14 DAY TRIAL // Women are expected to always look their best, to dress nicely, to have a perfect face of makeup on and, last but not least, to not have a single hair on their body, except on their head and in certain, well-designated areas. The armpit is not one of them, at least in public perception.
This exactly the kind of pre-set idea of what real, natural beauty is that London-based fashion photographer Ben Hopper is trying to challenge with his new project, called simply Natural Beauty.
It features only models who had been asked in advance to grow out their body hair, to have something to show off for the camera. As you can see in the pic above, the focus was on armpit hair.
Hopper says in a new interview cited by the Daily Mail that he’s not trying to send the message that all women should just forget about waxing or shaving or whatever method of hair removal they’re fond of: all he’s striving to do is start a conversation on how beauty can – and does – exist outside a set of norms we have come to consider compulsory.
In other words, beauty is beauty with or without the hair, and women should probably have the final say in whether they remove it or not – and not feel forced to do so just because that’s what is expected of them, in order to be considered beautiful.
“The whole point is contrast between fashionable female beauty and the raw unconventional look of female armpit hair. I expect [the photos] will surprise a lot of people and I guess, in a way, that is one of my intentions,” Hopper says.
Hopper explains that he personally considers armpit hair “a beautiful look” and that this is why he sees his campaign as some sort of protest against the beauty industry, which keeps telling men and women alike that there can be no beauty with hair.
“Although armpit hair is a natural state it has become a statement. Why is that? For almost a century we have been brainwashed by the beauty industry, encouraging hair removal. Natural Beauty could be classified as a type of protest. By creating a contrast between common ‘fashionable’ female beauty and the raw unconventional look of female armpit hair, thoughts are intrigued and a discussion is made,” Hopper says.
This isn’t the first time that one such campaign is launched. Some years ago, models Kelly Monaco and Brooke Burke caused quite a ruckus in the media after protesting against men with unshaven faces by going out in shorts, with long hair on their legs.
More stunning photos by Hopper are available on his website.