So, while I realize the issue for body hair for women is often taboo and somewhat of an uncomfortable subject but then I heard about a product line Nair is running called Nair Pretty. The product is aimed at girls starting at age 10. You can read more about it here:
http://gawker.com/#!299867/bring-on-the-smooth-young-girls
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/562895/nair_pretty_hair_removal_for_10_year.html?cat=25
I also thought this quote was particularly troubling: "When a girl removes hair for the first time, it's a life-changing moment," said Stacey Feldman, vice president for marketing at the women's health and personal care division of the Church & Dwight Company, which purchased Nair in 2001.
Call me ignorant but I never realized body hair removal has somehow become a right of passage for young ladies. If anything it's a chore that most women adhere to out of personal preference, hygienic reasons, or due to the social stigma that a woman would experience if she weren't to shave. I'm not against hair removal in general but I am troubled by these particular products aimed at girls staring when they're still children. Do ten year olds need to be concerned with their looks at such a young age that they'd be pushed into using a product like this?
Even more disturbing is the issue of the bikini wax. There has recently been laws passed to either ban girls under the age of 18 from being allowed to get one or if they're under such an age they must be accompanied by an adult. Is it just me or is anyone else disturbed at the thought of girls who are still minors going through such a procedure to remove hair from that area. It particularly doesn't help and seems even a more disturbing reality when socialite celebrities like Kim Kardashian reveal how, "Literally, at 12 years old I had a bikini wax. I had an appointment once a month on a specific day, like every Friday we'd go and get the inside of our brows waxed and a bikini wax," http://way2online.com/?p=133010
Does anyone else find this disturbing or am I just that out of touch here? Also, here's a video by Amanda Palmer that stands in solidarity for all the ladies out there that don't want to look like hairless plastic barbie dolls:
I had never really thought about hair removal before as a feminist issue but now that you point it out, it makes entire sense. It seems to me that most women practice hair removal out of societal standards and coercion. I find it disheartening too that the product is essentially targeted at parents, as ten year olds will probably not have the funds to purchase such a product. When I was young, I was not allowed to shave my legs until probably junior high or high school as my mother found it unnecessary and inappropriate for a young girl. The bikini wax issue is even more mind-boggling as it is a serious procedure in terms of hair removal. First of all, I hardly feel like a twelve year old is in need of a bikini wax, there are so many things that can go wrong with any body waxing (http://www.thehairfacts.com/news-pubic-hair-waxing.htm), and if a parent condones such behavior at such a young age I feel as though it will encourage the child to continue the (probably unneeded) practice. Thus, I in no way find you out of touch. The whole idea of body hair removal, especially when waxing, is a huge decision and one that I feel twelve year olds are probably not sufficiently equipped to make, nor should they feel the need to make such a choice in general.
It is also unsettling to me that celebrities like Kim Kardashian are promoting body hair removal at such a young age. While it may have been part of her experience, she could have used to opportunity to be more responsible and explicitly state that it is probably not a good idea for everyone.
With my disappoint out of the way, I must say the video is brilliant and a perfect response to this issue!