Moms have a lot to contend with when it comes to their daughters, and now that the summertime is upon us and everyone is throwing on their swimsuits and short shorts, the topic of shaving seems to be upon us. Young girls often ask their moms when they are allowed to start shaving, and moms have taken various different stances on this topic.
While some parents believe there to be an appropriate age in which shaving becomes more socially acceptable, other moms believe they can dodge this topic until their daughters begin to really push for it, which may come way before or way after that predetermined age/number is reached. Today's Parent highlights that there are maturity factors that come into play here, as well as societal ones, and personal perspectives; some moms want their daughters to know that shaving isn't entirely necessary if they don't want to.
Each little girl feels differently about their body hair, especially depending upon where on the body it is growing, and let's face it moms, we have different perspectives on this topic too.
Body Image Readiness
Many moms view shaving as the "gateway" to their daughters wanting to do other things, such as wearing makeup, and going out. The best thing to do is just slow this down and isolate each incident as it comes. If your daughter has expressed the desire to shave, it's important to get a sense of whether or not her body image and self confidence are aligned, to see if this step is going to help or hinder her emotional and social progress.
Establishing whether or not your daughter has the right body image perception may be tough to do. On the one hand, she may be getting bullied at school due to not shaving her upper lip, eyebrows, or legs. This can be a very painful and demeaning experience. None of us want body hair, and we certainly don't want to send the message to our daughters that they should be responding to the teasing by altering their aesthetics.
However, at the same time, if the hair has been bothering them in the first place, and now they're being teased because of it... perhaps this is the right time.
The most critical message to send to your daughter is that she doesn't need to adjust her appearance in order to fit in. What's important is to make sure she is comfortable in her own skin, and sometimes mom, that means shaving. Age isn't always the best indicator of when to start shaving, personal feelings about this issue should take precedence.
They Don't "Need" To Shave
Some girls aren't fussy about shaving and either don't get teased or don't seem bothered by the comments. If there's no necessity or desire for your daughter to shave, then there's no rush or push towards this.Sometimes, moms worry about their daughters shaving more than their kids do. Let's keep in mind, that there's not really a necessity to get them to start shaving if they really don't want to.
There has been a shift in recent years, with an increase in the number of women the don't feel it to be necessary to shave their body hair. Even celebrities have been demonstrating a full -on body hair removal strike when they strut their stuff on the red carpet, and while they're out and about. Madonna did it when she was younger, and her daughter Lourdes has been captured on camera more than a few times without having shaven her body hair. Even Miley Cyrus has made it clear that she'll shave when she's good and ready, not to please onlookers. Shaving is a personal choice, rather than a decision defined by age.
It's Not About Age, It's About Your Child
Most sources suggest that the longer your daughter can wait before starting to shave, the better. There's no "magical" age that girls should start shaving, but the general consensus is that most girls start at some point between the ages of 11 and 14.
If your daughter expresses the desire to start shaving, chances are this is something meaningful and important to her, and that's really all that matters. As much as we may be looking for that 'magic age' in which it becomes the 'right time' to start shaving, the truth is, only you and your daughter will truly know what's best for your personal situation.
If you're struggling to make this decision, keep in mind that there are alternatives you can explore as well. There are numerous bleaching options that exist, along with good old fashioned tweezing for touch ups of facial hair!