Billie destigmatises female body hair

US – Start-up shaving brand Billie is putting female body hair at the centre of its latest campaign.

In a backlash against traditional razor advertisements that feature smooth, airbrushed legs and armpits, the brand debuted a short film featuring women embracing their body hair, choosing to shave or style it however they wish. ‘The campaign is making a broader statement on how women are portrayed in the razor category,’ says Georgina Gooley, co-founder of Billie. ‘The intent of this campaign is to normalise that women have body hair. It’s unrealistic to see women with perfectly shaved legs [shaving them]’.

The company has also launched a microsite to crowdsource photos from women of their body hair, with plans to donate free images to the stock photo site Unsplash has part of its normalisation campaign.

In our Bare It All Branding microtrend, we explore how underwear brands are moving away from overly-sexualised imagery to depict women in more honest ways. Billie is recognising its responsibility as a female-focused brand to challenge traditional portrayals of women shaving.