Bikini Waxes For 11-Year-Olds Are ‘Part Of Hygiene,’ Says Mom
If you happened to miss Good Morning America yesterday a.m., you’re lucky. Because I started my day with reports that girls as young as 11 years old are being offered bikini waxes, one year-olds can get manicures, and that girls as young as six are being walked into salons for hair chemical straightening.
Salons all over the country, but more specifically in New York City, are crafting services and spa packages for the tween and under set. One mother, Rose Gallagher, told Good Morning America that she routinely takes her 11-year-old daughter for bikini waxes and that she thinks it’s best for “girls to start young.” She explained:
“I feel it’s part of hygiene… When it’s appropriate and they need to, they’ll be doing it.”
Karolyn Massey, the owner of New York salon Beehives and Buzzcuts that provides a variety of services to young girls, said that “there’s always a market for little girls and giving them a little special time and a little love” — and she’s right. There is a tremendous market for telling little girls, no matter their age, that what takes precedance over all other achievements is the way that they look.[tagbox tag=”sexualization of children”]
Keep in mind that the girls in this segment aren’t heading to the spa as a birthday present or for some other special occasion. While I also question the need to bond with very young girls specifically over appearance rather than other activities, these little girls are not here for one-off visits. As the aforementioned mother attested, these girls frequent the salon — hammering home the notion that if they’re not receiving these treatments, these waxes, they aren’t pretty or desireable.
Clearly, there will always be exceptions and perhaps some young girls would prefer bikini waxes for swim class, gymastics, and other activities. But the difference between those exceptions and the alleged “hygiene” of an 11-year-old girl are what make those two pursuits entirely separate.
(photo: Shutterstock)
