Shame about underarm hair?

I was the same way when it came to being in public, even kept shaving after starting T because I was scared of looking like a "gross hairy butch girl". It was more my fear of everyone elses perception of me still "being a girl" that kept me shaving all my hair, so I'd count it as dysphoric for me.

I never shaved even before I realized I was trans. Hated it. I just didn't care if people saw, but if you're with a group of friends perhaps it would be harder. I never had any girl friends growing up, and usually hang out around guys, so I'm fairly used to nothing being called to attention about it.

You'll get used to it over time, that's all I can say. Embrace the hair and perhaps practice at home wearing your tank tops. There might be a nervousness too that perhaps you are scared of it being smelly? Just double up on deoderant if you're worried about that, too.

I don't shave anything, mainly because I feel it's easier to upkeep without having to shave (perhaps some manscaping with scissors every now and then down there), and feel pretty good with it.

Good luck, though, I hope you feel better about it!

I dont shave my underarm hair either. I think as long as I don't smell bad so what?
Ya I was afraid of what people would say especially since my mom comments about it but since I wore shirts that have sleeves most of the time, it wasn't a problem.
It wasn't until the air conditioner broke at work that I had to start wearing sleeveless shirt.
One of my coworkers noticed and asked if I shaved at all. I just lifted up my arm and went "nope" and that was pretty much that.
Most of your fears are going to be 10x worse in your head. You can even ask your friends what they would do if your afraid of someone confronting you about it.
For the most part and the hardest part, if you're confident no one will bother you. If you act confident and like it's no big deal, most people will just leave you be. I just try to keep a chill, let people live their life kind of attitude with me.

I was the same way even after starting T cause I knew I wasn't passing. Eventually I told my gf I was thinking about not shaving anymore and she said "oh yeah, I was surprised you were still doing that." That helped me notice that I was probably the only person who had that expectation for myself and I stopped. I still spent half the summer expecting to get harassed when I wore shorts and had clearly visible leg hair. But nobody ever noticed or commented.

Underarm hair has been weird for me, too. When I was still presenting as a girl, I would ALWAYS shave under my arms. Despite the fact that I was quite often too lazy to shave my legs, and have only really shaved them about half the time since puberty. Why was I so irrational about my armpits? It always felt sooooo uncomfortable to let the hair grow there. I think it was because I was scared of being seen as a little too gender non-conforming, especially in the south. I wore tank tops a lot, and I didn't want to be hassled, especially if I had hairy legs too. I also didn't want to be seen as a butch girl, because that wasn't an identity I ever really felt comfortable in.

Since realizing I'm trans, I haven't shaved anything. And I feel about the same--when I'm alone, hair under my arms is really validating and cool. But I feel totally weird about anyone seeing it, even people who acknowledge me as a guy. I asked a guy friend of mine, and he said when he first grew hair under his arms at 13, he felt pretty shy about it too, so maybe it's just a "second puberty" shyness thing.

what you are experiencing is an intense level of self-awareness. A lot of us try to disassociate ourselves when growing up with gender dysphoria, realising what we are and what we are going to do makes you self-conscious and more aware of everything that is extra/missing on your body. It's a brain - physique mapping mis-alignment, if it makes sense. I was actually talking about this with my niece last night. Try not to give yourself such a hard time, take things slow ... re-learn yourself, and your body :D