Too Young For Makeup

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I think it is reasonable to be concerned about girls that young wearing makeup. I personally don’t care for make-up. I frankly think that much of its use is vanity and I plan to be very careful with my daughter and let her know that she is not only acceptable to go out in public without makeup, but she is beautiful, very beautiful in her natural state. That being said, I think it is important to note that people wear makeup with a myriad of motivations. I don’t think I would allow a child younger than high school to wear makeup to school, however, I think wearing it to appropriate occasions such as a party or dance would be okay. The concern for me wouldn’t be so much that my daughter wanted to wear makeup, but WHY she wanted to wear it. Does she like a certain style of dress that includes it? Okay. Does she want to use it to stand out? meh. all right. Does she like the artistic aspect of it? I can dig it. Does she think she needs to wear it to fit in? Mama radar is perking up. Does she obsess over little imperfections like a pimple? Not cool. Does she feel like she needs to “cover up” her features so she blends in? Yikes! Does she feel uncomfortable in public without it? Double yikes!
 
The rule in our house is at 13 you may wear makeup.
However, nail polish is okay.
 
If the makeup is for a game of “dress up” with Mommy, there’s nothing wrong with it.

However, serious makeup use should not be encouraged until your girls are in their teens. And then, you can teach them how to apply it properly and when to wear it.

None of your girls need to be little “Material Girl(s).”
 
If they are very interested in makeup, it’s alright to have some fun with it. But really, you should be directing their interests to things that have lasting value. If they like the artistic aspect of doing makeup, you could enroll them in art classes.
 
I only ever had “play makeup” when I was younger (around that age, 10 or 11 or so). I used it sometimes but wasn’t really that interested. I did like to use nail polish sometimes though. Then, by the time I was in high school, I didn’t even care about nail polish or makeup. I think maybe the last time I put nail polish on was on the occasion of my junior and senior prom, and that was it. I didn’t even do my nails for my wedding…I preferred a clean, natural look.

Usually I just wear a bit of concealer and foundation to even out my skin…I don’t want people asking me if I’m tired because I have a bit of purple under my eyes lol. I have considered trying a little more makeup in order to look older (I’m 26, but do still sometimes get mistaken for a teenager) and have people take me more seriously, but I don’t think I have the time or effort for it. For my wedding, a couple friends put mascara on me and a tiny bit of gold eyeliner in the corners of my eyes to brighten them. It was actually really lovely. I do that occasionally because my husband really liked it. 😉
 
My house rule was that a little makeup was fine for special occasions in middle school (eye shadow and tinted lip gloss), but not everyday to school. I relaxed that rule in high school, because my DD had terrible acne and the accompanying self-esteem issues, so I let her wear more to cover up the acne. I let her experiment at home as much as she wanted but I had veto power and usually all I needed to say, was “that’s a little heavy-handed” and she’d say “ok” and start over. She trusted my judgement and I kept it positive. We had make-up nights where she would do my makeup and I would do hers just as often as she would have girl friends come over for the same thing. FUN times!
 
And, more importantly, how to take it off appropriately. Leaving that stuff on all night will jack up your skin!
 
my parents’ rule was no makeup until high school. i was a bit of a tomboy and didn’t even want to wear it much then. now, i wear makeup to work during the work week as part of looking put-together and professional, but rarely on the weekends, unless i need concealer or something.

i think 11 (and certainly 7) is too young. it’s an expensive habit, and kids should be able to look like kids. by high school, though, it can sometimes be useful for things like concealing acne, etc., which can help with self-esteem. so i think high school and on is totally fine, but the interest should originate from the child, not their mother.
 
