1. Japan. Historically in Japan, women have preferred to shave only their legs and underarms, leaving the bikini and pubic area untouched.
In Europe, women don't shave their armpits. Many actually add hair to their armpits which they have collected from pets and farm animals. On the other hand, all European men, without exception, shave their armpits. They go to a special European barbershop called an armpiterie.
Shaved male chests in Germany
A survey published in 2012 confirmed that half of all Germans under age 29 regularly shaved "body parts other than their face" -- most notably their arm pits, chest and stomach area.
Armpit hair makes your pits smell bad.
This is probably the most popular pit myth. Not so, folks. Bacteria intermingling with your sweat is actually what produces the odor; however, I think some people believe that your hair makes a more fertile pad for said bacteria.
Germans are largely private people. It's socially acceptable to do whatever you want. There are Germans who grow hair all over their back, ears, nose, armpits, and chest, and don't shave it. Others shave everything because they either like it that way for themselves, or are insecure man-children.
The skin covering your armpits is loose, wrinkly, and well, just isn't conducive to shaving. Also, if you have been shaving regularly, you may have developed some bumps under your arms, which greatly increases the chances of a cut.
German men, especially those between the ages of 18 and 35, prefer to have as little body hair as possible. They shave their breasts, armpits, genitals and even their legs and arms regularly.
Aprocrine glands have an abundance of hair follicles, which is why underarm hair can grow so thick. As for the rest of your body hair, the hair is rooted in eccrine sweat glands, which primarily control temperature. Hair follicles are more dispersed here, so it's much finer.
While there are no true health benefits to shaving the arms, some people prefer the look and feel of hair-free arms and others find that having hairless armpits minimizes body odor associated with armpit sweat.
It can also be helpful in supporting athletic performance, because having a lot of armpit hair can cause chafing and rashes. Footballers like Christiano Ronaldo and swimmers like Michael Phelps are among the professional male athletes who prefer to shave their armpits.