Honestly, what someone decides to do inside their armpits is absolutely their own personal business, unless they start shoving the pictures in your face. That's it. I said it. It couldn't be said in a more direct way than this.

We have been seeing a lot of pictures of empowered women, who proudly flaunt and celebrate having hair in their armpits — wait for it — despite having a completely clean, hair-free body 🤦🏻‍♀️

Why?

Honestly, I wouldn't even have discussed this in a story, but after seeing this (and more pictures), I decided to. Why not, after all? If people are okay posting their hypocrisy on internet, why can't someone post their opinion about that hypocrisy?

I've seen enough pictures of women flaunting hair on their body-parts. Body-parts where they are not supposed to be having hair, as per the social norms. Personally they are free to do whatever they want, but as per society rules, it is viewed as an obligation to have a hairless body.

Now, this woman for example —

Meet her. This is Harnaam Kaur. While she's someone who has a tough story of battling PCOS and multiple hormonal disorders, it is extremely powerful and encouraging to have decided, not to shave her growing beard and moustache. But did you notice that she did remove the hair from her arms, legs and other areas? That's exactly the point of this story. Hypocrisy.

While I have nothing against her, she's more courageous than a million other women on the planet, but why be selectively courageous then? I think we are past 'not-shaving' legs or arms, but having facial hair is something that's not so normal for women yet — so she decided to flaunt that. As a symbol of feminism, or as a symbol of repulsion. Well, she knows that better.

It becomes confusing, what she really wants to convey. Because when a teenage girl, battling with hormonal imbalance, abrupt facial hair growth and PCOS will see Harnaam Kaur, she will not only observe the full grown beard, but also hairless legs and arms. So, are you saying that having a beard is okay, but hair on your legs and arms are not?

When abnormal hair growth hits you because of hormonal imbalance, it not only hits your face, but also other areas, like your limbs, chest or even your back!

And the condition is known as 'Hirsutism'.

Hirsutism causes abnormal hair growth on face, chest and back, and if you're dark-skinned, you will also see thick growth of hair on your arms and legs. Indian, Mexican and dark-skinned women in particular have dark and thick body hair, which is very visible on their skin.

It is a mess, and honestly an expensive routine to keep your body as flawless as the runway fashion models. While all the women of the world, would love to be accepted with hairy body, but not sure how many of them would be comfortable shoving their hairy armpits into everyone's faces.

The grossest thing in running such campaigns, is hypocrisy.

The acceptable thing is — if you choose to have hair throughout the body, without discriminating between your own body parts.

And the good is — to be honest with yourself while you are advocating for women's rights. Honesty with yourself is crucial, because such campaigns first, must run from your heart. You must feel from within, the struggle of women before you, who made this world possible for you to live in.

Take this girl for example — HennaSpeaks on Instagram. She not only flaunts the hair on her arms, legs, armpits, but hair everywhere else. No discrimination. No selective flaunting.

And I love her for that, because she's not another hypocrite on internet trying to gain clout.

Now coming to an important, but a controversial discussion — what is women empowerment in real sense?

Is showing body hair women empowerment? Or flaunting menstrual products the symbol of feminism? What about slapping a man for no mistake of his?

Well, my male friends would not really get this when I say that it is after a lot of struggle, fights and pain, that women have finally, gained a place of their own in this world. We're lucky to have come a long way from being locked up in homes and treated like a commodity.

For every single 'basic-right', there is some woman in the world, who had to put up a fight. From education to driving a car, from right to vote to the right to represent a village, a town, or a country as a federal head. Even today, we are fighting for equal pay. Women had to always, fight for it all.

The world today for women, is much better place than centuries ago, but the question that we have to ask ourselves, at this crucial stage is — are we really fuelling the movement in the right direction or are we extinguishing it out by our actions?

How you choose to put up your fight is up to you — by flaunting armpit hair or body hair — that's your choice. But what does it lead to, is more important than that activism and fight. Every woman who started a fight, started with a goal. But most women today, are missing a goal, or maybe missing a link between the goal and their activism.

Achieving Real Goals, With Laser Focused Activism

Take Rosa Parks for example. Her activism was to end racial discrimination and apartheid in American public places & public transport, and she fought for her goal till she achieved it. She boycotted the public bus, because she was asked to get up from her seat, in order to allow a white person to sit there.

Now imagine, if Rosa Parks flaunted her armpit hair, demanding an end to racial discrimination. How would that work? How is her protest aligned with her goals? How will showing armpit hair or body hair, lead to ending apartheid? That is exactly something that I don't understand.

If you have a cause you are fighting for, have a plan of action, a laser focused attention on your goal and multiple alternatives to achieve that goal. But flaunting your armpit hair on an otherwise hairless body, will only highlight your hypocrisy!

What do you think about modern definition of feminism, women empowerment and selective outrage? Do you think women can do much better than this or do you think we are going in right direction? Your thoughts, compliments, disagreements and even criticism, is most welcomed. Feel free to write your views in the comments below 👇🏻