Teenage girls removing pubic hair - time to panic or par for the course?

[ElenMumsnetBloggers]

Just to let you know that over on Mumsnet Bloggers, journalist Sarah Ditum and MNer Glosswatch are debating why so many teen girls feel compelled to remove their pubic hair. You can read the debate here and voice your views on the Talk thread here.

[Margerykemp]

"time to panic" IMO. I think it should be illegal for salons to do hair removal on under 16s and would even consider restricting retail sales of epilatory products.

[VegansTasteBetter]

That just means girls will do home jobs margery which is worse imo. I do think it is sad young girls feel they have to remove the stuff the second they grow it

[Margerykemp]

I dont think they would. It could be controlled by parents removing wax products etc from the house.

[Choufleur]

What about if they want to wax their legs or underarms? Banning it is a bit ridiculous imo

[Choufleur]

Should we ban razors too?

[peaksandtroughs]

I've read the blog post and feel the first bloggers advice is based on you as a parent actually having an expert knowledge on hair removal yourself. I'm assuming that most women of my generation actually don't know much about removing pubic hair so can't give all this 'useful' advice to our daughters! I don't know how to avoid ingrown hairs or what a silkymit is. The idea that we should all be giving our daughters this advice suggests it is some inevitable part of growing up as all adult women have this knowledge, but we don't.

[peaksandtroughs]

I find it hard to believe, given the hygiene problems and increased risk of infection, that salons can legally wax children. It presumably must be illegal already. Surely the bloggers are talking about home treatments, which are the parents' responsibility.

[TeiTetua]

The title has the words "removing pubic hair"; it could be wax in a salon, or a razor at home, but the issue is (I think) the fact that teenagers feel the need to do it at all.

Then again, at what point is an adolescent entitled to start thinking of herself as an adult? And this is something that a lot of adults do, including a fair number of the girls' mothers. So as a teenager starts doing the things adults do, perhaps it would be inconsistent to say "Not this".

[Margerykemp]

Peaks-it is legal. I don't think a lot of parents realise this.

As for teens waxing underarms and legs- they can use razors- afaik waxing is mostly for pubes.

[alexpolismum]

I'm confused by the terminology. Does leg and underarm hair not count as pubic hair? I thought pubic hair referred to whatever started growing during puberty.

I agree with TeiTetua. The issue is that teenagers feel the need to do it at all.

I was on the beach yesterday with my children. I have unshaven legs and pits. I got some stares (which I am used to), but also some smiles from young women, perhaps in their early twenties. Perhaps some of them don't want to have to remove their hair, but only do it because it is socially unacceptable NOT to, and seeing me made them think about that.

[titchy]

Pubic hair = hair in the pubic area of course.

puberty, pubis, pubic etc may all have the same root linguistically but don't all mean the same thing!

[titchy]

And I think waxing (salon or home) is mostly for leg hair actually, not pubes....

[TeiTetua]

Pubic hair is hair on your crotch and possibly extending down the thighs (but where does pubic hair end and leg hair begin?)

But if it's entirely normal for a girl to shave her armpits and legs and not her crotch, maybe there's a reason to ask why one is expected and the other could be "time to panic".

Good for alexpolismum staying natural. I just looked and the sun does still seem to be shining, night and day follow each other etc, so possibly it wasn't so bad.

[24HourPARDyPerson]

The difference is that underarm or leg hair is on display to any old random who may pass judgement.

Pubic hair is private, only on display to sexual partners. The thing that is worrying, imo, is that teens or any woman really, is afraid of being judged and found wanting by someone she is about to have sex with. It gives a very nasty impression of the kind of sex that people are having, NOT based on mutual respect and affection, good humour and kindness etc but something altogether more business like, an impersonal type of service provision that may be found lacking. I would be very sorry if my 16 yo was having that kind of sex. I would be very unhappy if me or dh were having that kind of sex, but at least we're old and jaded.

[NoComet]

I would worry if DDs felt the need to remove pubic hair beyond that which shoes in their swim wear before they were 16. After that it is non of my business.

I don't and hate the idea of pretending to be 9 again (got teased for being the first to have any)

[NoComet]

Shows in her swimwear

[Krumbum]

I completely agree salons should not be waxing the pubic hair of under 16's it's insane.
Why not encourage swimwear that doesn't reveal pubic hair if it is an issue?

[bloodyfurious]

I did it as a teen - I hated it - it was nothing to do with sex or what other people might think - I was incredibly naive - I spent summers in a swim suit and preferred it gone.

[Krumbum]

Change swimsuits not bodies.

[bloodyfurious]

I liked my swim suits - I was merely point out it was nothing to do with pornification, sex, outside pressure and just personal preference.

[bloodyfurious]

And I did it with a BIC razor - probably not the safest method.

[EugenesAxe]

I feel a lot of grooming by women generally is for the benefit (or to avoid the judgement of them by) other women... so I do not find it unusual for pubescent teenages to want to do this - body image and fitting in with their peers is often very important.

I wouldn't equate it with someone about to start having sexual relationships with another, necessarily. Games, swimming and sunbathing.

[bloodyfurious]

Why was I wearing a swimsuit - because I was water polo training with the boys.

[Krumbum]

Bloodyfurious I believe (although correct me if I'm wrong) that stewiegriffinsmom meant why were you wearing a pubic hair showing swimsuit as opposed to swimwear which fully covers the pubic hair area? making depilation unnessecary. Not that you shouldn't go swimming at all.