History of Armpit Hair on Women
August 12, 2016 8:59 AM Subscribe
Historically, how have ladies dealt with armpit hair?
I am interested in the evolution of ladies and their armpit hair. What cultures removed it? In what time period? How did they do it? What class of people did it?
In historical paintings, I can't remember any instances of ladies with armpit hair. The models certainly would have had pit hair, correct? Was it just discreetly painted out? Did anyone discuss this at the time?
When did women in the western world start shaving their armpits? Did it take a long time to catch on? When did it start to become embarrassing to have unshorn armpits?
This entire question came to mind after thinking about Rose from Titanic and whether or not she would have had armpit hair.
Any information would be awesome!
I am interested in the evolution of ladies and their armpit hair. What cultures removed it? In what time period? How did they do it? What class of people did it?
In historical paintings, I can't remember any instances of ladies with armpit hair. The models certainly would have had pit hair, correct? Was it just discreetly painted out? Did anyone discuss this at the time?
When did women in the western world start shaving their armpits? Did it take a long time to catch on? When did it start to become embarrassing to have unshorn armpits?
This entire question came to mind after thinking about Rose from Titanic and whether or not she would have had armpit hair.
Any information would be awesome!
This article doesn't have a lot in the way of citations but does give a good readable overview of the topic. In short the article says that yes, hair removal has often been a thing, varied according to where in the world you were, talks about how different cultures did it.
posted by jessamyn at 9:09 AM on August 12, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by jessamyn at 9:09 AM on August 12, 2016 [1 favorite]
In Ancient Rome women typically removed their body hair, including armpit hair, by a variety of methods, and we have documentary and artistic evidence of this.
I would be wary of the link jessamyn gave above. It claims (without citation) that "We do know European women did not engage in body hair removal during the middle ages", except that is definitely false. The Trotula, a widely copied book on feminine health, hygiene, and cosmetics dating to the 12th century, gives several recipes for body hair removal as well as recipes for aftercare in case the hair removal burned the skin. Several of the recipes are based on lime and would function similar to modern depilatory creams (e.g. Nair).
To give you a sense for it, the depilatory recipes in the Trotula begin with "In order that a woman might become very soft and smooth and without hairs from her head down".
posted by jedicus at 9:26 AM on August 12, 2016 [11 favorites]
I would be wary of the link jessamyn gave above. It claims (without citation) that "We do know European women did not engage in body hair removal during the middle ages", except that is definitely false. The Trotula, a widely copied book on feminine health, hygiene, and cosmetics dating to the 12th century, gives several recipes for body hair removal as well as recipes for aftercare in case the hair removal burned the skin. Several of the recipes are based on lime and would function similar to modern depilatory creams (e.g. Nair).
To give you a sense for it, the depilatory recipes in the Trotula begin with "In order that a woman might become very soft and smooth and without hairs from her head down".
posted by jedicus at 9:26 AM on August 12, 2016 [11 favorites]
Plucked: A History of Hair Removal by Rebecca M. Herzig will probably interest you.
Here's the author interviewed on Late Night Live.
posted by flabdablet at 9:48 AM on August 12, 2016 [3 favorites]
Here's the author interviewed on Late Night Live.
posted by flabdablet at 9:48 AM on August 12, 2016 [3 favorites]
Well, TOTALLY anecdotal but years ago in an interview to be a retoucher for Playboy they gave me an old scan of a pic of Marilyn Monroe and I cleaned up her delicately fuzzy armpits and they told me they usually keep that for historical accuracy.
posted by jeweled accumulation at 9:53 AM on August 12, 2016 [12 favorites]
posted by jeweled accumulation at 9:53 AM on August 12, 2016 [12 favorites]
Well, TOTALLY anecdotal but years ago in an interview to be a retoucher for Playboy they gave me an old scan of a pic of Marilyn Monroe and I cleaned up her delicately fuzzy armpits and they told me they usually keep that for historical accuracy.
Huh, how about that.
posted by phunniemee at 10:03 AM on August 12, 2016 [4 favorites]
Huh, how about that.
posted by phunniemee at 10:03 AM on August 12, 2016 [4 favorites]
I have no citation, but in many cases in historical/Academic-era paintings, the artists were deliberately copying elements of classical Roman/Greek statuary style, so while the models may or may not have removed their body hair, the artists were leaving it out. There is a lot of artistic license happening.
Porn from the early eras of photography has women both with and without body hair of all types, sometimes airbrushed out and sometimes not.
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:15 AM on August 12, 2016 [1 favorite]
Porn from the early eras of photography has women both with and without body hair of all types, sometimes airbrushed out and sometimes not.
posted by blnkfrnk at 10:15 AM on August 12, 2016 [1 favorite]
In terms of the 20th century in the West, Gilette started pushing pit hair removal when marketing razors to women in 1915, which coincided with the introduction of more sleeveless styles. It's safe to assume that your average woman before that wasn't shaving her underarms.
posted by noxperpetua at 10:45 AM on August 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by noxperpetua at 10:45 AM on August 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
E. R. Eddison's sexy Renaissance/Edwardian/fantasy prince guy has hot sexy thoughts about his mistresses' armpit hair (variously black, red; not wimping out with a blonde fuzz). The path not taken with sleeveless styles.
posted by clew at 3:30 PM on August 12, 2016
posted by clew at 3:30 PM on August 12, 2016
When I was a kid in Europe (various countries) in the 1950s and 1960s most women did not shave either armpits or legs. My American mother commented on it frequently.
posted by mareli at 5:12 PM on August 12, 2016 [3 favorites]
posted by mareli at 5:12 PM on August 12, 2016 [3 favorites]
Noxperpetua has it right. Gillette started the relatively recent US penchant for shaving armpit hair. They marketed it with ads showing hairless flappers in their sleeveless dancing dresses (hairless armpits, not bald!). Imagine Gilette's glee at the chance to double their marketing base which had until then been limited to men.
posted by mulcahy at 7:16 PM on August 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by mulcahy at 7:16 PM on August 12, 2016 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
so I guess some Romans plucked out their armpit hair (ow!)
posted by supermedusa at 9:08 AM on August 12, 2016 [1 favorite]