Fitness blogger proudly shows off natural hair after year of not shaving

A fitness blogger who gave up shaving more than a year ago has revealed why she decided to let her body hair grow out in an online video.

Morgan Mikenas last picked up a razor at the start of 2016 and now proudly shares photos of her natural leg and underarm hair on Instagram.

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It's just nice to embrace the natural beauty that you are.. the beauty that's on the inside AND the outside☺💙 What is beauty anyway? To me... it's to be beautiful before someone else told you what beautiful is supposed to be.. Just as you are, you are beautiful✨💞#bodyhairdontcare #fitness #bodypositive #spreadlove #gratitude #namaste #bethechange #beauty #hairywomen #empowerment #bebold #beyou #loveandlight #positivity #encouragement #onelove #freespirit #effyourbeautystandards #natural #physique #selfcare #selflove #fitnessmodel

A post shared by Morgan Mikenas (@i_am_morgie) on Apr 11, 2017 at 7:31pm PDT

She has amassed more than 8000 followers on the social media site, where she also posts about her fitness routines alongside body-positive messages.

Morgan, who is also an aspiring musician, said her longer hair makes her feel sexy and that her boyfriend thinks she's beautiful.

In a recent YouTube video she explained that she stopped shaving because she wanted to embrace her natural beauty and encouraged others to do the same.

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Growing up, I just wanted to be like everyone else. I didn't value or understand the beauty in being different at the time. I have found that the things I get criticized for, which is usually being different and just doing my own thing and just being original, is what has made me successful. To me, success is love. Success is helping others and making an impact. Success is loving yourself. Success is loving what you do. Success is loving how you go about facing the challenges that life throws at you, and coming out on the other side better than you were before. Being different is normal. Being different is a good thing! It is what makes you who you are. Being different is freedom. You are one of a kind, and that is your power. Find what makes you stand out. What makes you different? Embrace that and just be happy:)

A post shared by Morgan Mikenas (@i_am_morgie) on Apr 14, 2017 at 10:01am PDT

In the clip, titled Why I Don't Shave, Morgan said: "I want to inspire others ... I guess my number one reason why I stopped was that it took so much time.

"It took so much of my time to just get in the shower and have to shave everything and then wash my hair and then wash my body ..."

"After I just kind of let it do its thing and grow out I started thinking 'Hey this is kind of nice'. It started getting super soft."

She continued: "I want everybody to not feel ashamed of themselves ... Why would I remove something that Mother Nature has put on our bodies and obviously intended for us to have?"

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"There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, than a woman being unapologetically herself; comfortable in her perfect imperfection. To me, that is the true essence of beauty."~Steve Maraboli 🌸✨ Not just woman, but everyone! Imagine if everyone just decided that today was the day they loved themselves and embraced every part of them selves. Accepting and loving your body and your "flaws" because you know they are what makes you who you are. If you are focused on being true to yourself in every moment, you are less concerned what others think, which will lead to peace of mind. When you have nothing to hide and you can freely be yourself, there is a profound peace/confidence you will emanate to the world that will inspire others. ✨💝🤘🏼I also just posted a new YouTube video on why I don't shave my body hair and how it helped me(link in bio)☺ #bodypositive #spreadlove #behappy #namaste #hairywomen #healing #healthylifestyle #selfcare #loveyourself #beyourself #bethechange #divine #inspireothers #inspirationalquotes #positivity #goodvibesonly #lifeisbeautiful #hairy #gratitude #weareone #higherconsciousness #freespirit #empowerment #smile #feelgood

A post shared by Morgan Mikenas (@i_am_morgie) on Mar 4, 2017 at 12:00pm PST

During the 12-minute video, Morgan repeatedly flashes her underarm hair to the camera.

She continued: "[Before] I would feel obligated to shave my legs to feel good and feel sexy. But not any more," adding, "My boyfriend likes it and he thinks that I look beautiful either way."

Before signing off, she also said: "I think it's unfair that people think they have to be in this culture norm. Just do whatever makes you feel good."