Source: Hannah Sider / Hannah Sider
I’ve never been a fan of my dark armpits; they make me a little self-conscious. It’s not a big deal, but when I’m wearing a fly sleeveless dress or tank top and lift my arms, I cringe at the dark contrast.
I’m not alone – In fact, Dove spoke to 2000 women ages 13-64 across the US to learn more about underarm beauty standards and how they affect their self-esteem and everyday lives. According to the survey, 66% of girls and 58% of women feel they are judged because of their armpits. 80% of women and girls believes society promotes an ideal underarm that prioritizes hairless, odorless, toned, and smooth pits.
Dove wants you to #freethepits (and that includes hairy, odored, textured, or dark armpits)
Source: Hannah Sider / Hannah Sider
Because it is exhausting to hold ourselves to such a caliber, Dove is launching the #FreeThePits Campaign, an initiative that encourages women to embrace stubbles, discolorations, and more.
Dove, the revolutionary brand working overtime to dispel unattainable beauty standards, hosted a photo shoot in Brooklyn, NY, to promote the #FreeThePits campaign. The studio featured a replicated NYC train car with the Dove ads on display. They invited me to highlight my pits in a photoshoot by esteemed celebrity photographer Raven B. Varona, affectionately known as Ravie B. Varona has captured notable names like Beyonce, Adele, Issa Rae and more. And now, she was going to help me embrace my dark armpits with a fun photoshoot.
Source: Raven Varona / Raven Varona
Source: Raven Varona / Raven Varona
My friend Cameil Ross, personal trainer and content creator, accompanied me to the shoot. I asked her to join me because she exudes a certain level of confidence that says, “I don’t care what you think about my pits,” and I was right.
“As a young girl, I was self-conscious about the color of my armpits. It kept me from wearing certain shirt styles for a good part of my teens, but as I got older, I thought, ‘When have you ever heard of someone being judged by the color of their armpits?! And If so, do I REALLY care?’ The answer was ‘never & nope,’ and I’ve freed the pits ever since,” she told me.
And while Ross overcame the discomfort, plenty of women resort to skin lighteners and other home remedies to solve their uneven tones. According to Dove’s study, 1 in 5 women have used skin lighteners to address their dark armpits.
Source: Raven Varona / Raven Varona
Source: Raven Varona / Raven Varona
We can’t fully appreciate the diversity of people if all armpits are invariant. The #FreeThePits campaign aims to inspire people to dance like no one is watching, confidently raise their hand in class, and embrace every opportunity that requires them to put their underarms on display. Learn more about the campaign here.
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Dove Empowered Me To Embrace My Dark Armpits With Their #FreeThePits Campaign was originally published on hellobeautiful.com
