Vegan blogger branded ‘disgusting’ defends decision not to shave body hair

'This IS a gender issue'

(Instagram: @freeleethebananagirl

An Australian Youtuber has defended her decision not to shave her body hair after being branded ‘disgusting’ by critics.

Known online as Freelee the Banana Girl, 37-year-old Leanne Ratcliffe has amassed an impressive following for her often-controversial posts with her latest snap fuelling a series of hateful comments.

“I haven't shaved my furry armpits in ages now and I love it. Not only that but I no longer shave my legs, arms, face or pubes,' she said in a recent Instagram post revealing a fuzzy underarm.

“No more cuts, bumps, rashes, wasting time with hot waxes and painful strips or visiting expensive salons.

“Best of all I find it really empowering as a female to embrace all my hair and not give a f**k what the brainwashed mainstream thinks.”

Ratcliffe also posted a video on her Youtube channel explaining her decision to embrace her natural appearance adding, “'I actually feel so liberated and empowered from the simple act of not shaving.

“When you think about it, it's actually a big deal not to shave in this suppressive society. I am no longer conforming to a sexist standard set by the media.”

As a result, Ratcliffe was quickly confronted with a series of insulting comments which labelled her as “disgusting”, “ugly” and “having a mental breakdown.”

Not one to shy away from confrontation, Ratcliffe responded to the comments with another post where she hit back at critics claiming that the topic of hair removal was a ‘gender issue.’

“It's a strange world we now live in. I was somewhat surprised and disappointed about the amount of insulting comments coming from men on my hairy armpit post,' Freelee wrote.

“This IS a gender issue. Let's remind ourselves that men have armpit hair and don't have any pressure or expectation to shave it.

“The good thing is ladies that your natural body hair will repel these superficial men who can't handle you being your unapologetic self.”