Madonna bares her unshaven underarm on Instagram

Madonna has never been one to shy away from making a statement, but a new Instagram photo suggests she’s definitely been shying away from her razor.

The 55-year-old recently revealed a photo of her fully furry underarm hair -- real or fake -- with the caption “Long hair...... Don’t Care!!!!!! #artforfreedom#rebelheart#revolutionoflove.�

The first hashtag, #artforfreedom, is a reference to Madge’s global initiative to encourage creative expression, aimed at shedding light on human rights violations. Each month Madonna plans to donate $10,000 to a nonprofit organization selected by a guest curator. Pop princess Katy Perry was the curator for January.

Madonna wears a black lace bra showing ample cleavage in the pic and a black bow tie to boot, but the underarm hair is clearly the photo’s focus. However, it isn’t the first time she’s gone au naturel.

PHOTOS: Madonna’s life in pictures

In 2011, she told Harper’s Bazaar, “Going to high school, I saw how popular girls had to behave to get the boys. I knew I couldn’t fit into that. So I decided to do the opposite. I refused to wear makeup, to have a hairstyle. I refused to shave. I had hairy armpits.� She added, “The boys in my school would make fun of me. ‘Hairy monster.’ You know, things like that.�

Madonna’s nod to women to embrace their natural body hair is actually on trend. Actress Cameron Diaz, author of “The Body Book,� recently spoke out in an effort to encourage women to keep their pubic hair rather than having it lasered away. And in fashion earlier this year, retailer American Apparel featured lingerie-wearing mannequins with visible pubic hair in a New York City storefront.

In addition to the presumptive message about body hair, Madonna has something to promote, er, say about beauty as well. On the same day the photo was posted, Madge introduced fans to a black-and-white commercial for MDNA Skin. It’s the anti-aging skin care line she began in Japan, and can only be purchased there. “I’ve spent hours on it. Months on it. Years on it. MDNA,� she says in the video. “Transformation. Enigmatic. Substance. Connection. Revolution. Spirit. Intuition. Magic. Mystical. Ambition. Infinity. Immortal.�

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With that promotion aside, Madonna recently pumped up the hit fantasy series “Games of Thrones� when she dressed up as the show’s character Daenerys Targaryen to celebrate Jewish holiday Purim. The outfit she wore came straight off the body of actress Emilia Clarke, who plays the Queen of Dragons on the show.

“It’s my real costume,� said Clarke, during an appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon� a few days after Madonna posted the photo.

“I thought I was dreaming,� Clarke said. “I got an email from amazing HBO publicist Mara, saying, ‘Madonna would like to borrow the costume, is that OK?’ � she remembered. “I thought, ‘God, this must be a dream. This can’t be real.’ �

It was. And as if that weren’t enough, Madonna posted three photos of herself in Clarke’s costume to Instagram, her most recent with the caption, “Need my Dragons today! #rebelheart.�

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