Gillette Venus criticised for advert showing a woman shaving her arms

From growing out brows to bikini line maintenance, women have plenty to think about when it comes to their body hair.

So it’s unsurprising that Gillette Venus has caused quite the wave of outrage by appearing to suggest female arm hair should be shaved off too.

The popular personal care brand has released an advert showing a model gliding a razor across her forearm while sat in a bath tub.

Earlier this week, the same video commercial sparked a fat phobia debate with its inclusion of plus-sized model Anna O’Brien – also known as influencer Glitter and Lazers.

READ MORE: Gillette’s new razor ad sparks fat phobia debate

In the clip, which was first released in October, a woman with skin condition vitiligo is seen shaving her under arms as she gets ready to go do some street art.

Another shot shows a model with tattoos taking off her navy blazer jacket before leaning against a palm tree.

We then watch her enter a bathroom, remove some clothes, climb into a bath and shave her forearms.

A narrator in the short film – which features the slogan ‘My Skin. My Way’ – tells viewers: “When the world expects you to follow the rules, write your own.

READ MORE: Gillette faces backlash over ‘anti-male’ advert calling out toxic masculinity

“Because no one gets an opinion on how you live your life, why you shave or how you show your skin.”

The campaign, which is being aired in both the UK and US, may be aiming for inclusivity and body positivity, but viewers weren’t happy with its message.

While many – but not all – consider legs and armpit hair fair game when it comes to women de-fuzzing their limbs, others have pointed out on social media that arm hair is a whole new kettle of fish.

They have argued that females have enough societal pressure to remove hair from other parts of their body as it is, and they don’t need new parts added to that list.

READ MORE: This is how often you should be changing your razor

On Twitter, one person wrote: “Wait, is that woman on the Venus ad SHAVING HER ARMS? Is that supposed to be normal now?”

Another commented: “I just saw a Venus razor commercial where the women featured was shaving her forearms. Do other women do that? Never once have I ever thought to shave my arms.”

Speaking to the brand directly, a third asked: “@GilletteVenus why are you normalising women shaving their arms? More pressure on young women!”

After the backlash for their ‘anti-male’ advert in January, it appears the blades are out for Gillette in 2019…

—Watch the latest videos from Yahoo—