Thousands of people are taking part in the online debate about underarm hair While some argue that hairless underarms are not traditional in Chinese society, others say it is impolite not to shave.

Xiao Meili, a prominent women's rights activist in China, wanted women to take ownership of their bodies so she launched an "Armpit Hair Competition" on Weibo, China's popular micro-blog.

Having body hair is considered "manly", Ms Xiao explained, but hairless underarms are not even the traditional Chinese perception of beauty.

The armpit hair competition cited one example of a film star growing back her armpit hair for a role she played in a movie set in 1930s China. However, many people have challenged Ms Xiao's feminist approach to this topic.

The insults and criticism were not unexpected. What was surprising was people's enthusiasm about the competition. Thousands have participated in the discussion.

bbabo.Net