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MYOB-wax?

posted at 6:05 pm on March 16, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
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An old political joke instructed people that the difference between liberals and conservatives was that the former wanted government in the boardroom while the latter wanted government in the bedroom. Maybe we need a new category of people who want government in your underwear. New Jersey now wants to outlaw the Brazilian wax job:

Things could get hairy in New Jersey this summer for women who sport revealing bikinis or a little bit less.

The painful Brazilian wax and its intimate derivatives are in danger of being stripped from salon and spa menus if a recent proposal to ban genital waxing is passed by the state’s Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling.

Cherry Hill salon owner Linda Orsuto said that women would “go ballistic” if the proposal passed. She said that some women would resort to waxing themselves, visiting unlicensed salons or traveling to other states, including Pennsylvania, in a quest to remain bare down there.

“The clients are going to freak,” said Orsuto, who owns 800 West Salon & Spa, on Route 70. “It’s a hot issue, and we’re going to have to do something.”

New Jersey statutes allow waxing of the face, neck, arms, legs and abdomen, but officials say that genital waxing has always been illegal, although not spelled out.

Without commenting on the value or the need for such services as a Brazilian wax, why is New Jersey involved in the issue at all? Politicians say they have received complaints about injuries and infections, but point to a grand total of two such hospitalizations in a year. I’d bet bicycling generates more than that in a month in New Jersey, and is less regulated. Those two cases can be addressed through licensing boards and legal action against the service provider, not an outright ban.

People pay for a lot of services and goods I’d choose not to buy, including this, but that doesn’t mean it should be banned. What possible state interest could be found in banning hair removal and the voluntary agreement for compensation for it?

On the other hand, maybe Garden State residents have it good. Obviously, their state government has solved all of their other problems if they have time to worry about Brazilian wax jobs. Maybe New Jersey voters should call their state legislators and, er, congratulate them on having so much free time that they feel compelled to worry about bikini lines.

Update: As commenter Csdeven warns, get ready for a flood of back-alley wax jobs. “Keep your hands off of my … er …”

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There will be Jiffy Wax’s popping up all around NJ at the state line. Could prove to be a stimulus….. for the economy.

Hog Wild on March 16, 2009 at 7:31 PM

Volume 14, Number 11–November 2008

Dispatch

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus in a Beauty Salon, the Netherlands

http://www.cdc.gov/eid/content/14/11/1797.htm

funky chicken on March 16, 2009 at 7:31 PM

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Free eyebrow wax MRSA bacteria fest in Dakota County nail salons! Come ‘n get your free staph infection!

Fact: In Minnesota, nail salons are not routinely inspected by the health department or any other agency. Salon owners pay a licensing fee to their city, but I don’t know what those funds provide for them or for the community.

After my extensive research (one google search) indicated that salons in Minnesota are licensed by the county, not the state, (WRONG!)I called the Dakota County Public Health Department to tell them that I have a suspicion that my daughter acquired MRSA from the salon where she had her eyebrows waxed. I emphasized that I can’t be sure of this, but wondered if an inspector might go out to the salon in question and stab a q-tip into the melty wax, culture it, and see if it grows anything interesting. Answer: nope. They don’t do that. They report it to the state, and if, and only if, the state gets enough similar reports relating to the same salon, then they send somebody out. Also turns out that google was WRONG! Salons are licensed by the city, not the county.

Fact: Your skin, at any given time, has any number of bacteria happily squirming away microscopically.

While MRSA used to be something you only get at a hospital, it’s living well in the community now. Most people have some of it on their skin. Any break in the skin is a little open door with a welcome mat, inviting bacteria to come on in and make itself at home. When you wax your eyebrows, skin can be broken and bacteria can get in. Even if the salon’s wax is perfectly clean and bacteria-free, you can still get an infection, especially if your skin is not cleaned with antiseptic before the procedure.

Fact: Salon wax is kept at a temperature between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit, making it ripe for bacteria growth.

We’ll not be having our eyebrows waxed in a salon anymore, thank you very much. Maybe the wax is contaminated, maybe it’s not. I’m going to assume it is, because I can’t prove otherwise, and I don’t want Kelly to have to go through another two weeks of pain, urgent care and ER visits, surgery, Percoset, drainage, swelling, and scarring.

You have to get really hot to kill MRSA, and then the wax would burn skin.

I’m not even going to look up the STIs.

funky chicken on March 16, 2009 at 7:34 PM

http://lists.nurse.net/pipermail/np-clinical/2007-November/012634.html

Don’t get your private parts waxed at a public salon, that’s all I’m saying.

funky chicken on March 16, 2009 at 7:37 PM

Is MRSA a common isolate
from vulvar abscesses?

Yes In this retrospective study involving 162 women, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) was the most common organism isolated from vulvar abscesses, at a prevalence of 64%.
Thurman AS, Satterfield TM, Soper DE. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus as a common cause of vulvar abscesses. Obstet Gynecol. 2008;112:538–544.

http://www.apctoday.com/article_pages.asp?AID=7374&UID

urg

MRSA is reported to health departments, as are most of the STIs. There must have been outbreaks….

funky chicken on March 16, 2009 at 7:40 PM

Why ban such a thing? Just enact a “Wax Tax”. Isn’t that what hopenchange is all about?

