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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Lifestyle
Morwenna Ferrier

Armpit confidential: why men are now shaving – and women are doing whatever they like

Adidas Workout Wardrobe designed by Stella McCartney.
Free to be hairy … Adidas Workout Wardrobe designed by Stella McCartney and modelled by dancer Leila Davis in 2021. Photograph: Adidas

It’s an image that will go down in sporting history – or at least linger in many memories. Manchester City midfielder John Stones, crouched down on the pitch, in a torn shirt revealing his bare chest and … a freshly shaved armpit?

The ripped shirt was not intentional. It tore during the 80th minute of the Champions League final in Istanbul last Saturday, following an altercation with Inter Milan’s Robin Gosens. Stones’ Puma Ultraweave shirt was obviously not up to the strain. But as the camera lingered on his underarm stubble, Twitter lit up. Discussions crept across chat forums. Are men – some men asked – now shaving their armpits?

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