The year was 1999. Notting Hill was basically the only thing people were talking about. And then, Julia Roberts stepped onto the red carpet at the Empire Theatre in London, waved to a screaming crowd of fans, and accidentally set the tabloid world on fire.
She wasn't just wearing a sparkling red Vivienne Tam dress. She was wearing visible, unshaven underarm hair.
In a world before Instagram filters and "body positivity" hashtags, this was a massive deal. People went wild. Was it a feminist manifesto? Was it a middle finger to Hollywood beauty standards? Or was it just... life? Honestly, the truth is way more relatable than the legends suggest.
The Julia Roberts Armpit Hair Moment: The Accidental Statement
Most people think this was a carefully choreographed PR stunt. It wasn't.
For decades, we’ve projected all sorts of political meaning onto those photos. We wanted her to be a revolutionary. But during a 2018 interview on Busy Tonight, Julia finally leveled with Busy Philipps and the rest of us.
She basically just didn't do the math.
"The picture is vivid in my mind actually, from that moment," she told Busy. "I think I just hadn't really calculated my sleeve length and the waving, and how those two things would go together and reveal personal things about me."
Basically, she didn't realize that a high-cut cap sleeve plus a vigorous "I'm the biggest star in the world" wave would equal a front-page scandal. She wasn't trying to be the face of a movement. She was just a human who happened to have hair on her body and a dress that didn't hide it.
Why it felt so radical anyway
Even if it was an accident, the impact was real.
In the late '90s, female celebrities were expected to be hairless from the eyelashes down. Seeing the "America’s Sweetheart" of the era—the woman who played Anna Scott, a character who famously said she was "just a girl, standing in front of a boy"—showing up with natural body hair felt like a glitch in the Matrix.
It humanized her.
Suddenly, the most beautiful woman in the world looked like someone who maybe just forgot to shave because she was busy being, you know, Julia Roberts. It gave a whole generation of women permission to breathe. If Julia didn't have to be perfectly groomed every second of the day, maybe they didn't either.
Comparing 1999 to 2026: The Body Hair Shift
The reaction back then was—to put it mildly—a bit much. News outlets analyzed those photos like they were the Zapruder film.
Fast forward to today. In 2026, we see stars like Janelle Monáe, Lourdes Leon, and Emma Corrin rocking body hair on red carpets, in high-fashion campaigns, and all over social media. It’s still a "thing," sure, but it’s no longer a career-ending shocker.
We’ve moved into an era of "elevated minimalism" where natural features are celebrated rather than scrubbed away. Julia's accidental reveal paved the way for this. She showed that you can be incredibly glamorous, highly paid, and deeply loved while still having a body that functions like a body.
What most people get wrong about the "Statement"
There’s a persistent myth that Julia’s then-boyfriend, Benjamin Bratt, "made" her do it or preferred the look.
That’s total nonsense.
The "statement" Julia said she was making wasn't about a guy or even about feminism in the academic sense. She called it "part of the statement I make as a human on the planet, for myself."
That’s a fancy way of saying: This is just me. Take it or leave it. ## The Legacy of the Wave
So, what should we take away from this nearly 30-year-old pop culture moment?
First, stop overthinking everything celebrities do. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, and sometimes a hairy armpit is just a hairy armpit.
Second, the "Notting Hill" incident reminds us that beauty standards are remarkably fragile. One wave from a movie star was enough to spark a global conversation that lasted three decades.
If you're feeling the pressure to look "perfect" before heading out the door, remember Julia in 1999. She was at the peak of her fame, at the premiere of her biggest movie, and she was "imperfect" by the standards of the day. And guess what? She still looked incredible. The movie was still a hit. Her career didn't skip a beat.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Own Routine
- Audit your "why": If you’re shaving, waxing, or lasering, do it because you like the feeling, not because you’re afraid of what people will think if you raise your hand.
- Embrace the "Human Statement": Like Julia said, how you present your body is your own personal dialogue with the world. You don't owe anyone an explanation.
- Normalize the "Oops" moments: If you realize halfway through a party that you missed a spot or forgot a step in your grooming, lean into it. Confidence usually trumps a razor anyway.
The world didn't end in 1999 because of a little bit of hair, and it won't end today either. Trends change, but being comfortable in your own skin is always going to be the most "A-list" move you can make.