My Issue with Nair

You've got to be kidding me. That was my first reaction when a producer for Fox's Happy Hour show told me that our topic of discussion was going to be young girls and pubic hair maintenance. I wasn't aghast that I was expected to speak about pubes of all things on national TV rather I was appalled that 10- to 15-year olds are actually being encouraged to get rid!

Believe it or not, Nair, the makers of hair-removal products, recently launched its "Pretty" range for, in their own words, "first-time hair removers." Girls as young as fifth grade are being targeted for wax and chemical hair removal -- and in fruity fragrances no less. It's "Come again?" head-spinning. First, their barely pubescent bodies naturally sport the "barely there" look to begin with. And second, how dare Nair play upon the vulnerability and insecurity of this age group!

'Tweens and teens are still growing and in need of messages that boost their self-esteem. They need to know that they are normal and beautiful -- body hair included -- and that they have nothing to be ashamed of. They need to be reassured that there is nothing wrong with their changing forms and becoming a woman, and that having pubic hair is a natural part of physically maturing for males and females. People who can influence the young people around them need to step up on instilling such since Nair is going all out on this one.

The vice president for marketing at Nair's parent company, Church & Dwight, is actually quoted as saying, "When a girl removes hair for the first time, it's a life-changing moment." Maybe if she's a gorilla! There's no good reason to get rid of any body hair at this age, despite the company's hope to lure girls into becoming "smooth" and "totally touchable."

I bet parents are thrilled with that one. Not only do they need to contend with a little girl's pressures to look like Barbie, but now they need to contend with "pretty as in pretty as a porn star" messaging. It's nothing but degrading and harmful, and continues to perpetuate the negative messaging women are constantly fielding about their bodies. Enough already! Let them enjoy being children. They'll have the rest of their lives to subject themselves to painful Brazilians, field nicks while shaving their legs, pluck unwanted facial hair, dig out ingrown hairs...

Comments

[CarolEM]

i checked out Nair's website. It is targeted towards teens. id say 14,15+. Hey girls wear trainging bras as well. They have to learn to take care of themselves as part of becoming women. But like I said it's not for young girls...again common sense. I don't see a problem with the website. I was happy to get my first training bra and be girly but i also learned how to throw a football at the same time....there's nothing wrong with wanting be be a girl!

[nov47]

Great post. Thanks for calling attention to this.

[Stagmom]

I agree that we've sexualized our kids, in part by the new "norm" being women with no pubic hair. (Did you know porn stars are now bleaching their anal area so the skin is pink instead of dark? You'll be seeing "Porcelanus" on your store shelves soon no doubt.)

We should also ask why 9 year olds have so much hair on their bodies. And get their periods by age 11 now, instead of 13. Girls' bodies are quite different today than a couple of generations ago. They are maturing far earlier. And their clothing is so tiny - I struggled for a couple of summers to find shorts that would properly cover my girls bottoms. The whole situation is troubling.

[CarolEM]

" Maybe if she's a gorilla!"
now that made me lol! good one!
Heck it does sound creepy but hey it does happen quick and our society says get rid of the hair so we do. i just wish when i was younger i had an adult or "to-be"-adult female in my life to show me how to take care of these things. Because it is something a woman needs to know how to do. And give me a break as a women nobodys forcing this on us. But when it comes to age come on use some common sense.

[RumiSouth]

That VP for Church & Dwight should be charged, prosecuted, and added to the sex offender database. Ugh. "Touchable"?

[blooddoc]

Don't you just love corporate America?

[tandrmcdonald]

Maybe I'm missing the point... I don't think so... but, why in the hell are the manufacturers of a depillatory thinking and talking about adolescent pubic hair?
Bald might be beautiful, but a hairless pudenda is the mark of a child. Is a childlike pudenda the only "pretty" kind?
There's something ugly at work here and it has nothing to do with perpetuating false ideals of the acceptable female body.
There is a name for people who think a hairless and childlike pudenda is preferable to the appearance of the normal adult female genitalia. Pedophile.
Is that the self-image Nair wants to promote? It's the one they're getting.