Is Your Tween Daughter Entering That Awkward Phase? Nair is Here to Help
By Glinda
The New York Times reports that Nair, not happy with reaching every grown person on the planet with a pair of X chromosones (and maybe a few XY’s to boot) who might want to remove their unwanted hair, ups the ante with Nair Pretty.
Nair Pretty is specifically targeted to 10-15 year olds.
Uhhhh, when I was ten, I don’t think I was even remotely concerned with hair removal. And I consider my young self to have been fairly girly and a little overly concerned with her looks, as most pre-teen girls are.
Unfortunately, this is where the problem lies. Today’s society is more obsessed than ever with looking perfect. Pre-teen girls are especially susceptible to this kind of marketing ploy because it plays upon their insecurities. It makes them look at their legs, probably covered with peach fuzz and think, “Yuck, that needs to go.”
Stacy Feldman, vice president of marketing for the company who sells the product, is quoted as saying, “When a girl removes hair for the first time, it’s a life-changing moment.” Life-changing? Is she trying to put leg hair up there with the first kiss? I am shocked, just shocked, that this person who only wants to make money off your kids would say something like that.
And, check out the “Mom’s Corner” portion of the Nair Pretty website. All the advice on talking to your daughter about the onset of puberty from a faceless mega-corporation you could ever ask for!
But hey, why am I suprised? This is the same country where Bratz dolls outsell Barbies. It was only a matter of time.
September 18th, 2007 at 8:09 am
Criminy. I just want to hide my daughter under a rock, away from media and peers, until she’s about 20.
September 18th, 2007 at 9:27 am
I’m with Suzanne. I want to hide my daughter away from this. (I thinking maybe something in a cave.)
I mean yick. I can’t tell whether I’m more angry or sad about this.
September 18th, 2007 at 11:34 am
I got chemical burns on both my legs from using Nair as a teenager, so if the formula is more gentle now, that’s a good thing at least. Having two teenage daughters myself, I’m disturbed by how much is marketed towards them. This is just one of many.
September 18th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
Yet another reason I am so glad to have boys! I heard a woman on a call-in radio show the other day asking advice for her 9-year-old daughter’s hairy arms and legs. And my sister-in-law is already talking about waxing my 4-year-old niece’s body hair (SIL is Armenian)…it’s so depressing and revolting. Just let these kids be kids! If we (adults and media) quit drawing attention to these perceived physical imperfections, the kids won’t even think twice about them.
September 18th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Nair sucks. I had to start shaving my legs at 10 because I inherited the Indian hairball gene. We are a very hairy people! Z. of course, has the same problem.
September 18th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Yeah it will change your life forever, it is the start of a lifetime of having to remove the stupid hair. I hate having to shave or otherwise remove my leg hairs and I really with that the hippies had been able to change our perception of body hair.
September 18th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
I was ten when I started shaving my legs. I got some sort of Irish hair ball gene and demanded that my mother let start shaving my legs when the boys in choir noticed that my (bright red) leg hair stuck through my black tights. I was so embarassed. On the other hand I look at my niece (aged 11) and think “but she’s still little she shouldn’t be worried about that!”
Also? Nair? You sell a product that does not work… marketing to the prepubescent will not help that.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:40 pm
Don’t be too sure that Nair is only targeting the kids with this product. After seeing the way some moms are pushing their daughters to be more like Britney & Lindsay in order to win some sort of vicarious popularity contest, Mommy Dearest may just be the one they are preaching to.
The shop where I used to get my nails done offered body piercing (belly buttons, ears, etc. nothing too kinky) on Saturdays. Underage girls had to be accompanied by a parent. I was amazed (apalled) at the number of moms lining up to drag their 13 & 14 year olds in for a belly ring. Honestly, I swear people should be issued a license to parent.
September 18th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
I didn’t even have hair when I was 10 (except for my head).
September 18th, 2007 at 5:08 pm
I started shaving when I was 10 or (4th grade). It wasn’t done under any outside pressure or duress. I was a swimmer and quickly discovered that smooth legs feel awesome to the max. And my mom, while neither actively encouraging nor discouraging the practice, did tell me to use a fresh razor every once in a while. She really didn’t care, which I still think was the right approach. I do not, however, agree with the marketing tactics of Nair, and I know that their product sucks- it’s a smelly, barely effective mess.
September 18th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
Suzanne- I agree. I’m kinda glad I don’t have a girl for reasons like this!
Alejna- I think I am sad. There are too many parents who think this type of thing is fine.
Liz- You are right, this is really the tip of the iceburg.
Labs- WAXING a four year old? I don’t care how much hair she’s got, that is not cool.
Beeenz- Nair totally sucks. I hate it.
AM- Long live hippie power!
Tizzy- They’re trying to get the ones that don’t know any better.
gemdiva- I think they are totally trying to persuade the mom, why else the “Mom’s Corner” to make them feel better?
dangster- I had some very light fuzz. And it was blonde anyway.
cheeky- For a competitive swimmer, it is almost a must these days to get all body hair off, is it not?
September 18th, 2007 at 6:42 pm
Man, I could have used that when my babies were born, what with all that primate hair on their backs. I think I’ll contact the company; I’ve got another target market for them.
September 18th, 2007 at 7:22 pm
Raising girls is just plain scary.
September 18th, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Well just stop crossbreeding with primates! Problem solved.
This is why my mother taught us to spurn nail polish and makeup for eight year olds as tacky. Because yes, it’s tacky. And developing a healthy contempt for the inappropriate sexualization of young children as a young child gives you a headstart and prepares you to be a little stronger at resisting things like this during adolescence. When the time comes, you’re ready, but you’re ready to say no until the time comes.
September 19th, 2007 at 9:57 am
Please spare a thought for the young girls who are plagued with facial hair. The Annalucia already had a discernible mustache by the age of 11 (for which she was frequently taunted, you may believe) and a respectable goatee by the time she was in her mid-teens. Would any lady posting here say to such a daughter, “Don’t worry, it’s perfectly normal?”
Though in fact, the Nair did not work well on the face: it left blemishes and did not remove the the heaviest hair. In the end the Annalucia found that the waxing was the way to go, and it is a practice she continues to this day.
September 19th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
dgm- That cracked me up, Nair for babies is definitely the next wave!
Suzanne- In this day and age, it seems to be scarier than it used to be.
Rain- Yup, the over-sexualization of children is what is going on, and it makes me ill.
Annalucia- I truly appreciate your plight. I’m sorry you had to experience teasing, and if something gets to that level, then yes, it is probably time to take some action.
September 21st, 2007 at 12:39 am
I’m with Annalucia and Glinda on this: if it gets to the point of teasing it should be taken care of the best way mom and daughter agree on. But I don’t think wise, sensitive mothers are the ones we are concerned about here. The problem is the lack of them!