While hair removal is an intrinsic part of people's grooming routine, many women choose to let their armpit hair be. (Photo: Instagram/@tillotamashome) Swimming in the sea of superficial and forced ideas of beauty that are perpetuated by social media filters, one sometimes tends to lose perspective of their own self. Around the world, however, there are many voices that call for reinforcement of positive body image, along with skin positivity.
Among them is actor Tillotama Shome. The Monsoon Wedding star took to Instagram to share a photo of herself in which she appeared to be smiling — her hands raised and supporting her head. The actor wore a black tank top which had the world ‘unapologetic’ written on it.
What people quickly noticed was the fact that she flaunted her armpit hair. While hair removal is an intrinsic part of people’s grooming routine, many women really do choose to let their armpit hair be.
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In the caption, Shome wrote: “I do say sorry a lot. Worst is when I apologise in anticipation of someone’s apology, as if it’s a hello. I am sorry if I did something good because I could have done it better. The visceral ones, of course, slip out of your mouth in silence.”
She also added that the t-shirt “is a reminder to use it less and mean it more”, referring to the word ‘sorry’.
As if in afterthought, the actor also wrote, “(Oh and about body hair, yeah not sorry about it. I wear it as I like it. It’s not a statement. I also wax. I also don’t.)”
The photo had many kinds of reactions, with fans calling her “relatable” and loving her honesty. “Loved you in ‘Sir’ and now more after this post. You are beautiful,” one person wrote.
“I just stared at this post for a few minutes wondering how someone I adore so much can also be so relatable!” another commented.
Armpit hair aesthetic has often been frowned upon in the mainstream, simply because it is wrongly associated with cleanliness and hygiene. In reality, experts say hair is not to be confused with hygiene, and removal of body hair is entirely personal. Besides, the global debate of skewed beauty standards still rages on, and posts like these — coming from celebrities — reinstate the fact that it is for an individual to decide how they want to present their body.
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Prior to this, Madonna’s daughter Lourdes Leon’s had proudly displayed armpit hair during Met Gala 2021. Leon, naturally, grabbed attention and made headlines. The 24-year-old was seen wearing a sparkly fuchsia Moschino by Jeremy Scott ensemble, which had a bikini-design halter top and a matching long skirt with neat sequin embellishments and also sari-like pleats.
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She walked the red carpet and posed for many pictures in all her armpit-hair glory. Her unapologetic demeanour made her quite a star that night, and we hope for more celebrities to normalise these topics.
What do you think?
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