Pre-teen hair removal

[Whippet]

Not too long ago I was chatting with a very good friend of mine who has two daughters. Her eldest is hitting her teens very soon so has started her physical journey into womanhood. You know, hair growing where it never used to be, sore boobies, interests in boys and the such. (Poor thing, it's such a rough time for all us women)

My friend begun the lessons in shaving the armpit hairs a while ago to try to keep body odour at bay and has now recently branched into trimming the bikini line. She hasn't taught her to shave there although she is using the hair removal creams.

I'm not 100% sure why she's doing this but I know this friend of mine is a waxer from way back and has all hair removed. I wonder if her daughter has seen that Mum has no hair so why should she or is it that my friend has no hair so feels her daughter shouldn't have to have any either ... I'll need to confirm that with her because I really am not too sure. She has mentioned that her DD feels itchy with the hair there but I wonder if that's the re-growth that's itchy and not the hair itself ... :confused:

Anyway, either way I see the removal of genital hair almost as a sexual thing. I know it's not seen this way by everybody but because I see it this way I see this as sexualising a pre-teen girl that isn't ready for what all of that comes with. I'm not saying I think she'll go off and start having sex now but it's almost like throwing a bra on a five year old girl. Why? What is it saying to them? That their body is so offensive that it needs to be altered to become beautiful? That's how I see it and it doesn't sit well with me at all.

I'm interested to hear how others feel about hair removal on young girls. I don't have daughters so I don't know what it's like to raise them or maybe I'm just be super prudish :laughing:

[Angiepop]

Well I think the key factor there is whether or not she is removing ALL of her pubic hair. If she is just trimming the bikini line, that is perfectly reasonable imo, for when she goes swimming. Like it or not, if a teenage girl goes swimming with her friends and she has pubic hair outside her swimsuit she would probably be teased. If however she's being taught to get rid of all her pubic hair that's venturing into sexual body-image territory rather than standard personal grooming.

[Poppetfish]

Maybe the daughter has some hair growing a bit outside of what a bikini or undies would cover and doesn't want to picked on by other girls for having hair showing when nobody else does? Just a thought.

I started shaving down stairs at 11 because i had a huge bush and no other girls did. I wanted to go swimming with my friends without having to wear board shorts.:) I used to just neaten it up so i didn't have a bush out the sides of my one piece.:)

[IndigoJ]

I think the mother should leave it up to the daughter to decide if she wants to. That being said my mother never did that sort of stuff, she never even shaved her legs. So i wish i had someone to tell me how to do all that sort of stuff.

[Whippet]

It could be just a tidy up - but I took it as all the hair being removed except for a tiny map of tassie.

My Mum never did anything like this with me either but I remember (to my Mothers disgust) removing the stragglers in summer time :p but would never have thought to take away the lot.

[Deserama]

Well if she's promoting removing the hair so it doesn't poke out of her bikini area (and I would think trimming it so it's like the map of tasmania is probably sufficient) then I think it's a good thing.

[Whippet]

Oh god ... I never thought I'd become a prude :(

:laughing:

[Baburun]

hmm on the one hand removing all the hair does seem like a somewhat sexual thing to me, so I don't like the idea of younger girls doing it, but on the other hand..
totally TMI story here -
when I was that age I was only using pads for AF, & by the time I got home from school the blood would be all through the hair & there'd be like dried blood dreadlocks, it was totally gross!!
I wish it had occurred to me at the time to at least trim my hairs down there...

anyway, that's my other reason for removing all the hairs around there, it does feel much cleaner, so for that reason I'd be ok with younger girls doing it.

[~Candy~]

My neice is 15 and she shaves the lot off down there. Don't know why. Maybe she thinks pubes are ugly??

[SassyMummy]

Some girls grow very little pubic hair - just a little sparse patch. Others, like me, tend to have some sort of unruly overgrown hedge... and it DOES get quite itchy. It's not the regrowth, though the regrowth from shaving/creams does itch. It's a different kind of itch... and it's horrible.

I remove all hair now. It's not itchy.

I developed early, and I didn't like being in bathing suits because of it. Could that be one reason your friend's daughter is removing her hair? I mean, you don't need wet pubes hanging down your inner thighs do you? :p It's pretty embarrassing.

I don't think removing all hair is purely a sexual thing though. Some would remove it solely for sexual purposes, but there's a lot more to consider. Like I said, itching, avoiding social embarrassment... and remember, this a girl who didn't used to have hair there. To her, it's probably getting rid of something that she's never had before and doesn't WANT, not shaving it all off so the guy shagging her can get a better look iykwim.

[Jamaica]

I would think its more the teen wanting and thinking its 'normal' to do what mum does and look how mum does.

