others are bold enough to flaunt their natural body hair in front of millions, throwing historical beauty standards out the window to prioritize their comfort.
Below, Bored Panda invites you to take a look at 16 female celebrities who have ditched the razor and shown their unshaved bodies on the red carpet or social media.
“The picture is vivid in my mind actually from that moment,” the Oscar winner said about her much-talked-about look at the London premiere of Notting Hill in 1999.
While people interpreted the armpit hair as a statement about strict (and painful) beauty standards for women, Julia said she considered it more of a fashion faux pas.
“I think I just hadn’t really calculated my sleeve length and the waving and how those two things would go together and reveal personal things about me.
“So it wasn’t so much a statement as it’s just part of the statement I make as a human on the planet, for myself.”
Still, many women celebrated this moment because, on such a memorable night for her career, a high-profile figure like Julia Roberts normalized what a woman’s natural body looks like.
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In 2003, the Princess of Pop turned heads when she arrived at the American Music Awards at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, California, wearing a stunning cut-out, bedazzled dress paired with unshaven underarms.
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Gigi flaunted her armpit hair when she was featured on Love Magazine’s 2017 advent calendar.
The IMG supermodel impacted the Internet when she went au naturel for the sporty shot, which many interpreted as a nod to the body hair acceptance movement.
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The Queen of Pop summarized her attitude toward the expected beauty standards for women with four words: “Long hair … don’t care!”
In 2014, Madonna challenged the body hair stigma with an Instagram photo in lingerie that exposed her unshaven armpit.
“I saw how popular girls had to behave to get the boys. I knew I couldn’t fit into that. So, I decided to do the opposite. I refused to wear makeup or have a hairstyle. I refused to shave. I had hairy armpits,” the icon told Harper’s Bazaar in 2011.
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In 2015, Miley took to the stage of the amfAR Gala to accept the Award of Inspiration, which she received for her fight against HIV/AIDS. The Flowers singer opted for a tight red dress with sequin hearts and matching opera gloves.
At one point in her speech, the pop star embraced her body hair when she lifted up her arms and showed the world her unshaven underarms.
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The Destiny’s Child alum went all-natural to the 2008 Instyle Best Beauty Buys Awards.
Kelly, who defines herself as a “pro-woman and a feminist all day long,” looked stunning while posing in her sequined gold dress with her underarm hair on display.
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“We’re ready for you, 2018,” Madonna captioned this photo with her then-21-year-old daughter, Lourdes Leon.
Lourdes proudly showed off her unshaven armpits during a campaign with Converse, which was shot in 2018. The previous year, the model was photographed at the beach in Miami with her natural underarm body hair.
While the photos led to many unsolicited, sexist remarks on social media, others celebrated Lourdes’ decision to do whatever she pleased with her body.
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Lady Gaga is no stranger to making a scene. In 2011, a year after wearing the iconic meat dress, Gaga sported neon turquoise armpit hair to perform Born This Way at the MuchMusic Video Awards in Toronto, Canada.
She completed the look with blue patches of fake pubic hair in her genital area.
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Ashley is a body-positive activist and advocate for the body hair acceptance movement.
In 2021, the model posted an Instagram photo posing in a light-blue dress that revealed she prefers to go au naturel when it comes to her armpits.
“My philosophy has always been: shave what you want, wax what you want, leave what you want —do what works for you,” the 36-year-old said.
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In 2015, the Fast & Furious actress posted a snapshot revealing her untrimmed underarm hair.
Michelle was also photographed at the beach with visible armpit hair, highlighting her decision to leave the razor in the drawer.
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Juliette stunned in a deep V-neck brown dress with black ruffles at the New York City premiere of the 2002 thriller Enough.
The actress embraced her natural beauty by placing her hands on her hips and exposing her unshaven underarms on the red carpet.
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The young actress embraced her body hair when she attended the European premiere of The Hate U Give, her coming-of-age drama, during the 2018 BFI London Film Festival.
Amandla, who identifies as non-binary and uses both she/her and they/them pronouns, shared a picture of her red-carpet look alongside the hashtags “#drama #armpit.”
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When Lola attended the 2017 Golden Globe Awards, she stepped out with visible armpit hair, sending a bold message about gender expectations concerning natural beauty.
“Thanks to all you beautiful people who didn’t send me death threats on account of my #awesome #hairyarmpits! You rule,” the 33-year-old wrote alongside an Instagram photo of her red-carpet look.
The actress’ older sister, Jemima Kirke, also took advantage of a global stage to make a statement as she went untrimmed at the CFDA Fashion Awards back in 2015.
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Mo’Nique took home the Best Supporting Female award for Precious at the 25th Film Independent’s Spirit Awards in 2010.
Posing with her trophy in a white dress with silver high heels, the Maryland-born actress sported her best smile and visible leg hair.
During an interview with Barbara Walters, the star said she “tried shaving one time, and it was uncomfortable and painful.”
“I said never again would I do that to myself,” Mo’Nique added.
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Ryn performed at the 2015 South by Southwest festival, which celebrates the convergence of tech, film, music, education, and culture.
The OctaHate singer opted not to shave her armpits for her performance. Two years later in 2017, the artist posted a photo with one of her arms up that also revealed she let her armpit hair grow.
