A teenager in America has decided to embrace her body hair, despite strangers saying she's 'disgusting'.
Macey Duff, 19, first started shaving her legs and arms when she was just 10 years old - even though she'd always wanted to leave her body hair as it was.
For the six years that followed, the dancer and hula hoop coach felt too ashamed to let her body hair grow, fearing she'd be ridiculed.
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It wasn't until Macey and her family moved to Hawaii in 2016 that her sister Ally, 19, saw a woman wearing a swimming costume and simultaneously showing off her hairy legs and armpits on a beach.
When Ally told her about it, Macey was inspired - a feeling that was bolstered when she came across a woman on Instagram who had dark leg hair.
Motivated to stop shaving, Macey now says she has no regrets and even believes the process has helped her accept herself for who she is.
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Despite receiving a lot of criticism from strangers, Macey says she feels more empowered by people's shocked reactions, and has since started sharing her body hair journey on her Instagram page, @maceytheearthling, to prove that hairiness can be beautiful and feminine.
Macey said: "I started shaving around the age of ten. For what reason? Just because all the women around me did it, being taught it was what women should do."
"I would shave any time hair began to grow; I was fearful of anyone even slightly glancing at my armpits, legs and bikini line if I had any visible stubble. I struggled with accepting myself.
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"With every cut and razor burn from the repetitive motion of swiping away, I was silently despising myself for not being who they wanted me to be - I was angry and frustrated with these conditions.
"Why couldn't I just be myself and why do I keep doing this? And is this seriously what this world expects of me? I struggled with the ability to comprehend why I needed to shave for someone else's comfort and pleasure.
"My world shook when I witnessed a woman with body hair for the first time. I could not even describe the relief I felt knowing that there were women out there defying the standards placed for us to appeal to public eye as 'beautiful' and 'sexy' - even 'worthy'.
"I felt inspired and soon experimented with growing out my own body hair. I love it. It was frightening to say the least.
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"Lifting my armpits in public at first was scary. The stubble was uncomfortable during the first few weeks, yet I can hardly even remember that period because now my hair is long and soft.
"But I was able to get past that stage of prickly itchiness. With each new day my hair began to get softer. I felt a deep appreciation for simply being myself. It took about a month for my hair to comfortably grow out, I have not used a razor blade since."
Since Macey and her twin sister Ally took the plunge, older sister Johannah, 21, has also followed in their footsteps.
"My family was very supportive, my two sisters and I all stopped shaving and my mother eventually was inspired to discontinue shaving her armpits," Macey continued.
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"My twin sister and I even dyed our armpit hair for fun in the beginning months. Many friends were inspired and empowered by this, and some of them too, stopped shaving.
"I am empowered by the doors it has opened for me, into a happier, less stressful, and inspiring life. I have never known myself so intimately until I stopped shaving. I didn't really know who I was until I stopped. It is a journey towards deep self-love.
"I had a complete stranger walk by me, stop in front of me, and verbally express their disgust with my body hair.
"'EHHHK, leg hair', they said. I simply smiled and giggled at their audacity, it felt even more empowering witnessing the affect it can have.
"I have had people directly point at me and whisper over to the group/person they are with, gawking and laughing at me.
"I have had words like 'you should've been thrown away in the trash', 'too ugly' and 'too disgusting' to ever have a partner.
"I've dealt with mean words through the comfort of being myself and honouring myself for allowing my body to be as it is because I know I am worthy and beautiful, beyond my physicality.
"I took a picture of myself, expressing my body hair; so content and confident. Not thinking too much of it.
"Two years later at a moment in my life that was heavy, I saw this image of myself come up again and I reposted it.
"A couple of days later, I woke up to a DM from my friend telling me a post of me was going viral on Facebook.
"She sent me the post and I was taken back by the amount of hatred; I honestly had no idea people had such a strong and disgusted feeling towards this body I so deeply love.
"That particular photo of me has been featured in viral posts/memes all over Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
"At first I felt sad. I felt confused. But I had an epiphany, and I realised that although their words were painful, I was planting seeds. Overall I feel grateful and blessed that this image was shared so widely.
"My advice to anyone who wishes to break society's perception of beauty; be gentle on yourself. We beat ourselves up so much because we've been taught to retch at our own natural existence.
"Own the most authentic version of yourself and allow it to free you from the external idea of beauty.
"Lastly - you're worth it. Don't let anyone's harsh words get you down. This is a journey of self-love; questioning the status quo and unlearning old ways. You are strong and born with beauty."
Featured Image Credit: Media Drum World/Macey Duff