Once again, the debate surrounding axillary hair continues apace. Of course the very act of not shaving has become a subversive one but, regardless of whether you associate body hair with feminism or are revolted by the sight of it, it’s transcended its role as the most powerful weapon in the fight against the patriarchal view on female beauty to become an alternative beauty trend. Here are some things to take on board in 2015:

If you grow it, dye it

Leftfield beauty news for 2015: dyed armpit hair. This trend can be traced back to a Seattle-based stylist, Roxie Hunt, who inadvertently broke a niche corner of the internet after she dyed someone armpits blue to match her blue hair (although it has been a mainstay of alt. girls for years.) After writing about it on her blog, in which she described the act as “direct-action feminism” and provided a how to method, the posting was shared 30,000 times and bolstered an already bolstered hashtag movement, #dyedpit, which went onto break Instagram and the depilatory ceiling.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Taylor Swift last month showing off her pits Photograph: Jeff Kravitz/AMA2014/FilmMagic

If you don’t grow it, Taylor Swift is your armpit muse

ROFL but true – there is an entire subreddit dedicated to Swift’s armpits. Why Swift? It might seem an arbitrary choice but she is arguably the most talked-about celebrity of 2014 and loves to raise her arms. Whether performing, deflecting wings at Victoria’s Secret shows, or simply waving fervently at fans, her pits are always present and always trimmed.



Facebook Twitter Pinterest Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in a scene from The Hunger Games Photograph: Allstar/LIONSGATE/Sportsphoto Ltd./Allstar

Popular culture dictates that in times of crisis, depilation is a priority

A curious styling oversight this: have you noticed how often women in dire existential situations manage to stay groomed? Buzzfeed took the trouble to chart all the moments in which women on TV had seemingly more access to razors than running water and the results were staggering. From Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games to Carol Peletier in The Walking Dead and Kate Austen in Lost, all near death, all startlingly depilated.