Skip to Main Content

Beauty Parlour for 4 Year Olds? In Scotland?

beauty parlour for four year olds, beauty clinic for children, Glasgow parlour

 
We’ve long watched the US pageant industry with distaste and horror at the creeping sexualisation of increasingly young girls.  Now what appears to be a US-style beauty parlour for girls as young as four has just opened in Glasgow.

Tantrims (lol) and Tiaras resembles the popular US junior beauty parlours and offers pamper parties where kids scarcely out of nappies are offered alcohol-free ‘champagne’ , hair styling, nail painting and temporary tattoos.  
Sandra White, SNP MSP for Glasgow said to the Times:

‘The message that this business…sends out to very young children is that image is everything and they should be expected to look and act like mini adults’. 
 
Anne Houston of Children 1st was particularly horrified that children were being given mock champagne. 

‘The mimicking of drinking alcohol is concerning especially in light of recent reports of serious liver damage amongst young people’.

Mary Abbot, owner of Tantrims and Tiaras is furious at the negative coverage and says her venture is really only a glorified hair salon.

‘It’s harmless fun … a natural part of growing up.  I certainly remember wearing my mum’s high heels when I was a little girl and wanting to put her lipstick on’.   

Perhaps missing the point, Mary claims that the kids don’t even like the faux champagne.  Which begs the question of whether continuing to serve it could indeed only be to ape the more worrying aspects of grown up behaviour?

More Info

Article:  Anger Over Beauty Parlour Offering Adult-Style Makeovers to Children As Young As Four (Daily Record)

Tantrims and Tiaras

Have YOUR Say

Do YOU think a business like this contributes to the ‘creeping sexualisation’ of little girls or do you think it’s all just harmless fun?  leave a comment below.


  
 

Related articles: 
Is Womens' Day an Insult to Women?
Mobiles for Toddlers?
Stillettos - for BABIES?
No votes yet
Guest's picture
Submitted by Guest (not verified) on 9 December 2009 - 6:12pm.
to guest on 23rd sept.....yes i did go out once I had my make up applied as a child....didnt you?????? The mocking of drinking alcohol is just folk like you going all extreme......it is intrinsic behaviour of most little girly girls.....and yes I do remember rolling up toilet roll as a child pretending it was a cigarette.....and no my mother didnt roll it up for me.....ITS JUST CHILD PRETEND....we all did these things.....stop making it an issue you are only making a problem out of something that isnt. I also do childrens makeovers....and it is all glitters and glosses...the girls certainly dont leave my salon looking like mini adults....they look like little girls with glitter make up. Yo cant change this behaviour,,,,,and why would you want to...girls love it.....whats next ban dolls as it promotes little girls to become teenage mums.......Now pose the questions how many women wore make up as children.....how many sat with their little glasses of juice playing pretend.......and are now alcoholics????? How many women who played with dolls became single teen mums????? if anything it promotes children to drink healthy sugar free juice......and if i have to put juice into a champagne glass with a swirly straw in order for my child to drink it...I will. There is no statisitcs to prove that girls wearing make up causes any problems in later life...........stopping them from being little girls and doing little girly things would certainly have more of an affect I would think.....get a life x
Guest's picture
Submitted by Guest (not verified) on 9 December 2009 - 6:00pm.
I am more concerned at the folk who even think that there is a problem with this. Little girls since time began enjoy make up its what little girls do.....let them be innocent and enjoy the process of being a little girl.......the ones who complain are the ones with the issue...I ask why would you even think this way about children....it is you who have the issues....theyre little girls wearing make up...if you think this makes them look like adults.....dont look at them in that way...your issue i think.
Mary Abbott's picture
Submitted by Mary Abbott (not verified) on 17 November 2009 - 12:14pm.

I own Tantrims(trims as in hair cut's) and Tiaras hair salon an Glasgow and wish the people who voice their opinion would actually visit thew salon first. We are firstly a children only hair salon who happen to offer party packages which are extremely popular. WE DO NOT GIVE THE CHILDREN WHO VISIT THE SALON FAKE CHAMPAIGN. The children drink sugar free fruit juice. We do not use Mascarra, foundation ,spray tan etc. Children who attend the parties have their hair styled, Lip gloss and eye shaddow applied and have their nails painted. They do a craft activity at the craft table. They sing Karaoki, play party games and at the end of the party they have fruit and chocolate fountain. I am a mother i have three grown up children and one grand child i am not a monster and would not do anything to harm a child. I have never had any complaint's from any parent and you can read their feed back at  the website. Not one of the people who are kicking up a fuss about the hair salon has even visited or approached me to ask what we do or not do at the salon. Please do not beleive everything you read in the media. Mary Abbott

Guest's picture
Submitted by Guest on 23 September 2009 - 2:23pm.
There is a MASSIVE difference between the crazy American Beauty Pageant Industry and little girls role playing. As a mother and former beauty salon owner I would never condone sexualising little girls in any way shape or form - which I think has gone way too far in the USA. However I did sell an abundance of Princess Party and Angel Party experiences. A Princess Party involved a buch of little girls sitting around a table role playing and using bright colours, stickers and glitter to create 'rainbow nails and toes' etc which they loved. Personal hygiene was learnt and the little girls shared pots of sparkly dust, stickers and hair beads etc. They made more mess than anything and mum was happy not to have her good carpet ruined. Angel parties were all about encouraging confidence in teenage girls and providing an opportunity to ask a 'fully qualified' beauty therapist the most embarrasing questions about their skin and body. They left the salon loaded with healthy eating and skin care tips as well as feeling confident. That's the difference!!
Guest's picture
Submitted by Guest on 23 September 2009 - 11:04am.
yes we all dressed up as young girls, but did we go out in public afterwards...NOT. Giving the message that alcohol is a day time activity, and part of being attractive...questionable..why not get the sweet cigs out or snort up some sherbet? ..could go for a quick purge afterwards just to get the whole thing complete.

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
  • Internal paths in double quotes, written as "internal:node/99", for example, are replaced with the appropriate absolute URL or relative path.
  • Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.

More information about formatting options