casslean said:
You can look good for you, even when you’re a girl.
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Which is why I wear makeup, buy clothes that look nice on me, and take a bit of time with my appearance 95% of the time. It’s not about “them”. It’s about me.
casslean said:
Makeup should be age appropriate, no matter what the age, and should be reasonable and flattering. If your seven-year-old is painting her face like Marilyn Monroe, that’s a problem. If she’s wearing pink nail polish and sparkles, she’s probably fine. If you make a fuss over everything she wears, she learns to be self-conscious and/or rebels against it at the earliest opportunity.
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Yes yes yes! Peel off nail polish and clear lip gloss is a big deal to a kiddo.
alice24 said:
My husband notice other women´s looks as beautiful, it doesnt have to be a sexually looking.
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If my husband didn’t appreciate the human form, I’d be concerned. 🙂
LumineDiei said:
There is a difference between wanting to look attractive and trying to attract the opposite sex. Why do we wear clothing that is stylish instead of a clean potato sack? Why do people dress up for church? Job interviews? Work? Why do men shave and why do both sexes cut and style their hair? I’m sorry you see the application of make-up as something frivolous, but when worn in good taste, it doesn’t differ from the other grooming or apparel reasons I mentioned above. Those other things aren’t really necessary, but, like appropriately applied make-up, go a long way towards making a good outward impression.
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I went to an all-girls parochial college in NC for two years for an Associate degree. (It’s now a four year coed school.) My professors commented to my parents on visitation weekend that the fact that I didn’t just roll out of bed and go to class in the AM (like almost everyone else) spoke volumes to them about my seriousness and my desire to be taken seriously. That didn’t make my any better or any more committed than anyone else, and I didn’t do it for that reason - I did it because I was working hard, as were my parents, to get and keep me there (financially speaking), and that was my job - to get an education. Why would I go to my job any other way? I’ve never forgotten that as it drove home for me the power of the impression we create.
 
I agree, but my wife feels it is harmless, so I am trying to be tolerant (especially since the 11 year old step-daughter was using play makeup before we got married at the age of 9).
 
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Play makeup is just that - play makeup.

Didn’t you want to be a “grownup” when you were a kid? Didn’t you have toy tools and flip your bike over pretending you were working on it like a car? I can remember being a little kid and the boys pretending the jungle gym climber thing was a building and they were the guys putting the thing up. To be fair it did resemble scaffolding. 😆

Play makeup and dress up is to some little girls what toy tools and the like are to some little boys. Just like baby dolls and all the accoutrements that go with it.
 
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Mason1229 said:
I agree, but my wife feels it is harmless, so I am trying to be tolerant (especially since the 11 year old step-daughter was using play makeup before we got married at the age of 9).
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Why not ask your wife simply to let it stay play makeup. Wearing makeup isn’t great for the skin and 11yo’s often aren’t great at washing.

Is their father in the picture?
 
I feel that “play makeup” IS harmless. But regular use for going out in public at that age is when it becomes concerning. If the makeup your stepdaughters received is for play (or for in the house) only and there are rules for its use, I don’t see much issue with that at all.
 
Mason1229 said:
My 11 year old step-daughter wears makeup - My 7 year old step-daughter (turned 7 today) got make up from her mom for her birthday. We have a 17 month old girl we had together - I’m very concerned about introducing makeup and the whole material girl thing at such young ages. What is a good rule of thumb?
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I’d be uncomfortable with it, to say the least.

I’m the father of two daughters. Too young to worry about makeup just yet (they’re 4.5 and 18 months), but still, I wouldn’t like it.

Perhaps, when they’re in high school and old enough to go to formal or semi-formal events, where dressing up is required, they can wear makeup. Minimal, tasteful makeup. I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.

Fortunately, my wife is definitely not into makeup. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her wear any, not ever. So the girls have a good role model.
 
I get it. It’s the culture we grow up in. I grew up hunting and fishing. I didn’t wear shoes the entire summer as a kid. But the issue I have is that the makeup is so pro-sex, liberal minded and anti-moral, and it scares me tp death - I don’t even want to think about my daughter wearing make up.
 
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I was hoping to find that nobody allows makeup before the child turns 15, but what I am seeing from all the comments is that it’s strictly parental control. The mature mind can handle things that a more immature mind cannot and as parents, we have to figure out what that means for our kids.

Thanks for all the (name removed by moderator)ut.
 
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Mason1229 said:
I get it. It’s the culture we grow up in. I grew up hunting and fishing. I didn’t wear shoes the entire summer as a kid. But the issue I have is that the makeup is so pro-sex, liberal minded and anti-moral, and it scares me tp death - I don’t even want to think about my daughter wearing make up.
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When I was probably 6 or so, one of my school friends gave me some of her mom’s Avon lipstick samples. It was awesome.

This has nothing to do with sex or being liberal–little girls love to experiment with this stuff. Don’t make it a big deal.

But you’re perfectly right to insist that it get washed off before the girls go out in public when they’re little.
 
Mason1229 said:
the issue I have is that the makeup is so pro-sex, liberal minded and anti-moral, and it scares me tp death -
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This is your feeling, not the social and aesthetical meaning of make up. I’ve never experienced being seen as morally loose with red lipstick.
 
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