TXUS on March 16, 2009 at 7:40 PM

Ok, so fetuses can get sucked out and left in a closet, but want that Brazilian? Nope — too dangerous!

mr.blacksheep on March 16, 2009 at 7:42 PM

Why ban such a thing? Just enact a “Wax Tax”. Isn’t that what hopenchange is all about?

TXUS on March 16, 2009 at 7:40 PM

They could call it the Bald Beaver Tax.

I wonder if the New Jersey Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife would cover this jurisdiction. hmmmm.

Amadeus on March 16, 2009 at 7:51 PM

So you can choose to Kill your Baby….

But wax n ya va jay jay is a state no no…

Remind me again.
When it comes to a woman’s body.
Who gets to make the decision?

roflmao

donabernathy on March 16, 2009 at 7:52 PM

I wasnt going to say anything but ….. I CANT , its sitting there screaming PICK ME UP !

This makes alot of sense to me, seeings that the state fruit is the HIGH BUSH blueberry.

http://www.e-referencedesk.com/resources/state-fruit/new-jersey.html

ColdWarrior57 on March 16, 2009 at 7:52 PM

Why ban such a thing? Just enact a “Wax Tax”. Isn’t that what hopenchange is all about?

TXUS on March 16, 2009 at 7:40 PM

Yeah. That’s it. Legalize EVERYTHING. Theft, murder, anything goes — and then tax the crap out of it. Obama is kicking Geitner right about now and saying “Why didn’t YOU think of that!”

My collie says:

How long before we pay a tax for breathing the air?

Sorry, collie. It’s the ONLY WAY to pay for the national debt created by the slave trader in chief.

CyberCipher on March 16, 2009 at 7:54 PM

Come on down, collie. You can still be waxed in NM. Less postage to send you to Korea.

HornetSting on March 16, 2009 at 7:07 PM

Well, okay. If you insist.

My collie says:

My only regret is that I has but ONE coat of hair to give for my country. Besides, I’d rather look like a Mexican hairless than live under the tyranny of a bottle brush head (Kim Jong il).

CyberCipher on March 16, 2009 at 7:58 PM

I am all for Brazilian waxing; just not in a pubic place.

carbon_footprint on March 16, 2009 at 7:59 PM

CyberCipher on March 16, 2009 at 7:58 PM

My domestic short hair feline says:

You are a patriot and a scholar, my furry friend, collie.

HornetSting on March 16, 2009 at 8:00 PM

This could be the beginning of a fringe movement.

Speakup on March 16, 2009 at 8:01 PM

She asks me why
I’m just a hairy guy
I’m hairy noon and night
Hair that’s a fright
I’m hairy high and low
Don’t ask me why
Don’t know
It’s not for lack of break
Like the Grateful Dead
Darling

Gimme head with hair
Long beautiful hair
Shining, gleaming,
Streaming, flaxen, waxen

Give me down to there hair
Shoulder length or longer
Here baby, there mama
Everywhere daddy daddy

Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair

Let it fly in the breeze
And get caught in the trees
Give a home to the fleas in my hair
A home for fleas
A hive for bees
A nest for birds
There ain’t no words
For the beauty, the splendor, the wonder
Of my…

Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair

I want it long, straight, curly, fuzzy
Snaggy, shaggy, ratty, matty
Oily, greasy, fleecy
Shining, gleaming, streaming
Flaxen, waxen
Knotted, polka-dotted
Twisted, beaded, braided
Powdered, flowered, and confettied
Bangled, tangled, spangled, and spaghettied!

Oh say can you see
My eyes if you can
Then my hair’s too short

Down to here
Down to there
Down to where
It stops by itself

They’ll be ga ga at the go go
When they see me in my toga
My toga made of blond
Brilliantined
Biblical hair

My hair like Jesus wore it
Hallelujah I adore it
Hallelujah Mary loved her son
Why don’t my mother love me?

Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair

Speakup on March 16, 2009 at 8:13 PM

I shave down there, no Brazilian needed. OK, I know it’s TMI. As for eyebrows, I have always wanted to try threading. Cotton thread is cheap, so it’s not likely to be re-used.

Sekhmet on March 16, 2009 at 8:14 PM

Thats it,I’m rounding up all the Canadian beavers
from their natural habitat,just so they don’t get
Braziled,

it gets cold up north,don’t cha no!!hahaha.

canopfor on March 16, 2009 at 8:26 PM

Just when I thought they couldn’t tax anything else. The Beatles were right:

Beware the pennies on your eyes…Taxman.

Sounds like a hairy situation to me.

kingsjester on March 16, 2009 at 8:37 PM

If anything, they should be mandatory!
Let’s get cracking on this.

TheSitRep on March 16, 2009 at 8:42 PM

My little Filipina is blessed with long black hair on her head and very thin eyebrows…n thats it. No wax, no razors, no hair anywhere. She’s a smooth n silky mocha frappachino.

