Is this really what primary school kids are like?

I have an 8 year old and neither she, nor any of her friends are like this. Plenty of bowling/trampolining parties, birthday tea parties, stick on earrings and glitter tattoos. I've not heard any mention of skin care so far.

Long may it last.

This is absolutely not what all primary age girls are like. My DD is 10 and wouldn’t have the first clue what a beauty blender is (neither have I, actually, and I consider myself fairly normal!). She likes the idea of make up, her friend gave her a set for her birthday but she’s at the playing with it stage - she doesn’t know or care about brands and is fine with me only allowing her to wear it very occasionally (and only really at home!).

DD would rather be out on her bike or the trampoline and I’d say most of the girls in her class are similar. There are one or two who are more fashion conscious, but they’re the exception rather than the rule.

I'm very baffled why a skincare company would name themselves after an animal with wrinkly, saggy grey skin and then make it even worse by suggesting the animal in question has an alcohol problem. Could anything possibly have less attractive skin than a drunk elephant? Clearly, I don't get it.

My 16yo stepdaughter is very un-girlie but she does like expensive things. We bought her a £400 Lego set for her birthday but she was not expecting that and hadn't specifically asked- she'd just mentioned that it was her "dream" set and we decided to splash out. She was completely shocked because it's not in character for us to spend like that and we generally would expect something like that to be a mixture of her saving up and us contributing.

Neither of our kids would ask for £100 face creams and £300 trainers because we'd just laugh. SD did try asking for a £600 Samsung Galaxy phone when she was 8 and got a hearty chuckle in response.

Maybe we're cruel and parsimonious!

No!! In my experience 8 year olds love nail varnish, scented lip balm and if allowed: a lip gloss for special occasions (parties, school discos etc). That’s about the limits of interest amongst my daughter’s friends and I don’t think any are allowed more than that.
Ive seen some of the year 5s&6s do wear makeup to discos, but it’s usually stuff like bright blue eyeshadow that is not what teens / adults typically wear so not very grown up although personally I think just save it until secondary. At primary school they just like to play with makeup, not into actual real adult makeup. Even year 5&6s I don’t think are into ‘real’ makeup, just painting their faces with bright colours and feeling very grown up playing mum/ big sister etc.
This situation is quite unusual. I think probably allowed a phone with TikTok/YouTube. There’s enough children on there for it to be an issue - but I think probably a fairly small %.

Nope 100% not the norm

There is a huge variation ime. DD1 is year 5 (9 -10 years old) in a 2 form entry. Her class are all doing K pop demon hunter dances and playing chase, imaginary games, clapping games and general silliness, enjoying lilo and stitch movies and wearing jeans/leggings t shirts etc. The other class is very much as you describe your colleagues daughter - all crop tops, Nike pro shorts, have own phones and talking about skincare and perfumes. There is a wide demographic of parents across both classes so I don't think it's parent led, but peer group led. The few girls in that class who don't 'comply' have been pushed out socially by their classmates and hang out with my daughters class at breaktimes. I'm so glad my daughter is in the more easygoing class!

No, it's not the norm at that age, but lots of girls certainly seem to be becoming obsessed with their looks at an increasingly young age. It's thoroughly depressing imo. I teach at a girls' secondary school. It's no coincidence that the ones who are already wearing obvious make-up in school and rolling their skirts up in Year 7 are often the ones who are going off the rails and doing poorly in school a few years later. Unfortunately it is generally a sign that they are highly susceptible to peer pressure and don't have very good parenting or examples set at home.

Parents who actively encourage and facilitate their pre-teen daughters in focusing on beauty absolutely baffle me. No doubt they are praising their sons for their achievements anf sporting prowess, not how lovely their skin and hair look.

I don’t think it’s the norm but I’ve seen it with a few children at my daughter’s school. Last year my 8yo was influenced by peers to want ‘skin care’ which irked me a bit as I thought it was ridiculous. We ended up getting her some child safe cleanser for Christmas to scratch the itch and she used it about 3 times before being over it. I was in a real dilemma over whether to stand firm or just get something I was happy with on the assumption she’d quickly forget it. It was a useful learning experience in many ways for both of us. One of her class went to her outdoor activity school trip with a suitcase full of expensive skincare brands like drunk elephant. My daughter thought it was a bit silly rather than lusting over it.

Dont think this is typical at all but I do think its channelled in some circles. A sports theme or a music theme for example is easy to suggest if your child has such in the way of interests.

Biggest worry is mobile phones. Resisting that for as long as possible.

My Y6 isnt in to this and neither are her friends and any of her class mates. They're very knowledgeable on things like periods and all the options beyond sanitary towels which is no bad thing. But make up barely figures. The closest they've had is lush bath bomb making parties and face packs and cucumbers on their eyes which I remember doing at 11.

Certainly not the norm for my daughter and her friends. It's just a bit of glitter and she is completely uninterested in which shop anything comes from.
I've put YABU because I've just not seen that here but also I certainly was like that at that age and that was a LONG time ago now. I was obsessed with Topshop. Everything had to be from Topshop or Miss Selfridge. And to be frankly honest I would have dressed like an absolute stripper if my parents hadn't gotten a tight hold on it. I loved the Spice Girls especially the video where they are in the desert. I remember cutting up tights to make thigh high stockings.. because I wasn't allowed stockings. This was me and my friends at 9!!
If anything i actually think the kids at the primary school here are much LESS like that than kids used to be.
My daughter wants to be like Gabby from Gabbys dollhouse not ginger spice in her pvc jumpsuits like i did!!

