i think feeling self-conscious about body hair (especially as a female/feminine person) is natural, because our society acts like feminine body hair is not natural. in reality, everybody has body hair. that's just the truth. there's really no reason to be self-conscious about something natural that everyone has. but don't feel guilty if you do feel self-conscious; it's absolutely not your fault, but rather society's, which has entrained into us that having body hair as a feminine person is bad/wrong/whatever.

if you still feel self-conscious, you could always just shave--not regularly, but just for times where you might be wearing a swimsuit or whatever. but if you don't want to (which is fine!! i know plenty of female teenagers who don't shave, either, for all sorts of different reasons), maybe you could get a swimsuit with sleeves? i have one, mainly because i burn super easily and hate applying that much sunscreen, and imo they're actually a lot more comfortable than regular swimsuits. so that's an option!

and honestly, all of my suggestions are only to help you feel comfortable. i guarantee that no one else really cares that much whether you shave or not. people who do care and want you to alter the way your body naturally appears and are going to judge you if you don't, aren't people who you want to associate with in the first place. i promise you aren't alone if you decide not to shave <33

hope this helped at least a little bit!! lmk if you need any more advice :]

I also am a female teenager, and I started shaving under my arms when I was around 11. I only started shaving my legs last year since that's when I actually started to get a lot of hair on my legs, but I don't do it in the winter months since I never wear shorts then anyway. Obviously the decision is different for everybody, but I would recommend shaving at least under your arms if it's making you uncomfortable to have hair there. It only takes a minute every shower, and for me at least it makes me feel a lot cleaner and more comfortable. And it actually is "loving yourself" to shave in a way--not if you're happy about your body hair and are being pressured into getting rid of it, but if, like you're describing, you aren't so happy about it. In that way, shaving might actually make you feel better about yourself! Also, it doesn't have to be a huge decision--you can try it one day and see how you feel. And if you don't, that's ok too, because in the end you should only do what you're comfortable with! I promise nobody is judging you or likely even notices, so if you want to try shaving, you should do it for yourself. <3