“Underarm Hair Freedom”: What a Viral Xiaohongshu Trend Reveals About Gen Z Feminism in China

On Xiaohongshu, the lifestyle platform at the heart of China’s Gen Z culture, a new kind of beauty trend is taking over, and it’s not what you’d expect. Under the hashtags:

🔍 #每个人的身上都有毛毛 ("Everyone has body hair", 147M views, 478K posts) and

🔍 #咱就是说腋毛自由 ("Let’s say underarm hair freedom", 51M views, 221K posts),

thousands of young women are proudly posting sleeveless photos that show their natural underarm hair.

Screenshots of Xiaohongshu topic pages (Source: Xiaohongshu)

This isn't just about beauty aesthetics. It reflects a deeper cultural conversation, one about gender, autonomy, and how social platforms are shifting who gets to define "femininity".

From razor ads to personal choice: 

A century-old narrative under review

The pushback against body hair standards didn’t appear out of nowhere. For many Chinese Gen Z users, part of the appeal of this trend lies in rethinking beauty norms that were never theirs to begin with.

Historically, the expectation that women should shave underarm hair is traced back to a 1915 campaign by Gillette, which launched the first women’s razor not due to consumer demand, but to double their market share by expanding from men to women. That marketing strategy worked so well that a once-natural part of the body was rebranded as “unfeminine”.

Milady Décolleté by Gillette featured in Sunset Magazine, 1915 (Source: Gillette)

Now, over a century later, young Chinese women are questioning these inherited norms. They are not just advocating for "not shaving", but also demanding the right to choose. The slogan that often appears alongside these posts is “穿衣自由” (“freedom to dress”), a call for autonomy over one’s body without being policed by social expectations.

Beyond beauty: The rise of body autonomy and resistance to “服美役”

This trend is also fueled by a growing frustration with “服美役”, a term that loosely translates to “performing beauty labor”. It's used to describe the invisible emotional and physical effort expected of women to conform to aesthetic standards, often for male approval.

For many users, rejecting body hair removal is not an end goal, but a symbolic act of resistance. It says: "My body is not a product. It doesn't need to be optimized for others." The comment sections on these posts are telling: a mix of applause, encouragement, and constructive debate. There’s tension, but also transformation.

Comments from a Xiaohongshu post showing both praise and debate

"I just don't think it's pretty with underarm hair..."

"I've always wanted to dye my underarm hair pink."

(Source: Xiaohongshu)

Brands join the conversation — but not all are welcome

Naturally, where traffic goes, brands follow. Razor companies and hair removal device brands have started appearing under these hashtags. But it’s a tricky line to walk: consumers can quickly tell whether a brand genuinely understands the conversation, or is just hijacking it. Some brands were applauded. Others were criticized for “not reading the room.”

A Xiaohongshu post criticizing a hair removal brand of selling anxiety (Source: Xiaohongshu)

A standout example from outside China is Billie, a women’s razor company that launched the “Project Body Hair” campaign. Instead of promoting a polished beauty ideal, Billie’s visuals featured women with visible body hair — embracing the full spectrum of choice. The message was simple: You can shave. Or not shave. But either way, it’s your call.

Billie’s Project Body Hair Campaign (Source: Billie)

Double V Tips for Brands:

Trends like underarm hair freedom are more than fleeting moments of virality. They reflect underlying shifts in values and consumer expectations. Here’s what brands should consider:

1️⃣Cultural fluency matters more than ever. Entering conversations like this requires empathy, historical awareness, and nuance.

2️⃣Don’t mistake attention for approval. Just because a hashtag is trending doesn’t mean it’s a good fit for your brand, unless your message aligns with the deeper values behind it.

3️⃣Performance marketing isn’t enough. Today’s Gen Z consumers in China are fluent in advertising tactics. They’re looking for point-of-view, not persuasion.

💬 Curious about more cultural signals shaping China’s Gen Z consumers? Reach out — we’re tracking them every day.

Double V Consulting is a marketing consultancy specialized in female consumer goods brands. We have been helping overseas brands navigate the complexities of the Chinese market since 2017. We specialize in creating strategies that resonate with Chinese female consumers, leveraging deep market insights and cultural understanding.

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