At my school there are a few 8/9/10 year old that perhaps fall into this category. Most don't though so I wouldn't say it's the norm. Of the ones that do, they seem to be following in the footsteps of very glamorous mums who are always (as in at all school pick ups/drops offs/school events) dressed up and made up, so my assumption is that it's parent encouraged to at least some extent. The girls that stand out to me as being very make-up/appearance oriented in their interests at a young age are also very insecure in my narrow experience, plus seem to be in more volatile friendahip groups which feels really sad. Worrying about if you need to go and put on more lipgloss during the school day at 9 isn't healthy.

Also it's word of mouth and seeing peers with items.

As I said, my kids have never caught onto big trends (yet). I remember when prime was really popular I assumed my kids just didn't know what it was as we didn't watch YouTube (or wherever it came from) but my son did know and talked about classmates having it (but didn't actually ask for it himself).

I work in a primary school. This is absolutely not typical for an 8 year old, but unfortunately this nonsense is becoming more common by Year 5 and 6.

The girls who are obsessed with skincare, buying expensive make up, carrying their PE kit to school in a Victoria's Secret bag etc at my school are invariably the same girls who are were given a smartphone from an early age and are already allowed on Tik Tok, Insta and WhatsApp.

Sadly it is, my daughter is coming up for 9 and has asked for a my generation doll! I love that. She's also got a sparkle sequin jacket, robot she can build and a few other bits. Staying well clear of expensive make up, skin care etc!

I think it’s a bit… simplistic? Dangerous? To blame TikTok or even social media more widely. My daughter has neither, I could probably guess a few children in her class who might be able to access it but it's not common place.

trends don’t have to come from TikTok you know. Open your eyes in the shopping centre and you’ll see where the excitement and consumerism comes from.

I don't think so.

DD is 5 and as girlie as they come. She loves to play "spa" at home, which involves sitting on a beanbag with her feet in a bowl of warm water and bubble bath whilst watching a movie. She also likes it when I paint her nails and putting sparkly eyeshadow all over her face. Sometimes she even gets some of it on her eyelids.

She doesn't know what Sephora, Uggs or Stanley cups are. She plays with some girls from up the road and they're older and more streetwise than her, and have unlimited screen/SM time, but they've never mentioned any of that either.

I think maybe some families are very into all that and the parents are into designer labels and fancy skin care bought on the never-never, and the kids are going to catch onto it and think they need all that stuff. I don't think it's typical.

This!

I had a sleepover, makeup with The bodyshop at my house and a photo shoot for my daughters birthday BUT It was her 14th Birthday NOT 8 at 8 they went bowling!!

My DD is due to turn 8 soon. She wants a build a bear party. She would desperately like make up (she’s been obsessed since she was two). If she is lucky she might get a Disney Princess play make up set set since DS ruined her last one. Most of it was used to makeover various family member both male and female (we all ended up looking like clowns) or she put make up on her dolls. She also wants some more Barbie clothes.

There is no way I would by my daughter adult makeup or skincare.

That's the thing, it's not healthy skincare. These kids are using adult products on their baby skin. We know what too much makeup and product does to adult skin! My daughter does have dry skin from swimming and we use the most basic stuff. It's a battle to get her to wash her face never mind anything else. Long may her childhood continue.

I took DD out of school in Year 5 but from start of Year 4 onwards, the girls had been split into two very clear categories - a group of girls who had phones and were on WhatsApp and TikTok and were using expensive skincare, makeup etc, very much encouraged by their mothers (the two girls doing it the most both had mothers who had a few boys before them, very much vibes of "I've been waiting for a girl to do all the girly things with" sort of thing).

Then the girls who had zero interest in it at all. A really wide range of interests in that group - sports, music, horses, anime etc. I'd say it's an even split.

DD is 11 now; I saw yesterday on Facebook that one of the girls from her old school was taken on an eye watering shopping spree in Sephora, and the make up is just piled on. I worry for her skin in ten/twenty years time.

I used to worry a lot that I was holding DD back by not encouraging make up and skincare (water and soap works perfectly for her, obviously that won't be the case for every skin type) and social media, but I'm really pleased we've held firm. She loves Lego and reading and coding and climbing; her interests are so diverse and varied and I think that will serve her well.

It's up there with the whole 'B&M haul' type stuff for cleaning products - social media driven consumption. Ime some kids are like that, most aren't. Among the girls my daughter hangs around with none of them have much access to social media and none of them are into makeup except normal experimentation.

My 9yr old isn’t like that, birthday gifts were gymnastics equipment, Christmas a Jellycat, Bitzee and some crafty bits.
She likes a bit of make up when we go to the pub/for dinner/school disco.
I keep reminding her she has a long time to adult but only a short time to be a child.
Birthday parties we’ve been to have been swimming/trampoline/indoor climbing/indoor obstacle course type thing.