| Communion focus lost amid tans and
hair dos PREPARATIONS for a young girl’s First Holy Communion
have been likened to those of a wedding with salons jam-packed with bookings
for spray tans, gel nails and hair dos.
Top of this year’s wish list for many are handmade suits and Hummer
limousines.
According to beauticians many salons will be fully booked throughout May.
A spokeswoman for the Be U Beauty Clinic in Dublin said: “They are
ringing up telling us other beauty salons are booked up. The kids are
putting pressure on the mothers to get it done and there is obviously
a lot of peer pressure there too.”
The salon says that despite the fact that they refuse to carry out tanning
and gel nail treatments on young children on ethical grounds, they are
still receiving calls from parents pleading to book their children in
for treatments.
“The most popular request would be for a spray tan and some are
asking for gel nails too, which we feel would be inappropriate for a young
child,” said the spokeswoman.
One Dublin mum said her daughter and many of her friends were looking
forward to the beauty salon element of the big day.
She said: “I’m bringing her to a beautician to get a spray
tan and her nails done. There’s a good few of her friends getting
it done too. The treatments are only working out at 60 euros (£40). But
we’re also having a big house party and getting caterers in.”
Meanwhile school teachers are urging parents to focus on the real meaning
of the day.
Max Cannon, principal at the Ballycragh National School in Tallaght, said:
“We are trying to bring the focus back to the sacrament and involve
parents in the preparation in the run-up to the Holy Communion. But it’s
inevitable, particularly with girls, that some people will lose the run
of themselves.” |
