"You can think whatever you want, but it won't change what I'm going to do."
Mariah
"I initially stopped shaving out of laziness, but it didn't take long for me to realize I found myself sexier and more confident with armpit hair. I don't necessarily feel the same way about my legs, but it's still a lot of work, and I have other things to do. I would so much rather spend another hour in bed, or doing something else I enjoy, than shaving.
"There are situations, like if i'm holding the subway pole above someone who's sitting, where I avoid eye contact; if they're disgusted by my hair, I don't need to know it. But mostly if people mention it, it's in a positive way. To be honest, I thought it would impact my life more than it has."
Jon Premosch / BuzzFeed
Ashley
"When I was 13, I went to the most popular girl in school's pool party. The other girls there saw my leg and pubic hair, and said my crush wouldn't like me because of it. I was super confused, so I went to speak to my mom, who told me that I'm human, and I'm beautiful, and if a guy can't accept me like that, to forget about him.
"If I meet a new guy and he asks why I don't shave my legs, I tell him, 'You can shave your legs if you want to, but I'm not going to.' I want to tell girls that they shouldn't feel like they need to fit into the superficial standards society sets. We're covered in hair because we're mammals! You just have to do what makes you comfortable."
Jon Premosch / BuzzFeed
Meghan
"There wasn't a big political reason I decided not to shave; I just didn't want to do it. I think second-wave feminism opened the doors of 'It's OK not to shave' for people like me, but not women of color or trans or gender-fluid people. I'm a white, cis, straight woman who goes to liberal arts school — my existence is pretty validated and accepted as is.
"It hasn't gotten in the way of romantic relationships — there's sometimes just kind of an 'Ooooooooh' moment, but if you don't want to kiss me because I have armpit hair, really? There are way more important reasons to choose not to get involved with someone.
"Anyway, there are plenty of other ways to be a feminist besides not shaving your armpits. Shave or don't shave; it's just a choice."
Jon Premosch / BuzzFeed
Nicole
"When I was younger, my mom always told me not to shave — that it wasn't even worth the bother. She naturally has almost no body hair, so it's not an issue for her; and when I started growing hair, she was like, 'It's no big deal. It's fine.'
"But girls closer to my age had different ideas. My cousins said since I had only a little hair, why not shave it entirely off? In middle school, in the locker room, people would call it gross and ask the same. But it makes me comfortable, so I decided to keep it."
Jon Premosch / BuzzFeed
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