My preschool daughter isn’t much for primping. I’m lucky if we get out of the house with her teeth brushed and her hair combed, minus a major meltdown and my stock lecture on the importance of personal hygiene. However, during a recent trip to Wal-Mart my observant 4-year-old spied a unique sight: A little girl getting a pedicure. (All Wal-Mart’s come with in-house Korean nail salons, right?)
“Mommy!” she exclaimed while violently tugging on my coat pocket. “That little girl is getting her toes painted!”
I must admit I was a bit taken aback by the sight of what looked to be a 3-year-old girl getting a professional pedicure. Frankly, I was more shocked that the kid was actually sitting still enough for the nail salon employee to brush on the electric pink polish than I was to see the tiny tot propped up by pillows in the adult-sized leather recliner.
My daughter and I stopped and stared for a while before I asked if she would like to get her nails painted someday.
“YUCK! No way!” she replied while pretending to choke at the thought of having anything shimmery, sparkly, or glittery applied to one of her body parts.
A girly girl, she is not.
While I don’t have to worry about my daughter badgering me for a mani/pedi anytime soon, the sight of the toddler getting a professional pedicure remained with me long after we drove out of Wal-Mart’s parking lot.
Is there an age when it’s too young for professional primping? Studies show that girls as young as 2 years old are wearing lip gloss, sporting nail polish and getting makeovers at the mall. Then again, if you have a young daughter you probably already know this given the increase in the number of spa birthday parties being offered by local salons.
Personally, I don’t see the harm in girls getting primped and pampered for special occasions. I experimented with hair and beauty products when I was a young girl. My mom used to let me play with her make-up and my best friend and I would paint each other’s nails and curl our hair with those sponge rollers. Of course, back then it was all done in the name of fun. My parents didn’t allow me to wear make-up in public until I was a senior in high school.
I’m not exactly sure why my parents imposed the rule. I doubt it was grounded in self-image issues. Rather, I have a feeling they wanted me to concentrate on my studies more than my looks, and they certainly didn’t want me spending all of my babysitting money on expensive cosmetics.
So how young is too young to dabble with make-up or get professionally primped? Do you see any detrimental effects to letting toddlers get a pedicure?
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