Now that we are in the 21st century technology has improved over time and with that many young children have grown up with it. As social media has grown, so have platforms like SnapChat, Instagram, and TikTok. These platforms have gained a lot of popularity gaining over 1 billion MAUs. (monthly active users)
With many people active on social media it can be very easy to be influenced by influencers and trends such as buying the most recent Stanley cup or starbuck cups, pranking people, beauty products, hair products, etc. We are often told at a young age that we are all perfect in our own unique way and to love ourselves for who we are, but unfortunately, about 90% of women worldwide compare themselves to influencers on social media with unrealistic beauty standards.
Most women are comparing themselves to other women who have beauty filters, or have had procedures done. With that, it causes their self-esteem to decrease, especially for girls ages 9-14 who don’t understand what real beauty is.
Recently, many Sephora employees have complained on TikTok about 10 year old girls opening products, ruinning the testers displayed and making a mess. It has gotten to a point where employees had to remove the testers. It has gained a lot of attention from older people commenting, “When I was 10 I was playing with Barbies.” It has also landed on the news. However, it is obvious that the blame shouldn’t be on the young girls but on social media. Social media has had a huge impact on women setting the standards high. If you don’t have clear skin, a small nose, or a curved figure then you are not good enough.
For the past few weeks on TikTok I have noticed children as young as six sharing their skin care/make up routines. They show off their Glow Recipe, Chariot Tiblery, Rare Beauty, Sol De Janeiro, and Kosas which are expensive skin care/ makeup products which some are known to be rough on young people’s skin.
Social media has created a fear of not meeting these standards. These young girls don’t want to be judged or criticized by others for not meeting these beauty standards. So many young girls feel pressured to achieve these standards. Many people are picked on in person and online for their flaws by their own family, friends, and even by strangers. This encourages them to fix their flaws by using makeup and skin products.
Drunk Elephant is one of the most popular brands among the 10 year olds. Although the brand promotes some of their products to be safe to use by kids and teens, some are meant for older people. Their products range from $20-120.
One of the products that is being used among the children is Passion Retinol Cream This product is used to prevent wrinkles on the face. Children shouldn’t be using this product since they don’t have anything to anti-age since they still have plenty of collagen in their body. The product is $74 dollars for the standard size which holds 1.0 oz.
In my opinion, I feel like it is okay for young girls to take care of their skin, but instead of using these expensive products on their face that should be applied for people who are 3 times their own age. They should be focused on wearing sunscreen since it is really important and will help their skin. Parents should also be aware of what their children are exposed to on the internet.
I believe skin care is important, for my skin care routine I use two cleansers one in the morning and the other at night. At the end of the day I use the Garnier Skinactive Micellar Cleanser to remove my make up which is $8.99. Then in the morning I start off with the Hydrating Facial Cleanser from CeaVe to remove any makeup that I still have and the oil. It is $16.99. My second to last step is to moisturize with the Lubriderm daily moisture which is $13.39. Finally, I use the CeraVe Hydrating Mineral Sunscreen Face Lotion which is $14.69. The total cost for my skin care is $54.08.
Beauty comes in all shapes, sizes and skin types. If young people want to proceed with a skin care routine they just need to use a cleanser, moisturizer, and sunscreen that fits your skin type. Although it is a very complex issue, what we can do to fix it is raise awareness about the influence that social media has on us. By promoting self-love and acceptance we can make a difference in the world.
