How Young is Too Young?

There’s been a bit of media coverage recently about makeup and beauty treatments aimed at young children:

There was a seven year old girl who got a £6,000 breast enlargement voucher for her seventh birthday from her mother (read the full story here).

The beauty salon in the UK ‘Trendy Monkeys’ offering makeup services, makeovers and facials for girls as young as one year old.

And Walmart, earlier this year launched a range of makeup specially designed for girls aged 8 – 12 called Geo-Girl.  It’s hard to get images of it but I came across a blog called ‘shake up your makeup’ that reviewed Geo-Girl if you want to see what it looks like.

I don’t have a problem with this product but I think one of the most insidious statements I’ve read in recent times was from Walmart about the pre-teen makeup market:

“Girls are wearing clear nail polish and gloss at 3-5 years old now so by 8 they naturally want a little enhancement.” 

This came from a promotional video from a group called Pinkstinks, who campaign for real role models for children. Have a look at their video on Walmart Geo-Girl.

I bought my first bit of makeup when I was 12, going on 13 and by 15 I wouldn’t be caught dead out doors without some makeup on, even if it was only a bit of eyeliner – oh to have the skin of a fresh faced teen again! And I remember when I was around 8 years old playing with my mums old makeup and wishing that the ‘makeup’ products from my Girls-World head would work on me too.

So I personally don’t have an issue with kids ‘playing’ with makeup and dressing up but I’d hate to see it go any further than that, we only get to be kids for such a short time!