Waxing ban in New Jersey

From New Jersey:

It looks like bikini season will come to New Jersey after all.

Perhaps realizing how silly they looked, Garden State officials on Friday scrapped plans for a ban on "Brazilian" bikini waxes.

The ban was being considered by the state's Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling because two women had been hospitalized in the last year for infections following a bare-it-all Brazilian-style treatment.

But in a letter to the board on Friday, New Jersey Consumer Affairs Director David Szuchman wrote: "I cannot agree to the complete prohibition ... banning removal of hair in the genital area."



For the uninitiated, a Brazilian-style bikini wax involves the full removal of hair from what can euphemistically be called the "bikini region." Jeannette Abou-Mourad, owner of Sisters Skin Care and Waxing on Michigan Avenue, explained that despite its South American name the practice began thousands of years ago in the Middle East, a tradition considered routine and hygienic.

"It's pure cleanliness," she said. "It began in the Middle East, then traveled to Brazil and around other parts of the world before it wound up in America."

Salon owners in New Jersey cried out when they heard about the potential ban, fearing the economic impact it might have with bikini season on the horizon.

Szuchman, in his letter to the cosmetology board, wrote that he believes there are "alternate means to address any public health issues" and he encouraged the board to begin a review of the training needed to safely provide Brazilian bikini waxes.

Because in Jersey, it is camaro hair everywhere!

Sex in the city

More than one fourth of adult New Yorkers are infected with the virus the causes genital herpes, the Department of Health announced today.

Twenty-six percent of New Yorkers have genital herpes, while the national average is 19 percent, according to the DOH. Among New Yorkers, women have a higher instance of genital herpes infection, 36 percent, as compared with men, 19 percent.

According to the report, the herpes infection rate is 49 percent among black New Yorkers and 14 percent among white New Yorkers. Genital herpes is also more common among men who have sex with other men, 32 percent, than among those who do not, 18 percent.

One piece of good news among the grim statistics, Schillinger said, is that nationally herpes infections have been trending downward from a decade ago. So that while New York is higher compared with the national average, the trend might also be declining over time.

But she said that most importantly, people need to practice safe sex to prevent the disease from spreading.

"Condoms used correctly and consistently are the best answer to this problem," Schillinger said. "We all know the role condoms play in curbing the spread of HIV. Herpes is another critical reason to use condoms."

I can't stress the importance of using the proper protection. Don't mind the monkies, though.