Take That, Veet: Here Are the Best Hairy Armpits on Tumblr

The Internet's finest unshaven pits may not be your thing, but they are proof positive that femininity doesn't come in a box

When Veet, the company that peddles smelly at-home hair-removal creams, debuted its latest series of ads Monday night, the Internet universally convulsed with an anti-Veet shudder. And rightfully so. The ads feature women transforming into hairy-legged men after going one single night without shaving, and preach the warning, 'Don't risk dudeness,' followed by the conclusive message, 'Feel womanly around the clock.' (Veet has since officially removed the clips, but you can still catch a trailer for the ads here.)

It seems Veet forgot that some women don't shave, or wax, or tweeze all the hairs from their bodies, and that many of these women-even with all that dead protein growing from their pores-still consider themselves female. Thankfully, Tumblrs like Hairy Pits Club -a collection of unshaven pits from around the world-are here to remind Veet that its ad team needs to broaden its horizons.

Hairy Pits Club's moderators have been posting pictures of raised arms for nearly four years, compiling an expanding collection of the finest in unshaven pits. 'For many people, having pit hair is a way to say 'FUCK YOU' to unrealistic beauty standards and dichotomous gender roles,' the moderators write on their blog, which is so popular that there's a two-month waiting list with 300 photos on it at any given moment. 'This is not a 'FUCK YOU' to men, but rather to patriarchy.'

The Tumblr is more a dialogue than a catalog. Those looking to submit their photos write in with questions and concerns (often related to how their partners will react to their hairy pits), and the moderators respond accordingly. 'My hair choices have nothing to do with beauty,' one of the mods writes in the advice section of the blog. 'My body is capable of so much more than *just* being beautiful. I can lift things, hit really hard, dance, hug and high-five. It's not for you to look at.'

Then there's this awesome line from a mod: 'Anyone that can't handle my hairy pits are probably not worth my time.'

Naturally, Hairy Pits Club isn't the only Tumblr gathering photos. So many parts of the body can easily be left unshorn (as the 'dudes' over at Veet know so well). A little bit less SFW is Female Hairy Armpits, a blog for all hairy body parts, and Don't Shave, which is strictly for women's pits.

Sure, it may not be for everyone, but that's kind of the point. Some women, even stars like Madonna, let hair grow on their bodies. And sometimes, just maybe, they want to keep it there.