Feminist Media Champion ‘Armpit Dyeing’

Forget issues like human trafficking [1] or calling attention women tortured abroad [2], THIS is the new feminist craze: dyeing armpit hair. 

The media credit hair stylist Roxie Hunt for starting the #dyedpits trend on social media where women post picture of their armpit hair – dyed in rainbow colors. Hunt, who works at a Seattle salon, described in blog post “how to dye your armpit hair,” [3] because, she wrote, “I want to celebrate pit hair.” The feminist media jumped at the chance to hype the trend, calling it “artistic” and a “desirable beauty trend.” 

When Hunt died her co-worker’s pit hair, “We laughed and marveled at the beauty of her blue pit hair. It was too good to be true. The color in her pits perfectly matched the color on her head. I felt a major win for body hair.” 

The media agreed. “Women dyeing their armpit hair is now a thing,” acknowledged [4] The New York Post’s Lindsay Putnam. “Take a look at these women’s colorful patches,” she enticed, as she posted pictures she labeled as “pretty in pink” and “baby blues.” 

For The Huffington Post, Natasha Hinda gushed [5], “Who knew it could look so artistic?” “From purple and pink pits to, our personal favorite, a matching turquoise hair and armpit combo,” she wrote, “[i]t's safe to say that these ladies have no qualms about growing and showing, with a dash of color thrown in for good measure.” 

In her reasoning, she explained, “[t]hese ladies see their colorful pits as a way of reclaiming their bodies from media perceptions” while “having fun in the process.” 

Cosmo’s Brooke Shunatona presented [6] “10 hairy lady armpits treated with pretty pastel hair dye” for her piece. “[I]f you're tired of shaving your armpits every day (Who isn't?), maybe you should consider a little pastel dye job to *~BeAuTiFy~* your pits,” she wrote. 

Jezebel’s Mark Shrayber dubbed [7] the fad the “next big thing in beauty.” “2015 is going to be about two things, and two things only: Armpit hair and colorful dyes,” he insisted.

“Men have dyed their armpit hair before (I have seen it; it was orange) without fanfare besides an ‘oh my god that is so crazy oh my god’ from friends,” he reasoned, “so why is it such a big deal when women do it?” 

“[I]f you’re eager to jump on the dyed pit bandwagon, it’s probably best to let it grow, before you let it glow” joked [8] People’s Stephanie Emma Pfeffer. 

Bustle’s Olivia Muenter went so far as to create a timeline [9] of dyed pits. She highlighted, “Dyed armpits are still a desirable beauty trend for some people these days, and it’s quickly making its way into the mainstream.” 

Mic’s Maureen Shaw applauded [10], “Every woman should embrace her body regardless of prescribed social stereotypes that dictate what we ‘ought’ to look like.” 

“Now who will be the first to create a vegan, FDA-approved deodorant that colors your pits at the same time?” added [11] PopSugar’s Kirbie Johnson in celebrity news.

This is the wrong way for feminists to erase the “myths [12]” of bra-burning and leg-hair-growing (a stigma the media bash, whether at Vanity Fair [13], Marie Claire [14] or The Huffington Post [15]).

But then, the feminist media have an odd way of ordering their priorities [16], from fighting for free tampons and banning “bossy” to deeming abortion as “good” and “moral.”