Stars who don't shave their armpits (and we love it!)

More and more female celebrities go onto the red carpet or stage in their 'natural' state; meaning, they don't shave their armpits. Some of them, as we will see in this gallery, do it to send a message of body positivity. They pose in public or post photos on social media in which you can clearly see the armpit or even leg hair.

Shaved armpits are not a long-standing tradition. Only a few decades ago, women started doing it on a large scale, until it nearly became taboo to show any hair below the arms at all. Here's a picture from earlier times, featuring Italian actress Sophia Loren.

Nowadays, things are changing for women's beauty standards. Let's start with Julia Roberts who, as you can see in the photo, showed off her unshaven armpits during the premiere of the film 'Notting Hill' in 1999.

In 2023, actress Rachel McAdams stirred some serious controversy when she posed for Bustle with her armpits
'au naturel.' She also refused to be photoshopped. "I’ve had two children. This is my body, and I think that's so important to reflect back out to the world," she said.

Image: Bustle / YouTube

Similarly, Drew Barrymore doesn't seem to have much trouble looking natural in this 2005 Olympus Fashion Week photo.

Britney Spears is certainly not far behind. At the 31st Annual American Music Awards in 2003, she exhibited a very elegant outfit in which it was clearly noticeable that she had not waxed her armpits.

Do you remember the Canadian-American country folk singer Ani DiFranco, who had great success in the 1990s? In this photo we see her performing on stage with hair under her armpits.

Even the undisputed queen of pop music, Madonna, showed herself naturally in the 1980s, as this photo demonstrates.

It seems that her daughter, Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, wants to follow in the footsteps of her famous mother. She is among the young celebrities who have chosen not to shave.

The singer and actress rocks the natural look even at the Met Gala. In 2019, she gave advice on Twitter on how to copy the look. "You can’t just grow armpit hair overnight," she wrote. "It takes time. Be patient."

Among the female stars who don't shave, there is also Lola Kirke, who we can see in this 2007 photo on the red carpet of the Golden Globes.

Charismatic singer, model, and actress Grace Jones is a star who doesn't always shave. Here we see her during a concert in Milan in 2014.

We remain in the world of music with the composer and singer Julia Michaels, also a champion of body positivity and naturalness. In this image, we see her walking the red carpet of the Grammy Awards in 2021.

Among the stars who do not shave is Miley Cyrus, who demonstrates it in this photo taken at the amfAR Inspiration Gala New York in 2015.

Jazzelle Zanaughtti, the androgynous-looking model who is becoming an example and a reference point for body positivity, shows herself to all her Instagram followers with her natural body hair.

Photo: @uglyworldwide (Jazzelle Zanaughtti) / Instagram

In this gallery of rebellious stars who have decided to change the rules of the game and promote new standards of beauty, Lady Gaga certainly could not be missing!

Among the celebrities of yesterday, we have Sophia Loren. At the time this photo was taken, in 1955, showing unshaved armpits was not a beauty taboo.

And here's Juliette Lewis. The actress and singer looked completely natural at an event in New York in 2002.

Gaby Hoffman, best known for her role in the series 'Transparent' and 'Girls,' has often appeared in public with unshaven armpits.

The beautiful Paris Jackson, daughter of the famous singer Michael Jackson, is a firm supporter of showing oneself naturally. She often posts images of herself on Instagram with unshaved legs and armpits.

Giorgia Soleri, the girlfriend of lead singer Damiano from Maneskin, defines herself as a "p o o p e r feminist." She is another advocate of visible hair, as this photo demonstrates.

Among the Italian singers is also Veronica Lucchesi from the group La Rappresentante di Lista. She went on stage at the important SanRemo festival without shaving her armpits.

Finally, Paula Maugeri, a known Italian journalist and TV host, published a post on Instagram in 2021 with this photo in it. She wrote: "I like to think that every woman should start to claim her own wildness and be proud of it!"

Photo:@paolamaugeri / Instagram