Januhairy is a charity campaign that asks women to stop shaving or waxing for the whole of January and to grow out their body hair. It was started in late 2018 by Laura Jackson, a 21-year-old drama student at the University of Exeter from Kineton in Warwickshire, and it launched for the first time in January 2019. Participants share photos of their armpits and legs as the hair grows back, and the money raised goes to Body Gossip, a UK charity that visits schools to teach young people healthier attitudes towards their bodies.
The idea came from a stage role. "It all started when I grew my body hair last year for a performance as part of my drama degree," Jackson told her local paper. She felt self-conscious in public at first, then found she preferred it, and was surprised by how many people around her asked why she was "letting herself go".
Within weeks the campaign had participants from the UK, the US, Spain, Germany, Russia and Canada, aged from 16 to 60, and coverage from the BBC, the Guardian and Good Morning Britain. Here are some of the women who joined in that first January, with a little background on the questions the campaign raises.
Why Januhairy started
This is Laura Jackson herself, arms raised in a mint sports top, in a photo taken months before the first campaign. On the official Januhairy account she wrote that her own mother asked whether she was being lazy or trying to prove a point, and that after they talked it through her mother decided to take part too.
Jackson has stressed that the campaign is about choice, not anger. Shave or don't, the message goes, but notice why you do it and who you do it for.
A smiling participant in a black slip dress shows off her unshaved legs. The Januhairy account paired her photo with a line often attributed to author Steve Maraboli: "There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself." Participants were encouraged to shave on New Year's Eve so that everyone started the month from scratch.
A short history of women and razors
Body hair removal is old, but the idea that every woman in the West should remove underarm and leg hair is surprisingly recent. Historians often trace it to the 1910s, when sleeveless dresses became fashionable and razor makers began marketing products specifically to women, followed by advertising that described underarm hair as unsightly. Shorter hemlines, and stocking shortages during the Second World War, are often credited with pushing leg shaving into the mainstream.
That history is one reason campaigns like Januhairy describe hair removal as a social habit rather than a hygiene necessity. Body odour comes from bacteria breaking down sweat, so washing matters far more than whether hair is present. Removing hair is a personal preference, and so is keeping it.
A pink-filtered portrait shared by the account hairygirlsarebeautiful, one of several Instagram pages that had been posting body-hair-positive photos before Januhairy began. The soft styling, more like a fashion editorial than a protest, is typical of how the movement chose to present itself.
Posing twice against a white wall in a sheer black two-piece, one arm raised to show her underarm hair, this participant wrote that she had only just discovered Januhairy. Her caption argued that shaving is every woman's own choice, and that one reason she skips it is to avoid paying companies that treat natural bodies as not good enough.
Armpits, raised with confidence
A participant with a shaved undercut and face jewellery raises one arm in a grey bandeau top. Body-hair photos often overlap with other ways people play with their appearance, such as haircuts, piercings and makeup.
Relaxing in a bath with her arm behind her head, this woman shows a few weeks of regrowth. Bath and bedroom shots were common in the campaign because they are the everyday places where people decide whether to shave.
In an orange swimsuit and a choker, this participant raises both arms in warm, film-like light. Swimwear photos carried a particular point, since the beach and pool are where many women feel most pressure to be hair-free.
A close-up selfie in a red sports bra. Many entries were simple phone pictures rather than professional shoots, which made the campaign feel ordinary and approachable.
Laughing with her arms up in a red knitted top, this participant captures the light-hearted side of the month. For many women the challenge was less about politics and more about seeing how it felt.
Curly hair, a patterned halter top and a playful pout. The photo shows how easily body hair sits alongside a fully styled look.
Stretching in bed behind a laptop, this woman looks like she has just woken up, which is rather the point. The campaign aimed to make body hair look as unremarkable as a morning stretch.
A young woman in a plaid dress in front of a mosaic wall. She wrote that after almost two years without shaving she still felt self-conscious about showing her armpits, and hoped attitudes would change, a reminder that even committed participants struggled with the social pressure.
Red hair, a grey vest and both hands behind her head. Her caption mentioned the photo was taken with a friend named Freya during a break in stormy weather in Plymouth, on England's south-west coast.
A relaxed selfie with one arm lifted. Simple, close framing like this puts the focus on the person's face and expression rather than on the hair alone.
Wet hair, a black lace top and a direct gaze at the camera. Pairing lingerie-style clothing with body hair challenges the assumption that the two do not belong together.
Legs in the spotlight
Crossed legs stretched out in a colourful hammock. Leg hair grows more slowly than many people expect, so a month of regrowth is visible but often soft and fine.
Sitting in her room in glasses and an olive jumper, this participant pulls her knees up to show her legs. Her relaxed pose is a reminder that most of these photos were taken in ordinary homes.
Feet in pink sandals resting on shiny pink fabric. The deliberately girly styling sets up a playful contrast with the unshaved legs above them.
Hairy legs, a small tattoo and a pair of avocado socks. Her caption made the obvious comparison with No-Shave November, the men's beard-growing month that raises money for cancer charities.
A single leg stretched along a grey hammock, painted toenails at the end. Many entries came from outside the UK, written in Portuguese, Spanish and other languages.
A close view of two dark-haired legs on white sheets. Darker hair shows more clearly than fair hair, which is one reason some women feel more pressure to remove it.
A tanned leg in a car with a city view behind. The mother who posted it made not shaving her legs a New Year's resolution after her six-year-old asked about the stubble and she realised she could not explain why she shaved.
At the beach, at home and on the mat
Sitting on the sand in a white bikini and a long black cover-up, this participant looks out to sea. Beach photos like this pushed back on the idea that body hair has to stay hidden in summer.
A yoga practitioner holds a full split in grey activewear with her arms raised. Fitness spaces, full of mirrors and fitted clothing, are another place where body hair is often noticed.
Lying on a pink mat with her dog, this woman shares a sunny, upside-down shot. Pets made regular appearances in the campaign, adding a homely touch.
A woman in a colourful crocheted top lies back with eyes closed and one arm above her head. It is one of the most peaceful images in the set.
Smiling broadly in warm evening light, this participant shows that for many women the month felt freeing rather than difficult.
A black-and-white beach portrait in a sun hat, sunglasses and patterned swimsuit. The vintage feel is a quiet nod to the decades when the hair-free ideal first took hold.
Curled up on a bed among soft toys and blankets, this participant shows her legs and underarm. It is a candid, at-home snapshot rather than a posed shoot.
A cat perches on this woman's head in a photo labelled "Axilas Peludas", Spanish for "hairy armpits". The Spanish-language hashtags show how far the challenge travelled within its first month.
Support, backlash and what changed
Januhairy drew warm support and a lot of hostility. Jackson told her student newspaper that the campaign's Facebook page received plenty of "hate and disgust", and that she saw those reactions as proof the conversation was needed. The abuse aimed at women for showing natural hair arguably made the campaign's case better than any slogan.
The wider conversation has moved on too. Some razor brands have since begun showing real body hair in their adverts instead of shaving legs that are already smooth, a small but telling change from the hair-free ideal of the past century.
Whatever you choose
The core message of Januhairy is not that women should stop shaving. It is that the decision should be theirs, made without shame either way. If you want to try it, January is as good a month as any: let the hair grow, notice how you feel and how others react, and decide for yourself afterwards.
Sources: photographs by the Instagram users credited under each image and by Januhairy; Body Gossip; Leamington Courier: Meet the Kineton student inspiring women to love their body hair; Exeposé: Exeter student launched Januhairy.
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