The Societal Implications of Madonna’s Armpit Hair

For any seasoned connoisseur of Madonna, her predilection for having armpit hair has been established since the mid-70s when she would show up at school reeking of body odor just to prove a point about the homogeneity of women. Her fondness for wearing scandalous outfits and presenting her physicality in a manner as different as possible is, ultimately, part of what would land her such massive amounts of fame.

Screen Shot 2014-03-23 at 4.47.53 PMEven after Madonna had moved to New York, she was still sporting heavy amounts of underarm hair when she would model nude for art classes and various photographers. Whether or not her decision to keep the hair while she was in NYC had more to do with being so poor she probably couldn’t afford a non-AIDS laden razor is left to your discretion. Either way, when Madonna finally secured a record deal, so too, did she secure a razor.

Circa '79.
Circa ’79.

On March 20, Madonna’s evermore scandalizing Instagram account revealed a picture of her with more than slight peach fuzz. The photo quickly incurred the wrath and judgment of the internet media, including snarkier outlets like Betches Love This, proving, once again, that America is the most image-obsessed country on the planet. The very fact that M’s armpit hair could cause so many disparaging remarks is proof positive that, in spite of the U.S. claiming to embrace an “open, airy” policy on beauty, it consistently reams anyone in our celebrity culture who doesn’t completely fit the mold.

Genna Rivieccio

Genna Rivieccio writes for myriad blogs, mainly this one, burningbushwick.com, missingadick.com, airshipdaily.com and behindthehype.com. Feel free to e-mail culledculture@gmail.com.

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