Ella Emhoff’s Armpit Hair Is the MAGAverse’s Strange New Obsession

The right wing social media pile-on of Kamala Harris’ stepdaughter has taken a bizarre new turn, as a flurry of X accounts round on the young woman for having body hair.

Brooklyn-based artist Ella Emhoff, the daughter of Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, began catching flak online as her stepmom served as vice president during the Biden administration and eventually ran for president. But with Harris—and former President Joe Biden—now old news, the online criticism of Ella Emhoff has failed to abate. Indeed, it appears to have mutated into a surreal new level of complaints: hyper-focus on the 25-year-old’s armpit hair and skin routine.

Things started getting weird after Emhoff, who has modeled for a host of top brands including Balenciaga, took to Instagram to plug a new paid promotion with Fur Oil. The product, specifically designed for pubic hair and skin, is used to treat ingrown hairs, irritation, dry skin, and split ends. In the Jan. 22 Instagram post that sparked the backlash, Emhoff said she began growing out her body hair six years ago and that she uses the oil on “personal areas.”

When this information made its way over to Elon Musk’s X, MAGA accounts pounced. “Kamala’s stepdaughter, Ella Emhoff, just dropped a paid promo for body oil—because even armpit hair deserves a side hustle!” came one the latest in a flurry of X posts from large accounts about the seemingly innocuous subject.

That rebuke, from I Meme Therefore I Am, was shared on Feb. 2 and has been viewed more than 11.1 million times. Some people tried to reason with the poster amid a barrage of insults flung Emhoff’s way, but they said they were “having a ball.”

Well known pro-Trump account Johnny Maga also tweeted about the artist’s underarm grooming, writing: “Kamala’s stepdaughter Ella Emhoff drops a paid promo for body oil that she puts on her armpit hair.” While his post in itself wasn’t derogatory, it inspired a visceral response with a flurry of blue check-mark accounts—including conservative talking head Laura Loomer.

Under Johnny Maga’s post, which was viewed over 1.6 million times, Loomer posted two responses. In the first one, she used four sick face emojis and wrote: “Body hair is disgusting on men and women. Wax or shave all of it off in my opinion.”

Minutes later, Loomer was back with another vile rebuttal of Emhoff’s grooming choices. “‘And other personal areas’. Now I hate you @_johnnymaga for being the reason why I now know Kamala’s step daughter has a bush.”

Oli London, a man who underwent several surgeries to look like a Korean pop star, joined in, dragging Emhoff in a post that was viewed nearly 350,000 times. “Kamala Harris stepdaughter Ella Emhoff rubs oil into her ARMPIT HAIR to promote paid brand partnership,” he wrote, also on Feb. 2. Since Dec. 18, London has posted about Emhoff 16 times, having never done so before that point.

Emhoff has spoken out against social media hate in the past. She raged “you suck” on Instagram after her time as the United States’ “second daughter” came to an end. “I just want to say I’m so grateful for everyone who has supported me during this period of my life. Some of my highest highs and lowest lows,” she wrote on Jan. 20. “For those who made it harder, you suck.”

After Emhoff was spotted crying following her stepmother’s concession speech in November, rumors began to spreading in right-wing social media circles that she had checked herself into a facility after a mental breakdown.

She denied the rumors. “There‘s a rumor about me having a mental breakdown and getting checked into a hospital. Not true. Also f--- you if you’re out there spreading that,” she wrote in a post to her Instagram stories. “There’s nothing wrong with showing emotion and crying. Anyone who says there is probably needs a good cry.”