The pressures of underarm perfection: Our body image research

The ‘ideal underarm’ criteria is body shaming

It all starts with the idea of an ‘ideal’ underarm. As flawless armpits are seen as ‘normal’, when women’s bodies show anything that falls outside of this narrow definition of beauty – such as redness, rolls of skin or underarm dark marks – these natural features can become sources of body insecurity. So, it’s no wonder that 8 in 10 women and girls have, at some point in their lives, felt bad about how their own underarms have looked.

How underarm beauty standards in society are reinforced

Mainstream media and advertisers have played an important role in promoting the beauty standards women are expected to follow, increasing feelings of body dissatisfaction and body image insecurity from generation to generation. But now, as more of us are spending hours online, the social media networks and the influencers who use them have become increasingly powerful¹. Let’s take a look at the body image statistics from our latest research. The majority of women and girls who took part in our Underarm Confidence Survey ranked social media and influencers as the key source of the  societal pressure on women’s bodies –  to have ‘perfect’ armpits, heightening the negative effects of beauty standards, above even mainstream media:

- Dr Phillippa Diedrichs, Body Image Expert and Professor of Psychology.
 

The impact of underarm insecurities

Beauty standards don’t just influence how women and girls care for their underarms – the impact can go far deeper. Failure to fit into the narrow definitions of beauty and feeling insecure about body hair, or skin texture can cost them their confidence, holding them back from fully participating in everyday activities.

At the times when they were feeling unhappy with their armpits, 9 in 10 girls said they felt self-conscious – reporting body image dissatisfaction, and feeling unattractive, anxious, and judged by others:
 

- Dominique Smith, Content Creator, US

These feelings can have a very real impact on the way women and girls live their day-to-day lives – from spending time with friends or family to contributing in school or at work.
 

Inspiring underarm confidence for the next generation

No one should be held back from living their life to the fullest. And no one should feel embarrassed that their underarms don’t measure up to unrealistic standards. Dark spots, hair, stubble, and underarm texture are very common and are nothing to be ashamed of. That’s why we’re working to encourage armpit acceptance, promoting positive body image and celebrating inclusive beauty – all those wonderful differences that make women and girls unique. 
 

It’s time to shatter the unrealistic beauty standards that dictate how women’s armpits “should” look – and practice unconditional underarm care instead. We believe that ‘perfect’ underarms don’t exist. Whether they’re shaved, stubbly or hairy, sensitive, bumpy, or with vitiligo or dark marks – they’re all beautiful and each unique. However your armpits look or feel, we're here to give them the utmost care and protection they deserve, so you can live confidently and free from any underarm worries.

¹Statista: https://www.statista.com/statistics/433871/daily-social-media-usage-worldwide/