Everyone naturally has hair in different areas of their body including the scalp, upper lip, face, armpits, legs, and the pubic area. While scalp hair is considered normal, other body hairs are usually removed. This gives a person a neat and sophisticated look.
Even armpit hair that is usually hidden under the clothes is shaved as a part of cultural norms or regional practices. Is it the same for everyone? No, some countries prefer keeping their underarms unshaven. What country does not shave their armpits? let’s find out!
The Global Perspective on Armpit Shaving
Some countries consider armpit hair a sign of beauty or feminity while others consider this unhygienic or gross. Therefore they prefer to shave their armpit hair. Shaving underarm hair is more common in the United States, South America, East Asia, and Western Europe.
People in most Muslim countries also shave their underarm hair to maintain cleanliness which complies with their religious guidelines. This trend of shaving relates to history where everyone had different beliefs regarding armpit hair removal.
Greeks used to leave their underarms unshaven while women in Rome and Egypt preferred to shave their underarms along with other body hair. Similarly, the trend of shaving armpit hair in Western countries started in1900s when sleeveless dresses became popular.
Even today shaving practices are influenced by social media, the latest fashion trends, and advertisement campaigns from hair removal products brands. All these factors have reinforced the concept of armpit shaving as it gives a person smooth, hairless, and beautiful skin. This further results in an increase in self-confidence and self-satisfaction.
Which Countries with Minimal Armpit Shaving Practices?
Although armpit shaving is a common practice in most countries, there are still some places that have minimal armpit shaving practices. Mostly Chinese, Indians, and Africans choose to keep their armpit hair untouched.
This variation in the shaving trends is attributed to cultural beliefs, social norms, climate influences, and different beauty standards in these countries. For instance, Indian beauty standards have evolved over time and now most people emphasize natural beauty. These people rather focus on the intelligence and skills of women. The armpit hair is not very focused, unlike the Western countries.
The old Chinese women also chose not to shave their armpit hair. Even now women have started normalizing body hair.
Do French People Shave Their Armpits?
Paris is a city of dreams for most of the people. Have you ever wondered what kind of beauty standards will you see if you move there? Well, if we talk about shaving the armpit hair, most French people are usually unbothered about it.
This trend mainly emerged in the 1960s counter-culture movement when many women opted to embrace their natural body hair. It was a form of protest against societal norms and traditional beauty standards.
In the present times, 2015 acted as a significant year for French women to reject body hair as a beauty standard. They posted pictures of their unshaven armpits online. This is how having armpit or body hair is now normal in France. No one will stare at you even if you go out with unshaven armpits.
Do Japanese Shave Their Armpits?
In Japan, the approach to armpit hair removal and grooming trends is a complex mixture of traditional ideals and modern influences. About 1200 years ago, women used to remove their hair with sharp shells or small knives. Ever since that time, the removal of armpit hair was considered a must for Japanese women.
The robust Japanese beauty industry offers various armpit and body hair removal methods so that women can keep up with societal expectations. Despite the societal norms and media portrayal of beauty, people in Japan have now started embracing their natural appearance.
As the chain has started, more people are now beginning to accept and celebrate their armpit hair as normal.
Middle Eastern and South Asian Countries
Middle Eastern and South Asian countries have strong cultural preferences for women to shave their armpit hair as they are considered gross and unhygienic. Having a hairless body and clean armpits are considered more feminine and attractive.
Since most of these countries believe in the teachings of Islam, they shave their armpit hair to clean themselves and maintain their hygiene. Similarly, the cultural practices of Indians also promote hair removal as a sign of cleanliness.
This contrasts with the Western practices of shaving underarms as they show a more relaxed attitude towards underarm hair. In Western countries, shaving or not is mostly influenced by individual preferences and fashion trends rather than religious and cultural beliefs.
The Influence of Social Movements
In the current times, natural beauty and body positivity movements have played a vital role in the changing trends of armpit hair removal. These movements promote self-acceptance in one’s natural skin. They also have deconstructed the long-standing beauty standards of accepting only spotless and hairless skin as perfect.
In addition, social media campaigns have also significantly impacted the visibility of natural beauty and body types on the internet. These body positivity movements have also been backed up by various celebrities like Miley Cyrus, Emma Corrin, and Madonna who have showcased their hairy armpits in public.
These movements are gaining attention worldwide and making beauty standards a lot more flexible and achievable for all.
Personal Choices and Global Trends
One’s grooming choices serve as a form of their self-expression therefore they are deeply personal. They are highly dependent upon an individual’s comfort, personal preferences, and cultural norms. With the increasing globalization and cultural exchange worldwide, diversity in these grooming habits has been observed widely.
Accepting this diversity, personal preferences, and everyone’s cultural norms is important to form a society where everyone can live freely and comfortably without stressing about their appearance.
Conclusion
The practice of shaving underarm hair varies significantly across countries depending upon their cultures, religious beliefs, and social media trends. Americans, some Asians, and Europeans prefer to shave their underarms while in France and Japan, a decreasing trend in shaving armpit hair is observed.
Respecting everyone’s decisions and embracing their choices with an open mind is what will make society a better place to live! Even beauty standards are now rapidly evolving globally and making natural beauty more acceptable.
