The Crown star Emma Corrin sported armpit hair on the latest cover of Harper's Bazaar.
And the trolls... they were a'trollin.'
Corrin, who uses the pronouns they/them, was featured in the magazine's June/July Freedom Issue.
For the cover shot, the actor sported a Miu Miu tank and matching briefs, their signature short 'do, and natural, unshaved armpits—the latter of which seemed to be the topic of conversation on social media.
Immediately, critics of naturally occurring body hair flooded the comments, shaming the actor for showing off their unshaven armpits.
@harpersbazaarus/Instagram
@harpersbazaarus/Instagram
@harpersbazaarus/Instagram
@harpersbazaarus/Instagram
@harpersbazaarus/Instagram
Fortunately, several also stood up for Corrin, with many noting that those commenting about "hygiene" likely wouldn't say the same if men with armpit hair were featured on the cover.
@harpersbazaarus/Instagram
@harpersbazaarus/Instagram
@harpersbazaarus/Instagram
@harpersbazaarus/Instagram
@harpersbazaarus/Instagram
And others agreed Corrin rocked the cover.
@harpersbazaarus/Instagram
@harpersbazaarus/Instagram
@harpersbazaarus/Instagram
@harpersbazaarus/Instagram
Of course, Corrin wasn't the first to fuel media frenzy over body hair.
At the premiere of Notting Hill in 1999, Julia Roberts' unshaven pits were the talk of the red carpet for weeks.
And in 2018, Rachel McAdam's bared her natural armpits in an interview with Bustle, resulting in trolls coming out to play.
The actor is certainly aware of their critics, telling Harper Bazaar:
“The vitriol is worse than I anticipated."
“Even though we like to think we’re in a progressive society, a lot of what we’re seeing is increasingly a step back.”
While Corrin said they don't read comments on social media, they still acknowledge that people can be unkind when they realize Corrin is a completely different person than a character they portrayed.
But they attribute strangers' intolerance to the fear of their own identity.
“I will never understand why. Who are you hurting by being yourself? Why am I controversial?”
“I think it’s fear. Absolute fear.”
@kileywrestling/Bluesky
