Women share progress pictures after ditching their razors for "Januhairy"

What a woman chooses to do with her body hair (or lack thereof) is entirely a personal decision. Societal norms, however, have been pressuring the fairer sex into shaving for decades, often damaging their skin and forcing them to shell out between $10,000 and $23,000 over the course of their lifetimes on hair removal products. But thanks to the body positivity movement, women all over the world are ditching their razors and embracing what Mother Nature gave them.

In fact, "letting it grow" even got its own month dedicated to it dubbed "Januhairy", which sees women ditch their razors for a 30 day period - and quite possibly for good. Now, while I wouldn't be caught dead with a fur-bikini, in the winter months when my legs are rarely on display, I'm quite happy to let them do their thing and they're often all the smoother when I eventually decide to do a spring shave.

And in celebration of Januhairy, women have been posting their progress pictures from the first week!

1. Little fluffy bushes

Credit: Instagram / @hairygirlsarebeautiful

This girl's rocking her armpit shrubs.

2. Now you see it, now you don't!

Credit: Instagram / @onlylittlemy

Proof that women can still look sexy with body hair.

3. Not bad for a week's growth

Credit: Instagram / @janu_hairy

I wonder what her armpits will look like at the end of the month!

4. Incredible

Credit: Instagram / @janu_hairy

She could give any man a run for his money.

5. Body hair isn't always as noticeable as you'd think

Credit: Instagram / @mafevbf

When women stop shaving for a while, their hair often becomes less coarse and more smooth.

6. This woman was shamed into shaving from an early age

Credit: Instagram / @contyvevropskymstylu

"Well I've heard it's #januhairy now, so I decided to join. I had begun to shave in elementary school after I went to a swim class and one classmate asked me why I don't have shaved armpits. I still remember the feeling of surprise and humiliation that something is wrong with my body. At this age, you can easily get the impression that if you're not doing what everyone else is doing, something is wrong with you. I often heard in high school that I would be more attractive if I didn't have such hairy hands. With time, it gradually became clear to me that the main reason why I shave is mainly the inner pressure from this learned norm and the automatic expectation of the society. It sounds banal, but I think this pressure on women is really strong and unnecessary. Now I'm satisfied with all my hair because the hairs are normal. Peace out."

7. Smooth and natural pins

Credit: Instagram / @jugreco

There is nothing unladylike about this picture.

8. Eyebrows and armpits on fleek

Credit: Instagram / @godsbigsin

That's some impressive growth for just seven days.

9. Brushing leg hair instead of shaving it

Credit: Instagram / @kl0fac

I wonder how the experiences compare!

10. Millennial women have avocados and hairy legs

Credit: Instagram / @pokechuz

This picture was captioned: "Guys have noshavenovember girls have januhairy."

11. Another example of body hair being sexy

Credit: Instagram / @hairygirlsarebeautiful

It's totally okay for men to be sexy and hairy, so why the double standard for women? Down with the patriarchy.

12. Just look at that smile

Credit: Instagram / @ailacampelo

Probably because this woman hasn't cut herself while shaving in 2019.

13. A woman who's confident about ditching her razor

Credit: Instagram / @alexandramyth

"believe In the #januhairy #hairyjanuary initiative because I believe women should feel #free to love their bodies and not feel embarrassed by their #natural #hair. A woman can be #sexy with#hairyarmpits #hairylegs As a man still looks masculine without #bodyhair Stop the stigma please ! I do not feel disgusting nor dirty for being a #human being [sic]."

14. Curly hair everywhere

Credit: Instagram / @_sabinefisher

She's sexy and she knows it.

15. Her legs look a lot healthier than mine do when shaved

Credit: Instagram / @alexandramyth

Seriously. Shaving too much can be a bad thing and it's a good idea to give your skin a break every so often.

16. Someone's happy with her decision

Credit: Instagram / il_spicei

Now that's what I call being comfortable in your own skin.

17. Pros of leg hair: it will help keep you warm

Credit: Instagram / @lucimaralvespimentel

So you won't need to worry if a light breeze picks up on the beach!

18. Everything about this picture is impressive

Credit: Instagram / @fenellafox

Once female body hair is normalized, it's barely noticeable.

19. Two different, yet beautiful hair colors

Credit: Instagram / @therealmintsauce

Perhaps this lady will be inspired to dye her armpit hair at some point during Januhairy.

20. Another lady who grew a lot of hair in just a week!

Credit: Instagram / @hairygirlsarebeautiful

Maybe she'll be braiding (or trimming) it by the end of Januhairy.

21. Cute doggo and cute armpit hair

Credit: Instagram / @biamedeirxs

That tattoo's pretty awesome too.

22. Voluptuous and hairy

Credit: Instagram / @barbaragottardo

That smile says it all, really.

23. Who knew that armpit hair was so cute?

Credit: Instagram / @jennne

There's nothing manly about it.

24. Smooth and hairy skin or black follicle dots?

Credit: Instagram / @janu_hairy

The choice is yours.

25. She likes her armpit hair so much she's licking it

Credit: Instagram / @alinegooncalves

Let's just hope she didn't get any deodorant in her mouth.

So, has this list inspired you to jump on the Januhairy bandwagon? Regardless of the answer, I think that we can all agree that a world where women don't feel pressured into grooming their body hair in any one particular way is a world that we'd all like to live in. After all, it's 2019, and this list is a testament to the fact that women can be hairy and sexy.