To shave or not to shave? That’s the question many women are asking themselves these days as they challenge this popular beauty norm: hair-free armpits.

Wanting to express their individuality and stand up for women’s rights, women all over the world, who were tired of maintaining a rigid status quo, proudly took to Instagram and YouTube to make a statement. Many using hashtags like #noshavenoshade and #armpithairdontcare to show their support.

Celebrities are also showing off their growth  – most notably Miley Cyrus, Madonna and “Girls” star Jemima Kirke.

“In the past two decades, there have been a lot of commercials and advertising for hair removal cream and laser removal of hair that have talked about women needing to shave their underarm hair and that the armpit area should be clean,” said 25-year-old women’s rights activist Xiao Yue.

Xiao recently held a “Armpit Hair Convention” in China as a protest to societal pressure on women. She even asked that women send in photos of their underarms for a contest.

Xiao said her mother’s generation didn’t care about shaving before going out during the summer.

“Men have more freedom in terms of what to do with their bodies,” Xiao told The New York Times. “I’m not calling on everybody to grow underarm hair. I’m just saying if some people don’t want to shave, the rest of us should not think their underarm hair is disgusting, unhygienic, uncivil or not feminine enough.”