As adults, we understand that society and the media put a lot of undue pressure on us β particularly on women β to be beautiful according to society's arbitrary standards. These standards are often unattainable and leave women feeling bad about themselves. Many will try to improve their appearance through diet, exercise, and makeup.
There is, of course, nothing wrong with doing any of these things, but when is it too young to start trying to achieve a "perfect" physical aesthetic? Is it OK for a mother to begin waxing her daughter's eyebrows at just 3 years old?
Texas mom Leah Garcia, 31, has gone viral on TikTok with a video of her waxing the eyebrows of her 3-year-old daughter, Bliss, to get rid of her "unibrow." The mom says she wants to prevent her daughter from being bullied, but is Bliss too young for this type of beauty treatment?
Garcia is waxing Bliss' brows to protect her from bullying.
Garcia wants her followers to know that her intentions are good and that she isn't interested in negative feedback. The video begins with Garcia applying a wax strip between Bliss' eyebrows. A caption over the video reads, "I don't care. I don't care. I'd rather ya'll call me a bad mom before I let my 3-year-old walk around with a unibrow like my parents did."
Her personal experience has driven her to wax her daughter's eyebrows, but is that a good idea? Bliss is uncomfortable with the waxing and tells Garcia she hurt her.
"Owe. Mommy. Owe. Mom. That hurt myself." She isn't crying but rubbing her head where Garcia removed the hair.
The video then cuts to Bliss, still touching her face, and Garcia praising her. "Alright, girl. Now you got two eyebrows," she says. Bliss doesn't seem very impressed by the smooth skin on her forehead and just walks away.
Garcia simply wants to protect her daughter.
Garcia told Today that she was bullied as a child for her thick eyebrows and wants to save her daughters from the same embarrassment. She is also the mom of 11-year-old Behautti, who she started waxing at the age of 3 as well. Garcia says the girls have agreed to the procedure, and it was never her intention to hurt them.
"We have 'waxing days' at home," she explained. "I ask, 'Who wants to wax?' No one is holding down Bliss β she's not screaming in pain. It's her choice," she told the news outlet.
She contends that this is a form of protection. Even though she understands the backlash, she stands by her decision.
"I understand where (critics) are coming from but kids can be cruel," she explained. "Waxing her unibrow isn't giving in to bullies; it's preventing them from targeting my daughter."
The video quickly went viral.
The 17-second video went viral quickly, and it has racked up 19.6 million views in just a few days. More than 30K people have commented on it, and 2.6 million viewers have reacted. Garcia has many supporters, far more than naysayers.
Followers empathized with the mother and her daughters' struggles.
"My mom wouldn't let me shave on 7th grade and I would get bullied for it great job mom," one person commented.
"Ugh I wish my mom did this for me. Got bullied so hard for my eyebrows and my arms," another person wrote.
Others praised her and their own moms. "My mom did this for me at a young age and my mustache and I'm grateful she did cause to this day I hate hair sm," one commenter shared.
Not everyone agrees with Garcia, though.
Although Garcia received a lot of praise about being proactive and protecting her daughters from mean kids, not everyone is on board. You will always have people who are not fans.
"This is so sad I can't believe these comments," one TikTok user shared.
"nah i disagree unibrows are beautiful," another person observed.
And there were the words of warning.
"Only word of advice is when she says something hurts, pause and ask if you can continue instead of like a 'let me finish' vibe. That's all," someone wrote.
"[S]he'll hate you when she gets to 6th grade n has to do it everyday," another person shared.
What do the experts say?
Is Garcia really doing something that will hurt her daughters? There is no clear-cut answer. Today talked with Francyne Zelster, the clinical director of psychology, training, and special projects at Manhattan Psychology Group, who recommended parents talk to their pediatrician before performing body treatments such as hair removal.
"It's difficult to say with confidence that a 3-year-old would ask to be waxed unless they've expressed prior discomfort or insecurity," she told Today.
Zeltzer said it is most important to talk with the child and ensure the child is comfortable. She also said that children should be assured that waxing is not permanent and can stop at any time.
"There's no right or wrong answer," Zeltzer said. "People have to do what's right for their families."
