I had my first professional mani/pedi and eyebrow waxing done at some point in my twenties. Yes, I survived my tween and teen years without paying to have someone rip the hair off my face or any other part of my body. I did go to a tanning salon once before prom and was completely paranoid the machine would not open up, and that I would be irradiated in an ultraviolet coffin. I did have my hair professionally dyed in 9th grade (blue black) but it was free in exchange for being a "hair model" in a "hair show." Maybe it was the crowd I hung out with, but apart from spending lots of time putting on too much eyeliner and crimping my bangs, I never had a spa treatment as a teen.

Oh how times have changed. Now that tweens are the new teens and teens all want to look like celebrities, the personal care industry has painted a bullseye on girls -- young girls. This is no surprise to Ypulse readers (we've been linking pieces like last Thursday's New York Times piece on girls' getting more sophisticated hair treatments for months). But this article (thanks danah!) in Philadelphia Magazine on "pretty babies" actually blames affluent moms for indulging tweens in beauty rituals like waxing (not just eyebrows) way too young. From the article:

There you have it -- the new norm for young, privileged, growing girls. It's not just designer clothes, luxury cars, and the best-of-the-best in schools, lessons and tutors: It's narcissism, and it's inherited from -- no, encouraged by -- Mom. Mom, who not only lifts, tans and waxes herself into oblivion, but who has now turned her attentions to her daughter, hauling her from spa to spa before the school pictures, the big dance, or, well, just because -- for facial after blowout after wax. After a handful of appointments, the transformation from little girl to prepubescent supermodel is complete, thanks to beauty treatments that not long ago were reserved for big girls -- with little consideration that the same beauty treatments meant to fix "imperfections" will probably screw the kids up down the road.

The article is full of quotes from Salon owners who have had to tell mom that highlighting your 6-year-old's hair is a bad idea or that waxing for tweens involves "pain, sweating, high ­probability of ensuing red bumps on young, sensitive, not-in-need-of-a-wax skin." The combination of the beauty or personal care industry, misguided moms and celebrity influence are setting girls up for that almost universal female feeling of never being happy with your appearance at a much earlier age. Sad.

In sort of related news:

A British lingerie company will no longer offer sexy underwear marketed to girls as young as 5 years old online, a company spokeswoman says. Oh good.

And apparently, the Miss Bimbo story was really good...for Miss Bimbo (L.A. Times, reg. required)

Posted by anastasia