From Rihanna proudly Instagramming a picture of her leg hair last summer to Ashley Armitage’s campaign for razor brand Billie – the first ad of its kind to actually show body hair – we’re finally getting the representation we need when it comes to body hair.
Now, Nike has become the latest brand to join the conversation with their new ad featuring Nigerian-America singer Annahastasia with her arm raised to reveal a small patch of hair on her armpits.
Initially, the campaign was met with praise. “This is incredible 👏” said lifestyle and fitness influencer @oenone. "We need more freedom in this world to do what we will with our bodies without someone trying to shame" said another commenter. "🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽 Yaaas!!!" added another.
However, it wasn’t long before the backlash erupted, with commenters describing the campaign as “disgusting”, while another angry commenter added, “like please don't get me wrong, I'm delighted that this woman is brave enough to go around like that...but that's horrible."
With Nike being world’s largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel, with a net-worth of over $130BN, here’s hoping that their global influence will be a green light for the rest of the industry to catch up in terms of inclusivity and play their part in normalising body hair on women.