Alden Pyle on March 16, 2009 at 8:44 PM

My little Filipina is blessed with long black hair on her head and very thin eyebrows…n thats it. No wax, no razors, no hair anywhere. She’s a smooth n silky mocha frappachino.

Mine too Alden, mine too.

Teacher in Tejas on March 16, 2009 at 8:48 PM

And here I’ve been offering the breast exams out of the back of my panel van… damn I misread the market; no wonder I’ve had so few customers.

XX Wax, here I come.

gekkobear on March 16, 2009 at 8:52 PM

Thats it,I’m rounding up all the Canadian beavers
from their natural habitat,just so they don’t get
Braziled,

it gets cold up north,don’t cha no!!hahaha.

canopfor on March 16, 2009 at 8:26 PM

Dude.

You are such a ….humanitarian!

hillbillyjim on March 16, 2009 at 8:54 PM

Dude.

hillbillyjim on Mar 16,2009 at 8:54PM.

hillbillyjim:Ahoy HBJ,hehe!They will come for the beavers,
then the foxes,they won’t stop,minks,and
weasels will be next!!haha:)

canopfor on March 16, 2009 at 9:15 PM

why is New Jersey involved in the issue at all?

Because our nanny state would rather waste its time on crap like this than, say, tackling our multi-billion-dollar deficit? Oh, wait, that was a rhetorical question.

Paul_in_NJ on March 16, 2009 at 9:50 PM

who gives a shit?

let the free market decide.

Xolom on March 16, 2009 at 10:54 PM

Didn’t Obama just meet with the leader of Brazil!?

I question the timing!

(God help us if he sends probe to Uranus!)

profitsbeard on March 17, 2009 at 1:42 AM

thank you funky chicken for grossing me out!

Diogenes of Sinope on March 17, 2009 at 1:51 AM

so…what? they’re Pro-Bush now???

uptight on March 17, 2009 at 2:04 AM

funky chicken on March 16, 2009 at 7:40 PM

–

funky chicken on March 16, 2009 at 7:34 PM

Dang, Funky. You’ve just revealed a business opportunity waiting to happen. Public salons that feature individual wax pots (disposed of between clients), antiseptic washing before waxing, gloves and disposable, one-use sticks and pullers.

In other words, the concerns you listed are easily addressed through a few simple precautions. I’m pretty sure that, if infection concern were rise (say, through advertising), some enterprising spa could make a killing offering “safe” waxing.

The minor risk of infection from a spa wax is reason to regulate precautions, not a ban. We don’t ban all restaurant food due to the risk of e-coli, salmonella, Hep-C, etc… We simply regulate and inspect.

Random Numbers (Brian Epps) on March 17, 2009 at 3:47 AM

Be warned: This kind of government intrusion is the camel’s toe – er, nose! – under the tent…

Captain Scarlet on March 17, 2009 at 6:34 AM

Oh wow, the Telly Savalas is going to get outlawed? Who loves ya baby?

conservnut on March 17, 2009 at 7:08 AM

so…what? they’re Pro-Bush now???

uptight on March 17, 2009 at 2:04 AM

Winner!

loudmouth883 on March 17, 2009 at 7:48 AM

I feel safer now.

molonlabe28 on March 17, 2009 at 10:49 AM

If New Jersey goes through with this, they will be in for a rough patch, indeed.

SKYFOX on March 17, 2009 at 11:33 AM

Fact: Your skin, at any given time, has any number of bacteria happily squirming away microscopically.

While MRSA used to be something you only get at a hospital, it’s living well in the community now. Most people have some of it on their skin. Any break in the skin is a little open door with a welcome mat, inviting bacteria to come on in and make itself at home. When you wax your eyebrows, skin can be broken and bacteria can get in. Even if the salon’s wax is perfectly clean and bacteria-free, you can still get an infection, especially if your skin is not cleaned with antiseptic before the procedure.

Fact: I shave my face 3-4 times a week, with a razor I set down on a ledge in my shower, probably exposing it to all sorts of nasty bacteria. I never wash the razor and sometimes I nick myself while shaving. I’ve never run to the hospital to get a shot due to this.

Your body is constantly exposed to bacteria, sometimes even directly contacting the blood (bypassing your body’s natural protections). If the worries over possible infection are bothering you, then you might as well just lock yourself in a padded cell because life is full of risks and dangers. You mitigate risks as best you can without it ruining your life, at least that’s my approach.

I ate dirt as a kid, and I still eat things off the floor if I drop it (3 second rule is in effect in my house). However, I wash my hands after using the restroom everytime or before preparing meals. I believe in the, “whatever doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” motto of the Marines, and its true. If you live your life in fear of this stupid crap, you’ll get to the end and realized that you wasted your life worrying about stuff you have very little control over. I teach my daughters that nicks and bruises they get from accidents are no big deal because they’re _________ (fill in with last name) and they’re tough. Pain and injury builds character and teaches lessons.

Frickin’ nanny state caters to beta-males and panty-waists, I swear. Christ, I wish that evolution worked quicker and killed off the sick and the weak(minded).

Geministorm on March 17, 2009 at 1:36 PM

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