Women are under so much pressure when it comes to our physical appearances. Society places so many demands on our weight, the length and texture of our hair, our attire, and even our faces. There are women who believe that going to work without makeup is unprofessional. More than that, there are women who will not leave the house at all without a full face on.
Everyone has the right to present to the world in the ways that make them feel comfortable of course, but one mom is concerned that her young daughter is taking on this expectation a little too early.
An Australian mom said her daughter is not like she was at that age.
A mother in Melbourne, Australia, wrote to Kidspot, talking about a dilemma sheâs facing with her 10-year-old daughter. This mother wrote that when she was her daughterâs age, she was concerned about playing outside, climbing trees, and riding her bike.
But her daughter Ava is nothing like that. Instead, Ava loves fashion, skin care, and makeup. The mom wrote that sheâs totally fine with her daughterâs interests ⌠except for the makeup.
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She believes her daughter's interest in makeup is more pressure than passion.
While she believes the fashion and skin care are true points of interest for Ava, she thinks the makeup might have more to do with peer pressure than an actual curiosity. In fact, the mom believes Avaâs peers and friends are creating this pressure. The girls in Avaâs school â in fifth and sixth grade â range from ages 10 to 12, and theyâre experimenting with makeup.
More than just playing in their mothersâ stashes and applying certain products on weekends, these girls are wearing it to school, including foundation, mascara, and lip gloss.
Recently, Ava asked her mom for makeup for her birthday.
The mom thinks all of this is way over the top and unnecessary. Recently, when Ava asked her mother for makeup for her birthday so she could wear it to school, she said no.
âI said she was too young and that makeup at school isnât needed, not even in high school,â she explained. As she said this, Ava started bawling. She told her mom, âAll my friends wear it and so do all the girls. I donât want to be the only one who isnât, they will make fun of me.â
The mom is sad these girls feel they have to do this to fit in.
Afterward, the mother and daughter had a serious talk. Ava explained how big of a deal makeup really is. Later, the mom started to make some observations of her own.
âWhile mostly the makeup was pretty natural, there were the odd faces that clearly had eyeshadow or tinted lip gloss, or just really poorly matched foundation or badly applied mascara that stood out quite a lot,â she wrote.
The mom was taken aback. The thought that these children feel they need to wear makeup to school to fit in, even reapplying it through the day, made her sad.
Mom knows eventually she'll have to give in.
âAs a parent though, it is. I just want Ava to be able to be a kid,â the mom wrote. âI want her to be carefree and not concerned so much with what she looks like, how others see her and the idea she needs to change herself to fit in, which is essentially what her desire to wear makeup is.â
She said Ava is still asking and becoming increasingly more upset when her mother refuses. She doesnât know how much longer she can keep this up when it impacts her so much. The mom knows that sheâll eventually have to give in, even though she doesnât want to.
