We’ve seen a lot on the internet lately—celeb splits, mascara drama, and that one time a toaster went viral for looking like Harry Styles. But just when we thought nothing could surprise us, a bunch of women with unshaven armpits showed up online and basically told the beauty industry: “We’re good, thanks.”
Yes, that’s what people are arguing about this week—armpit hair. And not just any armpit hair. We’re talking glamorous, artsy, high-resolution portraits of it, courtesy of photographer Ben Hopper, who basically tossed a glitter bomb into traditional beauty standards and said, “Here, deal with it.”
It all started with a series of bold photos featuring women proudly showing off their natural underarms like it’s the new red lipstick. No razors, no filters, no pretending like body hair is some ancient curse. Just real, confident women staring down the camera lens like, “What? Never seen hair before?”
This wasn’t some random Tumblr project from 2009 that crawled back into relevance. Hopper’s project hit mainstream social media hard—and when the photos started circulating, people lost it. One side of the internet went full clap emoji mode, calling it “liberating,” “raw,” and “finally, something different.” The other side? Let’s just say they clutched their metaphorical pearls and screamed in the comments like someone had burned their favorite shampoo.
Some users were out there typing dissertations about hygiene like they just discovered bacteria yesterday. Others acted like one woman’s body hair was going to collapse civilization as we know it. And then there were the memes. Oh, the memes.
Cue: side-by-sides of armpits and furry animals. People posting pictures of Chewbacca with captions like “She’s beauty, she’s grace, she didn’t shave her face.” Someone even edited Hopper’s photos to include glitter and fairy wings. Because apparently, if armpit hair is going viral, it might as well be magical.
Turns out, the women in the photos didn’t just pose and vanish—they started talking. In interviews and posts, they shared how not shaving gave them a weird sense of peace. Like, “Wow, I saved 10 minutes and a mini identity crisis today!” Some even said they finally felt like themselves again—something about letting go of society’s checklist of what women should look like.
The internet, of course, didn’t know what to do with that.
One minute, influencers are spraying perfume on their elbows for aesthetic points. The next, women are ditching razors and saying “meh” to the rules. It’s not exactly the plot twist the beauty world had in mind. But it hit a nerve—and that’s why it blew up.
Still, the big takeaway wasn’t “burn your razors and dance in the moonlight” (though, tbh, sounds kinda fun). It was more like: why are we still freaking out over something that literally grows on everyone?
The whole situation got people asking some overdue questions—like, who decided hairless = beautiful in the first place? And why is it so controversial when a woman just… exists naturally?
Spoiler alert: it’s because the beauty industry has been selling us smooth-skin dreams since forever. There’s money in making people feel weird about being human. But this photo series? It said the quiet part out loud. And folks weren’t ready.
Now, every time a post with visible body hair goes up, comment sections split into two: Team “Yes Queen, Normalize This” and Team “This Is an Attack on Cleanliness.” Honestly, it’s like watching a reality show where the only prize is shouting louder.
And yet, somehow, all this fuzz (pun intended) isn’t even about hair. It’s about control, identity, and pushing back against a system that tells you how to be “presentable” before breakfast. That’s what made Hopper’s photos so loud—without anyone in the frame saying a word.
But let’s be real, the fact that armpit hair is still trending in 2025 is both hilarious and slightly tragic. Like, we have AI writing novels and billionaires trying to live on Mars, but a woman’s unshaven underarm is breaking the internet? Priorities, people.
Still, you’ve gotta love the chaos.
Some brands even tried to jump on the trend. One deodorant company posted a model with visible underarm hair and got absolutely roasted in the comments for “fake-wokeness.” Another fashion brand launched a “No Shave, Still Chic” campaign that felt like your uncle trying to use TikTok lingo. Cringe, but they tried.
Meanwhile, the original photo series just kept gaining steam. Hopper’s images turned from a small project into a full-on movement. People started tagging their own unshaven selfies with messages like “freedom feels like this” and “growing into myself.” You know a trend’s legit when it goes from edgy to everyday.
So what’s the verdict?
In classic internet style, everyone has an opinion. But one thing’s clear: the old rules are starting to crack. Maybe body hair won’t be the next big fashion trend (sorry, glam magazines), but it’s definitely made people stop and think. And that alone is kind of iconic.
Besides, if a little fuzz can rattle the entire image of beauty, maybe it’s time that image gets a reboot anyway. Razor sales might dip, but self-confidence? She’s having a moment.
Final thought before you scroll: if you’re still panicking over someone else’s armpit, maybe it’s not the hair that needs trimming—maybe it’s your expectations.
Stay fuzzy, internet.