• News
  • Life
  • TV & Film
  • Beauty
  • Style
  • Home
  • News
    • Celebrity
    • Entertainment
    • Politics
    • Royal Family
  • Life
    • Animals
    • Food & Drink
    • Women's Health
    • Mental Health
    • Sex & Relationships
    • Travel
    • Real Life
  • TV & Film
    • True Crime
    • Documentaries
    • Netflix
    • BBC
    • ITV
    • Tyla Recommends
  • Beauty
    • Hair
    • Make-up
    • Skincare
  • Style
    • Home
    • Fashion
    • Shopping
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
TikTok
Submit Your Content
Mum defends letting 12-year-old daughter have her armpits and facial hair waxed

Home> Life> Parenting

Published 16:51 13 Oct 2023 GMT+1

Mum defends letting 12-year-old daughter have her armpits and facial hair waxed

The decision came after her child was bullied in school

Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle

A mum has re-opened a heated debate about all things parenting after defending a particular choice she made with her daughter.

The woman took to Kidspot to open up about letting her 12-year-old daughter have her armpits and facial hair waxed.

The choice came after the mum found out other children at her daughter's school made 'mean comments' about her child's 'pronounced' body and facial hair.

She began: "My daughter *Lilly has had quite a pronounced body (arms and legs) and facial hair (above her lip and monobrow) for years.

Advert

"Up until the age of 10 she hadn’t really been too bothered by it but then because of mean comments other kids at school started to say to her, it did."

The mum recalled a particular instance when Lilly came home from school 'in tears' over the comments she received.

"From memory," the mum explained, "they referred to her as being a man in a girl’s body because of the distinct hair above her lip."

One mum explained why she let her daughter wax her body and facial hair.
Artur Nichiporenko/Getty Images

Advert

The mum admitted she had a 'horrible feeling' a situation like that would happen one day as the 'same thing' happened to her as a child too.

She continued: "I was hoping that she could at least get through primary school without her appearance being at the forefront of her mind.

"I have done my best to prepare for issues with body image and appearance... I guess though, no matter what sort of approach you take, you can't stop kids being kids and nasty comments being said."

However, with that said, the comments just 'kept coming'.

Advert

"For a few years, Lilly had wanted to have the hair on her face removed," the mum revealed. "She asked why it was okay for me to do it but not her.

"I tried to explain why these features shouldn’t be embarrassing and also that she was a bit too young which she begrudgingly accepted."

The mum's sister-in-law gave her a 'lecture' over the hair removal.
Image Source / Getty Images

Fast-forward some more years and Lilly approached her mum again about hair removal.

Advert

The mum said: "I wasn’t really surprised, and I was also now on board with it. I knew from my own experience that shaving is such a pain and also seems to create more issues than it’s worth so I decided that we would visit a beauty salon and have these areas waxed."

After doing her research and making sure the salon was 'experienced with younger clientele' so that Lilly could have a positive first experience - the mum took her daughter to get the hair removed who 'didn't find it too painful at all'.

It was a massive 'relief' for the mum however, her sister-in-law didn't seem to agree after noticing.

"But rather than be supportive, she totally shamed me," the mum continued.

Advert

According to the mum, the family member asked: "Why on earth would you take a 12-year-old to get waxed?!

"Surely, there are age restrictions on doing things like that and even if there aren’t, surely as a parent you have a responsibility to your children?

"Not only is it physically painful but what sort of message are you sending, encouraging your impressionable child to have her hair removed?"

The sister-in-law added: "What happened to the unfair beauty standards that you are always going on about? Rather than modelling them, you have done the opposite."

The mum revealed she sometimes wonders if the decision was made at the 'right time'.
CasarsaGuru / Getty Images

The mum said the whole conversation was like 'receiving a lecture' and 'kept going' until she was eventually brought to tears.

The tears didn't seem to bother the family member though, who refused to apologise for the teary reaction.

The mum went on: "Her words though left me feeling guilty, as if I had made the wrong decision and I went back and forth in my mind about it for days and days.

"Had I copped out and failed my values? Had I subjected my 12-year-old to something that she was too young for?"

She admitted that while her child is 'much happier' and 'more confident' now that the hair has been removed - the mum still has doubts.

"I know that I haven’t traumatised her like my sister-in-law insisted I would," she concluded, before admitting: "I still always have a question in the back of my mind about whether it was the right time."

Featured Image Credit: Artur Nichiporenko/Maskot/Getty Images

Topics: Beauty, Health, Parenting, Real Life

Rhiannon Ingle
Rhiannon Ingle

Rhiannon Ingle is a Senior Journalist at Tyla, specialising in TV, film, travel, and culture. A graduate of the University of Manchester with a degree in English Literature, she honed her editorial skills as the Lifestyle Editor of The Mancunian, the UK’s largest student newspaper. With a keen eye for storytelling, Rhiannon brings fresh perspectives to her writing, blending critical insight with an engaging style. Her work captures the intersection of entertainment and real-world experiences.

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

9 hours ago
16 hours ago
a day ago
  • 9 hours ago

    Psychologist reveals concerning reason why Labubus are so addictive as ‘dangerous’ new trend sparks warning

    Research psychologist, Dr Emma Palmer-Cooper, has explained why people are so obsessed with collectibles

    Life
  • 16 hours ago

    Man whose family won the lottery reveals sad reality of becoming rich quick

    "Winning the lottery makes it hard to feel like a normal person"

    Life
  • a day ago

    Doctor reveals why women actually suffer worse hangovers than men

    Turns out your horrendous hangovers might not just be because you drank loads

    Life
  • a day ago

    Ex-Ozempic user reveals ‘overwhelming’ side effects after increasing their dose despite ‘unbelievable’ first few months on it

    The man had to quit Ozempic over its side effects

    Life
  • Mum defends herself after giving daughter free Starbucks cup meant for dogs
  • Why your hair might be getting greasy so quickly and it's not always your shampoo
  • Mum reveals surprising role daughter is given for Christmas nativity and people can't believe their eyes
  • Mum issues urgent Halloween warning to parents after daughter almost died eating popular sweet