The premiere of Notting Hill in 1999 was upstaged by Julia Roberts’ underarms. Wearing a sequined cowl neck Vivienne Tam dress on the red carpet, Roberts waved to her adoring fans by lifting up her arms, revealing two dark tufts of hair. The tabloids were in disarray. The next morning, conversation was more focused on Roberts’ armpits than her actual performance, as people questioned what had possessed the glamorous Pretty Woman star to go against the ideals of femininity so publicly.
Speculation about her motives ranged from it being a radical feminist statement, to the preferences of her then-boyfriend Benjamin Bratt. Except it wasn’t calculated. Roberts revealed almost 20 years later that it wasn’t a revolutionary feminist act – she simply didn’t shave.
