I believe that ANYONE can wear sleeveless clothing. To my eye there is no need to have firm, toned and tanned arms to go sans sleeves, especially in sweltering hot temperatures.

However, I do realize that many women feel differently. Amongst my friends and clientele there are lasses who prefer not to show their arms. I have also come across quite a few women who, in particular, are shy about revealing their underarms. With your help, this is something I would like to explore today.

Now, certain cultures have norms that are restrictive when it comes to the parts of a woman’s body that should be covered. And in some cases this goes much further than the underarm. There is certainly a debate to be had about that, but it isn’t the one that I’m getting at here. I’m thinking more about typical western norms where sleeveless dressing is not frowned upon or discouraged in general.

In this environment, do some people feel that the underarm is a little taboo? Ok to reveal poolside or at the beach, but a tad too sensual to be flaunted in other settings? In this case the reluctance to show the underarm is really about modesty.

Is it more that women are concerned that their underarms are not attractive? Perhaps when they didn’t shave recently, or when shaving has caused some skin irritation or discoloration. In this case the reluctance is about confidence.

Or perhaps some women don’t believe in shaving, but still feel the pressure of the social norm that says we should have perfectly hairless underarms.

I have Dutch family in all shapes and sizes who are strongly against shaving their underarms and have no problem whatsoever wearing sleeveless tops. This probably helped me to grow up never feeling shy about the state of my underarms. I do shave, because I personally prefer that aesthetic, but I also don’t mind seeing a woman with underarm hair in a sleeveless top. 

Are you shy about revealing your underarms when you wear sleeveless clothing? If so, is it for one of the reasons I mentioned above, or is it something completely different? Or do you believe that the underarm is an area of our body that should not be revealed in public at all?