Ode to My Armpit Hair

By Kirsten Anderberg (http://www.kirstenanderberg.com)
Written May 4, 2007

I've never owned a disposable razor
I haven't shaved since '78
Prepubescent armpits are not natural on grown women
I see shaved armpits as body hate.

Armpit hair is natural
Armpit hair is soft
Armpit hair is not a prickly mess
Not a puffy forest of shadowed stubs.

I love my armpit hair
I would be sad if it was not there
In Europe, shaven underarms are rare
And as an eco-feminist, I just can't buy "Nair."

I raised my arm this evening
And there was my soft long hair
Endeared, I felt sorry for women
Who were scared of what grows there.

Who would I be shaving for?
Who benefits from it all?
Perhaps the purpose is to distract my energies
From facilitating patriarchy's fall!!

What does my armpit hair symbolize?
Why does it threaten you?
Shaven armpits that use deodorants get cancer more often
And corporations stink more than you!