By De Elizabeth, Allure
There shouldn't be any rules when it comes to body hair; we all have different preferences, grooming routines, and styles. Yet there still seems to be a lot of societal pressure to remove body hair, especially for women and femme-presenting folks. And if that's the style you prefer, that's totally OK — but you shouldn't feel forced into going hairless if you don't want to. That's why one blogger has taken to social media to show off her armpit hair, and remind her followers that there isn't just one definition of beauty.
[post_ads_2]
Sara Puhto (who goes by @saggysara on Instagram) recently posted a powerful self-portrait in which she can be seen sitting on the floor in a white bandeau bra and underwear. She has her face tilted towards the ceiling, and she's smiling with her eyes closed. From her position, we can clearly see both armpit and leg hair — and she looks absolutely gorgeous, of course.
In addition to the confident pose, Puhto's caption is something to applaud. "This idea of beauty we have currently is so odd," she begins. "Who decides what's beautiful? It's not some checklist that you go through and suddenly can qualify for. Should one have flawless skin, a lean body and groomed body hair to be considered beautiful? No. Because that idea of beauty is non existent."
The blogger goes on to address her own grooming routines, explaining: "I currently don't shave my leg or armpit hair because it's cold where I live, my skin is breaking out and I do not, nor ever will have a lean tummy with 0 skin folding or minimal amounts of fat. That's the reality."
[post_ads]Her post then touches on some of the disappointing negativity that we so often see on the internet. "I see so much hate nowadays on social media and it makes me so upset. Please don't be one of those people that tears others down.... We all have our own problems to deal with and you never know what someone's going through, please consider that before you say things that could hurt someone."
Puhto's powerful message ends with an important reminder to her followers: "Learn to love yourself because you are an amazing person and you shouldn't be so hard on yourself. As long as you're doing your best, you're doing an amazing job."
This isn't the first time that Puhto has taken to social media to call out unfair beauty standards and emphasize body positivity. Earlier this month, she posted a side-by-side photo that resembled a before-and-after series, but the pictures were actually taken just seconds apart. The point? Not everything we see on social media reflects real life, and we should all just be a little kinder to ourselves. One thing is clear: Puhto is an important voice for self-love and body positivity, and we're glad that she continues to speak out with such positive messages.
