I was horrified as I read a Daily Mail opinion piece this morning by Ruth Preston (thankfully, a pseudonym), the mother of a 15-year-old girl.

Ruth was shocked to inadvertently notice one day that her daughter had gotten rid of all of the hair ... down there.

Of course, Ruth was certain that this meant her daughter was sexually active, and even if that wasn't the case, the thought that her daughter was thinking of that area in that way appalled her.

But then her friend, a midwife, reassured Ruth that she didn't need to worry, because from what she was seeing, ALL teenage girls were doing it.

O.   M.   G.

All teenage girls?

I mean, I'm sure it's not all, but the fact that a significant number of girls barely past puberty think going "bare floor" or even Brazilian is desirable just kills me.

And you know, I can't help but think that the Internet has a LOT to do with it.

When I was a kid, I remember going to an overnight party in fourth grade and looking at Playboy magazines from the '60s that my friend's dad thought he had safely hidden in the basement.

I thought that was pretty racy back then, but I can't even imagine what fourth graders these days are seeing when no one's looking. Come to think of it, maybe I should just forbid my kids from ever sleeping over at anyone's house, like one of my mom friends has done...

We worry enough about what fashion magazines are doing to our daughters' self image, but no one talks about the effects that porn on the Internet (or even "wardrobe malfunctions" that make it pretty clear that even the youngest Hollywood starlets are going "bare floor" themselves) are certainly having on them. It makes sense that girls could be getting a false image of what boys will find desirable.

Okay. I'm officially freaking out now.

We're moving to Svalbard before my kids get any older!!

What do you think about teens getting "extreme" bikini waxes (or doing the job themselves)? Are you as horrified at the thought of this trend as I am?

Image via Cisc1970/Flickr