To pluck or not to pluck?

Exhibit A:



Anyone care to take a stab at the name of this smiling girl? It's none other than Lourdes Maria Ciccone Leon, a.k.a. Madonna's love child. What do you notice first about the lovely Lourdes? I'm going to guess that it's not her attire...

Before you give me a tongue-lashing for making fun of a 12-year-old, hear me out:

Self-confidence and assurance of who you are, regardless of your appearance, is very important. Someday, I hope to have an adolescent daughter to affirm and encourage her way to a healthy self-image.

However--- you better believe I'll give her a pair of tweezers and a magnifying mirror so her fuzzy uni-brow isn't responsible for ostracizing her from her peers.

I went through an awkward phase in sixth grade. I had huge glasses. A mouth full of metal. And fuzzy legs. I can remember begging my mom to let me shave my legs because I was embarrassed to wear shorts in gym class.

When she finally caved, I was so excited. By that time, I'd realized subtle tweaks to my appearance would attract attention from my male counterparts, even if their advances were of the pre-pubescent variety.

Granted, I don't come from the school of thought that says that a woman should alter her appearance in order to snag a man--but if we can all be honest, a little lip gloss and mascara doesn't hurt when flashing a pouty-come-kiss-me pucker, while batting your eyes at your man of the hour.

Am I overstepping my bounds in asking Madonna to tackle the Borat brow and the caterpillar babies on Lourdes upper lip?