Videos and posts on social media showed young girls going into Sephora and destroying testers and products, treating other customers and staff horribly, and buying hundreds of dollars worth of trending skincare brands. This caused people to wonder why there is a sudden rise in kids storming beauty stores where the age range is young adults to adults. It’s because girls are seeing “get ready with me” videos where influencers push beauty products, and girls want to emulate that. Girls blindly follow these influencers, not knowing the effects the products will have on them.
With the rise of social media, parents are more lenient with screen times, and what their kids watch, girls are developing a fear of aging and having wrinkles at the age of eight. They see these beauty influencers use the complex, expensive skin care routines, and want to emulate them. So, girls obsess over anti-aging serums, retinol, and kojic acid creams. This ends up with girls chemically burning themselves to look youthful.
Retinol serums, lotions, pills, or face masks are a craze that the “Sephora kids” are infatuated with. Retinol can form a scaly rash, retinoid dermatitis, further damaging their skin. Making them even more susceptible to sun damage, completely reversing the effects they wanted to have. Another product is kojic acids and alpha and beta hydroxy acid exfoliators designed to remove fine lines, sunspots, acne scars, and wrinkles. The kojic acids and exfoliators are highly abrasive and chemically remove the top layer of skin. This causes girls to have chemical burns and painful rashes that are reversing the effects that they want to have.
While people express the effects these harsh products can have on kids, neither the popular beauty influencers nor the skincare companies have done anything to help bring awareness. Beauty Orange affirmed this by reporting these “…industries […] prey on women’s insecurities, not even caring to safe-guard young girls from the same exploitation.”. In fact, some of these brands took advantage of the situation and posted expensive and complicated routines that are “safe for kids.” The brands and influencers only are worried about beauty trends and pushing out products. For example, Hailey Bieber used the viral TikTok trend of “strawberry makeup” to launch and promote her Strawberry Glaze Peptide treatment.
Some are arguing this increase in awareness and use of professional products is beneficial to girls. Dermatologist, Dr. Cheng stated, “Preteens and teenagers are more aware […] and motivated to take care of their skin.” It’s allowing girls to learn more about hygiene. Having a routine in the morning sets up a productive day and there’s comfort in routine. If it’s a simple and practical routine.
Kids are not following a simple and practical routine. They are rushing to these stores, buying whatever influencers are promoting. It’s the “overwhelming options to modify oneself creates a sense of obligation […] to change” making it difficult to accept natural beauty. Girls do not need to remove wrinkles they do not have. The idea kids need to use these products in order to not have wrinkles is harmful and feeds this fear of aging.
There needs to be regulation and transparency to protect young girls. This push to look younger is damaging women’s self image, and is now ruining little girls’ self worth and image. Parents think this is “girls being girls” and wanting to look pretty, but in reality this trend to look youthful is further worsening self image. Little girls are being sucked into the horrors of beauty standards and the demonizing of aging, not just women.
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