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Two women have declared that 'you don't have to be hairless to go to the beach' as they show off their bikinis bodies in an empowering post.
Bella Davis and Sara Puhto posed proudly in their swim sets to remind others they 'deserve to be seen' and shouldn't be ashamed of their body hair.
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The pair are both content creators who advocate for body acceptance as well as neutrality and self-care among other sectors.
In a joint Instagram post created by Puhto, they shared a range of varying body parts (including their own) featuring naturally growing hair as well as razor bumps, declaring there's 'no wrong way' to look.
Their caption reads: "It’s your personal choice to shave, wax or grow your body hair. There’s no wrong way for your body to look. You don’t owe anyone a smooth, bump free, hairless body!
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"Don’t let your body hair or razor bumps hold you back from wearing the bikini, from being intimate or from making precious memories! You deserve to see body hair and bumpy bikini lines represented in the media.
"Because you deserve to feel seen, empowered and a little less alone in your body."
They also included a 'beachvibes' hashtag to contrast the stereotypical 'beach body' posts.
The front image of the Instagram carousel shows the women's bikini areas naturally growing hair as they look gorgeous in high-leg tie floral bikinis with text printed over: "You don't have to be hairless to go to the beach."
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Other images also include hairy legs, a toe with body hair and armpit hair. They also shared the message of two armpits from different genders, writing that doesn't change if 'underarm hair is hygienic or not'.
And it's not just growing body hair they're telling people not to be ashamed of either.
One image featured a person's bikini line with red razor bumps from shaving. They wrote: "Some people have them more or less than others and that's okay too.
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"Having one isn't better than the other. Your body isn't meant to be smooth."
Instagram users thanked the pair for this empowering post, writing: "Seeing posts about body hair like this always means so much to me since I have a lot of body hair and it’s just nice to know that I’m not alone."
Another put: "As someone who has many ingrowns and feels self conscious about wearing a swimsuit! This is helpful and a good reminder that it is normal."
And one said: "Thank you. A million times thank you for normalising what is normal."
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But while the series of images and message may have divided people's opinions on body hair, one user commented: "So wild that we have to 'normalise' something that is normal."
Too right!
Jess Battison