Wow, how timely. Maybe because I am a Philadelphia native and read that very article so this posting hit my hot button! I also do not have children of my own but have a host of nieces and goddaughters that I try to spoil at any given chance. That article about children requesting eyebrow and bikini waxing did not sit well with me and honestly my mouth was ajar as I read that horrifying article. These days mother nature doesn't allow kids to be kids as they sprout breasts and curves at 11, get periods way earlier than I was ever ready to deal with that life changing moment and their exposure to the "finer things in life" earlier than usual (dang those hormones in fast food products!) has them throwing spa parties at 8! If I could I would wave my magic wand and reverse time I would have these girls back aligned with their appropriate beauty products - Bonne Belle lip gloss and Barbie Princess perfume. Just this weekend my boyfriend's 4 year old daughter's lips had to be pried open as she got her hands on my MAC lip gloss (but that's a whole new thread....) So I'm stepping off my soapbox but just wanted to chime in that I'm in complete agreement with your sentiments!!! Thanks for keeping C&V timely, relevant and substantial!

Wow, that's insane! I'm glad someone's finally pointing out the pink elephant in the powder room!

I agree whole heartedly with your statements. We have gone too far and sadly a lot of it has been brought on by mothers of these girls. In an age where 40 is the new 30 and 50 is the new 40, many women spend so much time and money sculpting themselves into keeping a youthful look that they forget to allow our youth to reamin just that...young!! There is plenty of time for makeup, waxing and lip gloss. You can still do "girly" things like a friend of mine's daughter who had her 8 year old birthday at a salon. The girls got their hair styled (no washng or cutting, just braids and ponytails) and received manicures. This is more age appropriate than a "spa party". This weeks controversy over Miley Cyress says it all. Let kids be kids!

all great points! My poor Mom held out as long as she could and my first chemical process came in the form of a mild hair relaxer at the age of 13 - meaning 12 years of dealing with my very thick hair that could sniff humidity 3 days in advance resulting in a mini Diana Ross roaming the school halls (LOL). So just the necessities, color and facials came way later in life

This is very interesting and moderately frightening. I too am not a parent but I am an aunty and I work with young women between the ages of 14 – 20 and from my experiences with young women I definitely see that times have changed!! Beauty is just one of the many areas where young women are behaving much older than the generations before them. Growing up in the 80’s I must admit I did have a curl at 8 (don’t laugh too hard) and my first relaxer by 9 (my mom got tired of braiding and using the pressing comb) however I was one of the few little girls so not interested in growing up, I saw at an early age the stresses that came from being an adult and was not interested. I didn’t wear make up all through high school, didn’t carry a bag until maybe 11th grade, I didn’t start shaving my legs until 10th grade and had my first real mani-pedi in college I think. I can’t say that I was the norm, but even the hot tails of my day were nothing compared to some of the madness I see so regularly today. Society is much different now, and exposure to information and media is everywhere and access to trends and “what’s hot” is having a major role in the these young girl’s lives. I didn’t particularly care for the plastic surgery book. This book is clearly for kids I'm guessing maybe 9yrs old and below which makes me ask the question ”Do children really need to be explained the specifics of plastic surgery?!” The idea of surgery is scary enough when it’s a needed procedure; there’s just something wrong about highlighting to your kids the fact that you’re risking your life for an unnecessary cosmetic procedure. I think if the child is 9 or younger it is too much information. In explaining surgery I think less is more. There's a part of the book where the mom says "my nose will not only be different it will be prettier..." which very well might be the case but could also not be the case. Next thing you know the kids going to be wishing for the same thing, then we'll be hearing about the book titled "Why mommy can have surgery and I can't" and that’s just ridiculous. I am not a proponent for keeping children in the dark to reality, but I think giving them the basics is plenty and dedicating a book to explaining plastic surgery is simply too much and in my opinion unnecessary.

Ladies, I've given even more thought to this entry. And I began to question my decision to allow my god daughter to even have her nails polished with regular nail polishes that have chemicals including formaldihyde. Some chemicals in nail polishes are thought to be carcigens. Hmmm...definitely don't want to expose her to these either. Do you know of any all natural or child-friendly nail colors? Do tell.

Thanks.
Tai

Tai,
http://www.safenailpolish.com
Check this site out for info on "safe" polish...

BANANAS!!!! Its soooo unfortunate how we continue to make it impossible for our children to have ANYTHING to look forward to! My goodness, my first brazilian wax (I had bikini waxes earlier) was on the eve of my wedding! What child needs to beauti-fy her private areas? Can we leave something for the imagination? If all of the fun stuff is done by age 20, what will be the joy in "true" adulthood? I blame it on TV and Radio...lol