Woman Explains Why She Doesn't Shave Her Armpits In A Viral TikTok Video

A woman's explanation for why she never shaves her armpit hair has gone viral, with people branding her a 'hero' for deciding to stop shaving.

Jada Travis, 24, from North Carolina, shared a clip to TikTok revealing that she often gets judged by people living near her in the South of the US, despite the heat causing her underarms to scratch if she shaves.

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In the video, which has racked up 4.7 million views, Jada revealed that she hasn't shaved her armpits in three years, while she proudly lifted up her arms to reveal her hair - explaining that she wanted to send a message to all of the people who make negative comments about her grooming habits. 

'I want to talk about my armpit hair today,' she began her post, while raising her arms up into the air to show off her hair. 'And I'm going to send this video to every single person that constantly talks about it. I have not shaved my armpits in three years. That's a long time and I'm ready to talk about why.' She went on to add that we are 'literally on a floating rock' so 'nothing matters' and people should be able to 'do whatever the hell they want that makes them happy'. 

'Allow me to show you the demonstration of what I have drawn this morning,' she explained, while holding up a roughly-drawn picture of planet Earth and several other planets. 'This is us. We are on a floating rock, OK?! This is us on a floatin' rock, and we literally just go like this with all the other floatin' rocks all year round.'

The TikTok user then addressed the rude treatment she receives from strangers as a result of her grooming habits. 'And I live in the South, and it's a very interesting place. It's a place where people don't always have their teeth, but they really value razors apparently,' she said.

Jada explained that if she travels into the city, no one will look at her, but if she heads into 'cowboy county' or the 'Dollar General Store' then people are shocked by her appearance.  

'I lift up my arm to pay, it's like the whole place is like, "Oh my god!"

'And y'all don't even have teeth. Why are you worried about using a razor? No offense - if you don't have teeth, that's OK. But you shouldn't be crappy about somebody's armpit hair.'

 She also explained that she 'doesn't want to shave a part of her body that bends' because 'hair is going to grow back three hours later and scratch' with her likening it to 'creating sandpaper'.  

'If you wanna shave your armpits, I don't give a crap,' she went on.

'But I don't wanna shave mine. I shaved mine for like 10 years straight. Every single day, and it just don't matter. 

'We're on a floatin' rock. So, floating rock, nothing matters, do what you want. Have your armpit hair — I don't care.'

The singer also said the key to being happy is 'to do whatever the heck you ant' and 'not let anyone get in your way'. People — including razor companies — loved her explanation. She quickly racked up support from fans, with one writing: ' This is my president!'.

Speaking to BuzzFeed, Jada said that she stopped shaving in 2019 after growing up in singing and dancing competitions which meant she always had to be clean shaven.  

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'I was supposed to be stage ready at all times. During this time, I was really trying to get to know myself and figure out what I enjoyed. But, without everyone else's opinion weighing me down, I began to feel free,' she explained. She added that she made the TikTok  out of 'the pure desire to let all my feelings out' and wanted to 'make a joke' out of all the people sending her ill will.

"I believe society has had a hold on women for too long. Now is the time to stand together. Society disregards women when they don't fit a certain mold that has been created by the 'conscious collective.' This has been a heartbreaking shame for generations — oh, what the world has lost by smothering the female power. The healers, creators, artists, and so much more. Standing together as women makes us stronger. We must protect and believe in one another, speak kindly, and stand up for what we believe in," she added.

 "My mindset is all about giving people the power and freedom to be authentic to themselves." 

" This is so much bigger than just body hair — it's freedom of expression".