"Resident Bush, Axillary of Evil?"

31 January 2003

Bushy or not? That is the question.

One of my co-workers gave me an odd look today. He knows I sweat, heck the whole office does, and they stopped paying attention to it long ago. But this was different.

While we were chatting I raised my arm to scratch the back of my head and his gaze was fixated on my pit. After he left, I checked myself. My white silk blouse had been made translucent by armpit sweat, and my wet dark hair was matted and sticking to it from the inside.

If you're like many people, right about now you're probably thinking "OMG, Janet, how embarrassing!" _shrug_ I've gotten over the embarrassment years ago. If I can do it, so can you.

Is this shocking or gross? Why? I'm serious, why? Who taught us that anything that comes out of the body is "dirty"? Here's another test for you:

Did you cringe? Why? That spit had been in your mouth just a moment before. The glass is clean. All you are doing it putting it back! See what I mean? It's conditioning since childhood. (If you didn't cringe, I'm very proud of you!)

But back to the story. I admit I had forgotten about the rugs in my pits. You see, I've gone back and forth about this whole shaving thing. In college I let the forest grow in there. Since then, despite environmental protests, I've cut it all down regularly. Except that changed after my surgery.

I had thyroid cancer surgery last autumn, and felt pretty lousy for weeks after because I wasn't getting the proper dose of replacement thyroid hormones. At that time, simply getting out of bed was a chore, so I stopped shaving my pits, and have yet to resume.

Oh, I'll razor them come spring when it's again warm enough to wear sleeveless tops. Right now, it's one less thing to worry about, umm, except, it seems, when wearing a white silk blouse.

Meanwhile, I've been trying to figure out if the armpit hair makes any difference with how much I sweat. It's tough to tell because my sweating pattern has been changing with adjustments to my thyroid hormone dose. I do think there is slightly more odor, but nothing dramatically different. Maybe the hair gives more acreage for the little bacteria guys to do their stinky work?

What about you? Does hair make any difference? Let me know and I'll post your comments.

From TW:

Janet, the amount of hair makes a difference for me. In the past if I did not shave my pits, there was more odor but no difference in wetness. My SO prefers them shaved, and I don't care either way, so I keep them hairfree.

Interesting, I bet the hair does indeed give the bacteria more room to grow. Thanks for writing.

From S:

(snip) If you perspire that much and don't shave your underarms you shouldn't wear a white blouse where others can see you. What you described is very unfeminine and frankly, digusting (sic) as well. I'm glad I don't have to work in the same office as you because you probably stink as much as your site does.

Well, well, well. Congratulations, you are the first person to say something negative. I won't respond in kind because I think it's obvious your message is not tactful, informed or open minded. I wouldn't want you to get upset and _horrors_ maybe a little sweaty.

From X2000:

Nice site! I've never told anyone this, but for many years I've found women with hairy and sweaty armpits fascinatingly attractive, a natural beauty, if you will. I think it originated with a 7th grade teacher of mine who had those attributes. I wish my girlfriend did. Thank you for sharing your experiences in such an entertaining manner. Oh, my vote is to NOT shave come spring.

Thanks for writing. You are making me _blush_!

From AC:

You sound like such a bright, enlightened person. I love your site and sense of humor. My grandmother has Alzheimer's so I know first hand how devastating it can be to both the person and the family. I've known about the possible link with aluminum for awhile, and your site has convinced me to stop using antiperspirant. I don't shave my underarms but my hair is light in color so I don't expect visibility to be an issue. Keep up the good work.

Thanks for your kind words, AC. I'm sorry to hear about your grandmother. Let me know how things go for you without antiP.

From RCB:

Thank you for your site. I will be honest....I think women who sweat under their arms are extremely sexy. In fact, if a girl doesn't sweat a lot, I quickly lose attraction for that person. I'm sure that might sound ridiculous to some, and frankly, this is the first time that I have ever admitted that to anyone, but for some reason, because of your openess about sweating....I felt liberated enough to admit it to you! I have had this "attraction" ever since I can remember.

Thanks, RCB. I don't think you should limit yourself to only girls who sweat. I'm sure there are many quality women Out There who are worthy of love despite their dry armpits. ;-) Seriously though, the irony here is amazing. Our American culture has so brainwashed us into the "sweat is dirty, sweat-free is nirvana" idea that people who feel otherwise are cautious revealing their preference! Meanwhile, sweaty people are being made to feel like freaks, and being shamed into chemicals, drugs and even surgery to rid themselves of their "horrible" sweating "ailment". That really upsets me. I hope this site is a step toward making more people aware and enlightened about this subject.

For prior stories, see the archives.