Armpit hair
From Biocrawler, the free encyclopedia.
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 Western countries, it is the norm for women to wax or shave off their underarm hair regularly for aesthetic reasons. Such hair removal must be performed more frequently than leg shaving, as underarm hair grows at nearly twice the rate as leg hair. Some hold the belief that, once shaving commences, the hair will grow out more thickly. However, this is a myth. The resulting stubble only makes the hairs seem to be thicker, but the growth rate is unchanged.
As with most forms of sex-specific grooming, this practice has led to the establishment of sexual fetishes.
While most men do not shave their armpits, some do so for cleanliness or aesthetics.
External links
- Mei Yan Leung (July 28, 1999). The pits (http://archive.salon.com/mwt/feature/1999/07/28/armpits/) in the Mothers Who Think column on Salon.com. A Hong Kong woman explains shaving peer pressure.
