Last updated on August 5, 2024
Question:
Hi,
I am 13. I am wondering about what the Bible says about shaving armpit hair for girls and if it is necessary to do so. I think for boys, it says not to shave their beards, so I think perhaps it is not okay to shave my armpits.
I am new to being a Christian, so I am unsure about many things, but I know your website from a friend online, and it is really good and trustworthy.
I ask this because I get bullied for having armpit hair, even by my parents, and I hate that. Still, I am scared to shave (this is silly, I know), and also because I think God probably made it that way for a reason, but if it’s true that men should not shave their faces, then perhaps this is the case for girls as well. I am embarrassed to ask in
In real life, though, I am very shy, which means that, although I am getting a lot better at knowing and trusting Jesus, especially when I pray, I am not perfect.
Answer:
In the Bible, a few verses are dealing with shaving body hair. A person who suffered a major skin disease, such as leprosy, if he recovers, was to shave all his hair completely. “He who is to be cleansed shall wash his clothes, shave off all his hair, and wash himself in water, that he may be clean. After that he shall come into the camp, and shall stay outside his tent seven days. But on the seventh day he shall shave all the hair off his head and his beard and his eyebrows-all his hair he shall shave off. He shall wash his clothes and body in water and be clean” (Leviticus 14:8-9). This and several other required actions would make a person pronounced clean once again. Scholars suppose the requirement was to ensure the disease was completely gone and not hidden under the hair.
This same practice was done when a priest was dedicated to God. “Thus you shall do to them to cleanse them: Sprinkle water of purification on them, and let them shave all their body, and let them wash their clothes, and so make themselves clean” (Numbers 8:7). The implication is that no hair then could interfere with the washing.
In other cases, shaving body hair was considered an act of humiliation.
“Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved them, and cut off their garments in the middle, at their buttocks, and sent them away” (I Chronicles 19:4).
“In the same day the Lord will shave with a hired razor, with those from beyond the River, with the king of Assyria, the head and the hair of the legs, and will also remove the beard” (Isaiah 7:20).
“They will shave themselves completely bald because of you, gird themselves with sackcloth, and weep for you with bitterness of heart and bitter wailing” (Ezekiel 27:31).
Today, we practice localized shaving for sanitary reasons. Doctors will shave an area before surgery to keep hairs out of the wounds and to prevent infections. I suppose that if a person were plagued with lice, a complete shaving of the body would help physically remove the critters, thus making the insecticide used more effective, but your question concerns shaving for a cosmetic reason.
I’ve encountered some who prefer the feel of shorter or no body hair. Others see the lack of hair as cleaner. These reasons do not involve sinful motivations. It is really a matter of personal preference. Yes, there is a reason for body hair. Armpit hair keeps skin from rubbing against skin, but I doubt most women are involved in heavy labor, where armpit hair would be an advantage.
Response:
Thank you very much for your reply; it is very good and useful. Since I do not have diseases and don’t want to be humiliated, I will not shave. But still, this makes my family humiliate me with their mean words! But that is life as a teenager, I think.
Thank you again.