So Tuesday I told you all about my entry for Vogue Talent Contest for Young Writer's 2015. For the second task we were asked to write a social commentary piece. So, today I'm sharing with you all my article...
A fifth of girls as young as twelve won't leave home without a face of make-up and over half of under-fourteens wear cosmetics EVERY day. Emma Fox debates why the young tweens of today are worryingly hiding behind ‘the mask’...Click below to read more
A fifth of girls as young as twelve won't leave home without a face of make-up and over half of under-fourteens wear cosmetics EVERY day. Emma Fox debates why the young tweens of today are worryingly hiding behind ‘the mask’...Click below to read more
I remember when I was a little girl, as do most,
grabbing the unfamiliar bag containing the ‘dress up’cosmetics from my sister's
vanity table and (over-) enthusiastically painting my face with pink eye shadow
and red blush in an attempt to resemble Barbie. I would observe in sheer
admiration at my older sibling strategically swirling fluffy brushes around her
rosy cheeks. Afterwards, I compared her look to the likes of Hilary Duff and
Ashley Tisdale in Teen Vogue. Of
course the look was lacking a certain je
ne sais quoi.
Formerly, it was common to
see young girls sporting the latest flavour of Lip Smacker or to see them
rummaging through the shelves of Claire’s Accessories picking out the most
outrageous fluorescent nail varnish shade, only to be worn for special birthday
parties. Today however, it appears many girls prefer to wear ‘the mask’, a
thick multiple layering of makeup that, if removed, would reveal a different
face underneath.
In essence, makeup is
there to empower women, for them to feel special, confident and attractive.
Some women wear makeup as an outlet for creative expression whilst some merely
relish choosing the perfect shade of red lipstick to enhance their complexion.
Whatever the reason, makeup is there as a means of enhancement of natural
features. So this led me to contemplate the reasons as to why some tween girls choose
to wear heavy makeup that masks their innocent youth.
I argue that today's media
has a profound influence on tweens, for example, at the tender age of
seventeen, Kylie Jenner, was recently spotted exhibiting a contoured chest. Is
this not extremely mature and inappropriate? There is an underlying notion from
a cornucopia of influences that state if you're able to hide your flaws in any
way, do so. As a result, girls are growing up with a psychological mind-set
that their natural appearance isn't socially acceptable and that they should
cover their face completely in an attempt to replicate the looks seen in teen
magazines. Consequently, many girls lack self-esteem and confidence as a direct
result of the idealised images portrayed to them. It is estimated that over
two-thirds of mothers say they regularly hear their daughters complain about
their skin. Michaela Angela Davis, Image
Activist and the Editorial Manager of BET Networks shared her advice to
mothers of tweens who want to wear makeup as soon as possible. She states that
mothers should tell their daughters to “look closely in the mirror and gaze at
all the natural colours in [their] face” and tell them “daily how beautiful
they are and how their face shines by itself”. This way, girls will begin to
feel much more confident over time.
In support of this
argument, online retailer Escentual.com,
discovered that more girls than
ever are starting to wear make-up from the age of eleven - three years younger
than it was a decade ago. 37.8% of women also think it is young girls wanting
to feel ‘grown up’. As a seventeen-year-old beauty-maven I acknowledge this is
something my tween self could have related to immensely. I began experimenting
with makeup when I was thirteen years old; the innocent, pivotal and fragile
age where I thought it was a perfect idea to use my sister’s four-year-old
mascara. I desired to fit in with other girls, mirror the flawless beauty looks
I saw in magazines and boost my confidence. However, the tweens of today are
only becoming worse.
So in light of this, where
do you stand on the debate - should girls be allowed to play with make-up from
a young age? Or should there be a restriction?
Et voila! I really struggled writing this article and I would definitely change many things about it if I were given the chance to re-write it. Nonetheless, I think it's a very important topic to address therefore I thought it would be a great idea to share this article with you all.
Happy weekend!
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