Should I be worried about my (pre)teens makeup? Is it too soon? When is the right time for my teen to wear makeup? How much makeup is too much?
These are all questions that parents like you are concerned with.
Your teen is growing up and developing their own character. Testing out their clothes, shoes, slang, and makeup.
But how much makeup is too much?
The more important questions are:
What is your teens purpose around the makeup being used?
and
What benefit does makeup have in your child’s life?
If you don’t know the answer, then ask your teen.
Growing up I was only allowed to wear makeup for dance recitals or cheerleading. However, my mother didn’t understand that “all” my friends were wearing the infamous black eyeliner and mascara.
Nowadays, this is considered minimal makeup.
This is due to our society and media modeling “perfection” by the “flawless” skin we should have.
Just last week, Kendall Jenner was criticized for the amount of makeup she was wearing to cover her acne. As if we all have the choice to wake up without acne?“We must teach our teens the power of inner beauty vs. allowing the media to influence our decisions.”
If you want to go the extra mile, you can also educate them on the media’s purpose (hint: to gain more clicks and get people to gossip – to get more clicks!)
The point is, just like back then, teenagers now are just trying to fit in!
So, talk to your teen, ask them what their thoughts are behind makeup, if they are hiding from something, or simply trying to fit in (temporarily) and be open to their response.
As I mentioned before, with new social applications like Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram, your teen has no privacy.
They can be openly exposed to being photographed at any minute which adds more pressure than ever before to look perfect at all times.