‘I ditched razor and shave twice a 12 months – trolls say I’m a gorilla who’ll die alone’

Nikki Serenity, 27, from St Louis, Missouri, US, only shaves twice a year and has been called a ‘gorilla’ by cruel trolls – but she’s proud of her body hair and refuses to budge

A woman who shaves only twice a year revealed how she’s been labelled a “gorilla” and told she’s “going to die alone”.

Nikki Serenity, a model and influencer with over 43,000 Instagram followers, is known for her ditching the razor in favour of her hairy armpits, which often ruffle feathers.

However, the 27-year-old refuses to bow down to trolls and their unsolicited opinions. She said: “I remember one woman saying that I was going to die alone because of the hair.

“Unfortunately, it has also attracted people with a body hair fetish but I just block overly inappropriate fans. I’m proud of my [look] and don’t feel insecure about it.

“But I hope people realise that there’s a lot more to me than just body hair. I (also) have fans and followers who get upset when I shave. I even had one guy tell me that I’ll lose everything I stand for. While I do prefer to not shave, what I stand for is the right to either keep it or shave it.”

In her younger years, a friend told Nikki she “looked like a gorilla”. She now believes every woman should try growing out their armpit hair at some point.

Nikki said: “When I was younger, I covered a lot of my body out of insecurity. People seemed to always like to comment on my body. I hated wearing shorts in gym class because my hair grows really fast. I used to be so nervous when I got a little bit of stubble because I was afraid someone would see it and say something.”

The influencer’s perspective shifted when she met her boyfriend, a professional photographer who worked with models, some of who sported armpit hair. Intrigued, Nikki decided to try this look for a photo shoot and ended up adoring her bushy pits.

She said: “I asked if he cared if I grew it out and of course he didn’t. I thought I would just be doing it for one photoshoot but I ended up falling in love with having hairy armpits like I never expected.

For those tired of the constant shaving, Nikki shared her insights. She added: “You just might find that you will gain more confidence and self-esteem just like I did. But if it’s not your thing, that’s fine.

“Be yourself and don’t be ashamed of silly things that don’t matter and hurt no one. It’s just hair follicles – which we all have!”