Woman who stopped shaving in lockdown now feels ‘liberated’ showing off her body hair in a bikini

Watch: Woman encourages others to love their bikini bodies, armpit hair and all

A woman who stopped shaving during lockdown has learnt to embrace her body hair and now feels "liberated" showing it off in a bikini.

Jo Brown, 28, from Colliers Wood, London, used to shave each time she found hair growing, but says she "couldn't be bothered" during the pandemic.

Since ditching the razor, Brown now hardly removes any of her body hair, opting instead to celebrate the natural dark hair under her armpits, along her bikini line and on her legs in skimpy bikinis.

And, despite often being on the receiving end of unkind comments online, she now wants to encourage others to do the same.

"I’ve had a lot of trolling," explains Brown, who works as a nanny.

"A lot of very mean comments saying it’s gross.

"But I’m not going to change for them."

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Brown says deciding to stop getting rid of her body hair wasn't actually a "conscious decision".

"It was lockdown. It was summer and I couldn’t be bothered to shave," she says.

"I feel very proud of my body, very appreciative, I love the way it is, and I love being me."

Brown started shaving at the age of 11, after seeing her older sisters remove their own body hair.

“I would only really shave as a child because I thought that’s what being a grown-up was," she explains.

"I thought I couldn’t go out without shaving. But that's sad really and I wish I hadn’t had cared so much.”

During lockdown, when she wasn't going out, Brown took a break from shaving, but ultimately found the confidence to leave her natural hair.

She is now an advocate for the benefits of ditching the razor.

“Shaving is actually really painful," she explains.

"It can cause some nasty rashes and skin problems.

“There’s a lot of pressure to remove everything, which I definitely felt. I think most women sadly do.

“Everyone went from having big bushes to waxing and shaving body hair, but it can sometimes lead to UTIs, thrush and bacterial infections.

“Ironically, it’s much better for your body to not shave.

"The hair is there for a reason.

"It also draws the sweat away, so it prevents body odour.”

Read more: Woman who stopped shaving body hair two years ago is ‘finally’ comfortable in own skin, Yahoo Life UK, 3-min read

Brown said she now happily wears a bikini in summer, showing off her hairy armpits and legs with pride.

"It is all about loving yourself and loving your body," she says.

Even though she admits to still caring "a bit" when people stare, she says it happens "way less than you think".

"Confidence plays a big part," she continues. "I am lucky in that sense.

“Sometimes strangers stare but I have quite dark hair, so when I don't shave it is obvious."

Brown says she wants to encourage others to make decisions on body hair that feel right for them.

“It’s seen as a non-feminine thing to have body hair," she explains. "But it is just a social expectation that women should remove it all, which I think is ridiculous considering men are allowed to have it anywhere they want.

“Do what makes you feel comfortable and who cares if someone is that bothered by it?

“It’s their problem not yours and is usually down to their own insecurities on body image and beauty."

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Though she admits to always having been quite body-confident, she also says she has had to work on her confidence over the years.

“I just remind myself of the values I have," she explains.

“Don’t let anyone change your beliefs or change you as a person, especially aesthetically,” she adds.

Brown believes young women need to be told the message that it is OK to embrace body hair.

“There needs to be a lot more education to encourage women to do what is right for their body," she explains.

“Your body, your choice is really important, especially as there are so many lifestyle pressures.”

Additional reporting SWNS.