Armpit hair is the composition of hair in the underarm area. This hair normally starts to appear between mid and late puberty, and many times even earlier. The physiological purpose of this hair is yet to be explained, but it has been suggested that it serves to collect pheromones and to lessen the effects of friction on the skin during locomotion. In the western world, it is the norm for women to wax or shave off their underarm hair. As with most forms of sex-specific grooming, this practice has led to the establishment of sexual fetishes.
The vast majority of men do not shave their armpits, but in recent years it has become more common in groups such as gay men and metrosexuals.
External links
- Salon Mothers Who thinks the pits - Salon.com column in which a Hong Kong female explains shaving peer pressure