Despite what airbrushing and adverts would have us believe, women aren't magically hairless, stubble-free beings. We have body hair, and shouldn't be shamed for it - as one brilliant French teenager has pointed out, kick-starting a social media movement in the process.
16-year-old Adele Labo launched the #LesPrincessesOntDesPoils hashtag, which translates as 'Princesses Have Hair,' after having 'suffered enormously' from teasing and bullying at school due to her refusal to shave.
'I think society stigmatises women, there is massive social pressure over body hair,' she said.
After her experience, the teen, who already runs a blog which features photos of her natural hair, invited other women to post images of theirs.
Her hashtag then became a trending topic on Twitter in France, with over 25,000 mentions to date, and plenty of responses from women sick of being stigmatized for daring to have body hair.
The pressure for women to appear perfectly hair-free predates Photoshop and porn culture. Body hair removal is thought to have begun as far back as Ancient Greece and Egypt, but gathered pace in the early 20th century with the marketing of the first razor for women. It remains a topic of contention for many, and while the majority of Twitter users praised Adele for her campaign, inevitably not all the responses were positive, with some branding the hashtag ‘disgusting.’
However, Adele isn't advocating that we ditch razors and waxing appointments altogether. Rather, she believes that how a woman treats her body should be her prerogative, rather than being dictated by societal pressures.
Because after all, as one Twitter user points out, why are men allowed to have hair but not women?
READ MORE: Why Shaving Your Face Is A Generally Horrible Idea