My experience is different to a lot of other people, I had never seen public hair on women in my family and when I hit puberty my mum explained that she was 'clean shaven' because she felt it was cleaner especially at that time of the month, she said there was nothing wrong with being natural and that it was my own personal choice. After my first AF I decided I would shave and have ever since.

My 6 year old (after learning in the life education van about pubic hair) asked me why I shave my hair & I said its like the hair on your head some people like theirs long others like it short - its just up to you :)

[MumtoD]

I have a hairless body so if I have a girl and she wanted a hairless body I would think it is fine. There is nothing worse than seeing hair on women where it shouldnt be. I feel so sorry for girls when I see they have hairy armpits etc as they are going to get teased.

[Ruby Slippers]

totally TMI story here -
when I was that age I was only using pads for AF, & by the time I got home from school the blood would be all through the hair & there'd be like dried blood dreadlocks, it was totally gross!!
I wish it had occurred to me at the time to at least trim my hairs down there...

anyway, that's my other reason for removing all the hairs around there, it does feel much cleaner, so for that reason I'd be ok with younger girls doing it.
:iagree:

[Lastcenturymum]

I have a hairless body so if I have a girl and she wanted a hairless body I would think it is fine. There is nothing worse than seeing hair on women where it shouldnt be. I feel so sorry for girls when I see they have hairy armpits etc as they are going to get teased.


I actually feel sorry for young girls who feel they HAVE to remove hair everywhere. It's pretty sad that at a young age they are under such pressure.

Firstly the OP didn't say the mum was suggesting she remove ALL her pubic hair, and if it's dark and excessive then trimming for swimming is probably ok, but it's hardly likely if she is pre-teen that it would be such a problem.

Oh and it's not armpit hair that causes body odour!! It's called sweat glands, a normal body function to cool the body down!!

I think it's wise to leave it till girls ask about wanting to do such things, not 'give lessons' to a pre-teen.

[MumtoD]

I actually feel sorry for young girls who feel they HAVE to remove hair everywhere. It's pretty sad that at a young age they are under such pressure.

Firstly the OP didn't say the mum was suggesting she remove ALL her pubic hair, and if it's dark and excessive then trimming for swimming is probably ok, but it's hardly likely if she is pre-teen that it would be such a problem.

Oh and it's not armpit hair that causes body odour!! It's called sweat glands, a normal body function to cool the body down!!

I think it's wise to leave it till girls ask about wanting to do such things, not 'give lessons' to a pre-teen.

Take it from me, pre-teen hair can be VERY dark and excessive, I know mine was and I got teased no end for it as my Mum wouldnt let me remove it. I would NEVER EVER put my girl through that so if she asked for it to be removed I would let her. Note I said IF SHE ASKED....I would never force her to do it.

Oh and armpit hair on a women is absolutely disgusting

[Whippet]

Thanks for helping me to look at things differently ladies :)

[UmmInayah]

What does the pre teen want? I used to wax myself when I was younger. I hated pubic hair. It hurt, but for me was far worth it. Even now I love being smooth lol

I'll be telling my girls at an early stage if they want it removed we will go for laser. There is no way i will be encouraging shaving. It us up to them, but shaving is gross to me, so laser it is.

[FiveInTheBed]

What does the pre teen want? I used to wax myself when I was younger. I hated pubic hair. It hurt, but for me was far worth it. Even now I love being smooth lol

I'll be telling my girls at an early stage if they want it removed we will go for laser. There is no way i will be encouraging shaving. It us up to them, but shaving is gross to me, so laser it is.

it's an OLD old thread hun - just bumped by a spammer.

I'd say the pre teen isn't a pre teen anymore :)

[TheSudgestionator]

If she is removing JUST the hair JUST along the bikini/undie line i dont see a problem with it (Especially with young girls who may not want their friends knowing they are now growing hair everywhere down their) teaching her how to remove the hair that grows OUTSIDE her bikini line so when she is at the beach she doesnt have hair hanging out (hope that makes sense).

Is she is telling her to remove it all, or shave/shape it all into a certina pattern that is a whole differnt story, but i dont see removing the hair outside/on her bikini line to be a problem.

[MissWinter]

I think I shaved my whole area from the beginning... I never liked having the hair. Mum never shaved, and never knew I did, but I just didn't like it, I felt dirty and it was always itchy (not just the regrowth) and as stupid as it sounds I used to be able to feel it through my swimmer bottoms (like just the tips poking through kind of). I'm sure you couldn't see it, but growing up in a beach town I just didn't want any there at all!

Having said all this, I think it's definitely up to the girl. I think I was getting rid of mine at 12. Not for sexual reasons, just cause I didn't want it!!