Press Enter to Search

Clips
Shows
Schedule

Today

FULL SCHEDULE

Newsletter

Your source for all things celebrity and entertainment.

I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Additional Privacy Statement

Our Apps

Featured

Additional Privacy Statement

Your information may be shared with other NBCUniversal businesses and used to better tailor our services and advertising to you. For more details about how we use your information, see our Privacy Policy. If you are located outside of the U.S., your information may be transferred to, processed and used in the U.S.

Done

News/

Are You Listening, Miley Cyrus? There's Female Armpit Hair Competition in China

by Alyssa Toomey

Instagram

Safe to say this is right up Miley Cyrus' alley.

A female armpit hair competition is picking up steam in China. According to BBC News, prominent women's rights activist Xiao Meili, 25, first launched the "Armpit Hair Competition" on Weibo, a popular micro-blog in China.

"Girls are often anxious about their armpit hair as if it's a sign of being dirty or uncivilized," she told the publication. "But we should have the freedom to choose whether to accept what grows naturally on our bodies."

According to reports, the campaign has now gone viral with countless women posting pictures of their armpit hair on the social media site. Per the Global Times, the organizers of the contest are giving out prizes for the most "characteristic, beautiful, and confident" displays of armpit hair.

PHOTOS: Miley Cyrus dyes her armpit hair pink

Weibo

The contest is also an effort to continue an important discussion about gender equality.

"Women should have the right to decide how to deal with their bodies, including small details like armpit hair," Xiao told CNN. "You can choose to shave it, but you shouldn't be forced to do so under the pressure of stereotypes."

Weibo

While the competition has generated some backlash, armpit hair is a topic that has picked up steam in recent years, thanks, in part, to prominent celebrities proudly showing off their hairy pits.

Girls star Jemima Kirke most recently flashed her armpit hair while rocking the red carpet at the 2015 CFDA Fashion Awards, and Miley Cyrus has flaunted her armpits in various Instagrams. Heck, even Madonna has previously showed off her shaggy pits while female body activist Scout Willisput both her nipples and her hairy armpits on display during a February public appearance.