The movement for body positivity has made great strides around the world. And yet, in Japan, body hair continues to be difficult to normalize. Images in the media still promote the idea that smooth skin is beautiful and body hair is embarrassing.

As Japan’s oldest maker of razor blades, Kai decided to stand up to the challenge by using a model who could not be intimidated: a virtual model created entirely from computer graphics. We had our model grow out her armpit hair and then featured her in advertising for our razor blades with the tagline, “I’ll decide if I’ll shave or not.”

Body care brands here continue to avoid promoting body hair positivity, despite women having every right to look the way they want to look. A major reason is that body hair is such a taboo in Japan that even models are reluctant to display any, knowing they will be relentlessly harassed for doing so.

The ads were placed outdoors in Shibuya, an area popular with Tokyo’s youth, where we hoped the model’s striking look and the progressive message would strike a chord. We also gave our model a social media account to promote the ad’s message.

·The ad campaign created a storm. It led to numerous debates on the issue of body hair in the media and was featured on 300 media platforms for earned advertising worth over 850 million JPY.

·The ad also inspired a movement to ban ads that feature degrading depictions of body images.

·By using a model who was immune from harassment, we were able to boldly convey a message of body positivity without it resulting in negativity.