i'm sure they just do it so that other girls don't poke fun at their pubs...i devloped early and was SO embarrassed about it too!
I hid it until my friends had some!

well... thats kind of weird to me. i didn't really start doing anything about the hair down there til maybe about a year later. I don't think it encourages promiscuity. I did it because i was uncomfortable, and also because I was a swimmer and always in bathing suits. I also was already waxing my eyebrows. people develop at different paces. I think its looking too much into the situation to say that these girls will engage in risky behavior just because they got a little hair removed. thats just ridiculous.

I'd take my 12 year old in to get her lip waxed. Kids can be cruel at that age! But other than the lip, waxing is too invasive for a kid.

whats wrong with a razor?

You can probably start waxing around 17-18. Until then just stick with shaving

My mom wouldnt let us shave our legs (or anything else) untill we were 14, no matter what and i remember at 13 some boys making fun of my "hairy legs" even though they were blonde hairs, and begging my mom to shave them. SHe let me thank goodness.

As for the bikini line, buy a razor. I am 34 years old (granted i am not hairy) and i have never gotten a bikini wax and i wear skimpy bikinis

12!?!?!? I want to know where they live. The only reason why I wax is because I am in the water so much between swimming and water polo and it was getting anoying having to shave every other day not to mention it was irritating my skin. I tend to treat my once a month sessions as a mini vaction. I get a croisant before I go then I get a facial or a pedicure after. It also makes the pain more bearable

This disturbs me more than the Abercrombie kids thongs with writing on them!

Though it definitely shocked me to hear about girls as young as 8 years old getting waxed, in the end I guess it's really a personal decision and has to do more with comfort, activities w/ clothing that could show pube peeps (i.e. swimming, gymnastics, cheerleading, etc). I don't think it necessarily promotes promiscuity.

GROSS - that is weird. Okay, so I can see teaching girls to groom themselves once they need it (and 12 seems a little young for that), but mainly for hygienic reasons, like during that time of the month. (12 may be too young for a lot of girls for that, too!) Waxing doesn't work for me anyway because my skin is much too pale and sensitive. I think a bikini trimmer is a good investment and definitely less invasive than waxing.

This is a bit much for me. I have an 8 yr old and she does have very faint hair on her legs, but nowhere else. Does anyone personally know a girl that age with pubic hair?

I would let my daughter shave when needed but can't imagine waxing anytime soon.

It depends on the girl. If she's excessively hairy (and can withstand the pain of waxing), I would be okay with her waxing.

The idea of waxing and promiscuity is absurd. Those are two disconnected issues.

No... I don't think that a child that young should do that. Heck I'm 19 and have yet to do that. I think that 16 and older is a good age to start personal grooming at a salon. Anything younger is just excessive.

No CHILD needs a bikini wax. Ever.

Gosh that's just weird.. I don't remember thinking about that at 12 years old. But I mean if they have pubes sticking out of the sides of their bathing suit it would be ok to show them how to get rid of them..

Do you really need to get a bikini wax? Just use a razor! I have never gotten a bikini wax, but I started shaving about 2-3 years ago.

I meant that KIDS do not need to get a bikini wax at that age. I'm fine if adults want to do that I would be scared to have another person take care of that area for me though.

I really don't want any child of mine doing adult things. They have their whole lives for that....why does everyone want childhood to end so quickly?

I'm with Bella. No child should ever have a bikini wax. I agree that maybe if it were their lip or eyebrows because they were being teased, but nowhere else. That's disgusting.

And i thought i was worried about teen superficiality being an issue.

I was about to agree with everyone that children don't need bikini waxes, but I suddenly remembered my winter swim team when i was young and it changed my mind. When I was 11 or 12, there was another girl on my team about the same age who had copious black hair -- armpits, bikini line -- and we all called her "Bush." (In retrospect I am mortified, but I was 11... sorry!) Aside from the pre-teen mockery, I still would have allowed (or even encouraged) her to groom down there had she been my daughter. If people think that having tufts of pubic hair sticking out of a bathing suit is inappropriate or unattractive for an adult, it's the same thing for a pre-teen. Looking at her, no one would ever have guessed that she was 11 or 12, and unfortunately early development such as hers leads to earlier grooming responsibilities.

Madonna's daughter could sure use an eyebrow wax

thank you bellasugar! Shave!

Why can't people let little girls be little girls anymore? They're always dragging them for manicures and pedicures, giving them overnight birthday parties at The Marriott, now they're waxing at 8 or even 6, which I just read before logging on here. I wasn't allowed to shave my legs until I was 15. Let the kids be kids. It's the mothers who are bringing them in. They wouldn't think of getting a bikini wax on their own, that much I know.

Wow, I had no idea that eight year olds get bikini waxes. I'm sixteen, and I don't even. I understand that they might be embarrassed about it, but just use a razor until then!! really, eight years old is pushing it. i still think that twelve years old is pushing it, but eight years old, really?!? that's so crazy!!

i think that 8 or even 12 is too early to get waxed. lately it seems like girls are more mature at younger and younger ages but there's really a limit to what's acceptable. in my opinion - you should at least be in high school - but i would even go as far as to say that 15+ is the way to go. i was in college i think - the first time that i got a bikini wax...

Eight year olds have pubic hair? I find that hard to believe! The mothers in this case are abhorrent, to me. Children don't need to be waxed, ever.

A mother should teach her daughter how to groom, but only when she sees it's necessary. There's no need to drag daughters anywhere--the girls should choose when they are old enough and decide for themselves that they want it.

I agree 8 is a totally young, but for those questioning why these girls just don't use a razor- I will say that no matter what I have tried, I personally always get the nastiest razor burn. A younger girl may not have the best shaving technique and be susceptible to all kinds of itchy bumps. And for the rest of us who do know how to shave, some of us aren't that lucky to have been blessed with a bikini line that doesn't look like it's been mauled by a bear 24 hours after seeing a razor. I'm for waxing down there any day.

6-12 is too young for a bikini wax in my opinion. A child isn't going to be perfect all the time. This kid used to make fun of my legs when I was in 6th grade and I felt bad for a second but I moved on. I couldn't shave my legs until i was in 7th grade and I needed it cause I played basketball. But I never thought about shaving or waxing down there. I got my first bikini wax when I was 18 but not even cause i wanted but because i was going with my friend.

Hum I am 21 and still have yet to get one (in a salon, I've tried the DIY kits)
Seriously though, I don't see what's wrong with it if your daughter swims or does some other sport and it's embarrassing.
Shaving doesn't work for everyone, especially in that zone, I get itchy bumps and it looks horrible after a couple of days - not to mention unshavable because it just gets infected if I try.
Waxing (at least with the DIY) worked great for me - I'm good to go for at least 2-3 weeks, the pain only lasts about a day, and it's just a lot less hassle.
I would let my daughter do it if she's self-conscious about it. When I was 9 I actually plucked each and every hair out with my fingers - OUCH.

I am 24 and have never gotten a wax. Mostly because I am afraid of the pain. I always just shaved! My mother wouldn't let me shave till I was 14, but I remember at 13 I was in a private school and we had swimming class once a week. It was WAY embarrassing having to be in front of boys in my swimsuit, but with hair on top of it?? I took matters into my own hands and bought my own razors and shaving cream.