Is this really what primary school kids are like?

If can be depends on parents and values, I think I managed to keep my eldest off this stuff til she was about 13.

She does like a lip gloss mind you.

Never heard of 8 year olds like this. My daughter turns 8 in a few weeks and she’s getting a much desired baby doll!

No to expensive make up, but my DDs have been wearing River Island and Lipsy since birth- they do gorgeous kids clothes!

My 7 year old wants a spa themed party for her next birthday, she likes the idea of make up etc but she plays with dolls, loves craft, playgrounds etc. she’s not going to be hanging around in a Sephora anytime soon. My 9 year old has a fake Stanley as the girls at school have that shape water bottle, and has some fake uggs, but is still a big tree climber and loves her skateboard! I’m just thinking you can have a balance of wanting to try stuff out, but they have plenty of time to play and be kids too.

the idea that little girls should be slathering themselves in expensive skincare and makeup doesn't come from nowhere, so I would be investigating what content she is consuming and from where. I would also not be buying it for her just because it's what she has asked for.

It's nothing to do with social media influence or parents it's the child.
I couldn't give a shit about make-up, skin care routine etc. And my DD 9 doesn't have access to social media but her Christmas list consists of make-up and skin care. She's sees the items in shops, she sees girls in TV programmes wearing make-up etc.

I have two DDs (6 and 10) who sometimes enjoy messing around with (kids) makeup and doing each others hair, but equally enjoy crafts, Barbies and playing make-believe games.

Youngest (who is very girly) was invited to a spa day for a friend's 4th birthday a few years ago and was bored shitless, as was the birthday girl. The party had definitely been planned by the Mum with little regard to what 4 year olds actually enjoy.

Of all the things you could be encouraging an 8 year old to be interested in, beauty, looks etc is pretty frightening. We're told constantly of the pervs that are looking at children for heaven sake.

How does a 10y old get ‘into Sephora’?

Agree
Indeed, its the ones who are obviously actively encouraged by parents

It won’t be something I’d allow for my DD. No, not typical of the primary school girls I see at DS’s school.

Fortunately my children haven’t been exposed to social media

I’m certain they are white.

Of course they are skin care. You said all a child needs is soap and water. It isn’t, and that’s a very white centric view.

Designer stuff, the net and vacuous influencers weren’t around when my kids were young - thank goodness.

They could just be children. 👍

I think kids are far more wholesome and stay children much younger than they did when I was younger. When I was younger you were on your own at 18, parents minimally supported university etc. parents seem so much more supportive and neutering now.

no, we didn’t have Sephora and Uggs, they didn’t exist and people didn’t have as much disposable income as they do post globalisation.

I did have school friends who were having sex at 12 though, and teenage pregnancy was bloody rampant. I think I’d rather Sephora and Stanley 🤨

Not normal in my experience. My DD and her friends are just turning 8 and one of them did have a pamper party but her mum works in the salon and it was just nail varnish, hair glitter, pink lemonade and dancing etc. I can only think of one girl in her class who always turns up to the school disco in branded clothes, heels and makeup (and has done since reception) but I've always found her mum a bit odd and obsessed with making her DD into "a mini best friend". She also sent her as Regina George for World Book Day when she was 5....

Most of them are asking for Labubu's, Kpop Demon Hunters merch and their ears pierced.

I have 9 and 12yo dds. 9yo does have some friends who are into this stuff and others who aren’t at all, it doesn’t make a difference to her. She has a small collection of skincare/make up type things (mix of gifts and things she’s bought herself) but doesn’t really use them.

12yo spends nearly all of her money on skincare and body sprays etc, and on getting her hair done. She saves up and has a constant list of what to buy next. I find it a bit baffling but it doesn’t bother me - she may still be ‘preteen’ in age but is very much post-adolescence, so I don’t feel it’s abnormal at all. She doesn’t use Tik tok.

i find it very odd in primary school children and while it’s all a lot more expensive than in our day, for secondary school children it seems quite normal these days.

8 have a child that age. There are a couple in the class who might like that stuff (e.g have a Stanley and labubu) but the recent parties have all been variations of climbing/trampolining/potion making. No teen parties

My daughter just had her 8th birthday - Lego, animal crossing toys, squishmallows and cash/ vouchers. I don’t know any 8yr olds with TikTok or drunk elephant …. 11-12, yeah, not 8. Not normal.

if you let your 8y old have TikTok, snap or Facebook you’ve got bigger issues.

Not all kids that age are like this, but some definitely are. The dividing line is usually which of them are allowed access to TikTok. This article is eye-opening and depressing. www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-14787891/amp/TikTok-Children-skincare-harmful-allergies.html

Gdd1 is 10, and AFAIK this sort of thing is certainly not usual among her many friends.

Nope, not in my experience. My youngest is that age. They’re doing tea parties at home, soft play and trampoline parks. Eldest is turning 13 and they are having pool parties and pizza parties and sleepovers. Most exciting one was going to a nail salon and Wagamama for lunch (that was just her and her best friend though, not a party).

With 13 year old, they do buy each other lip gloss and body spray and face glitter and things like that, but definitely no ‘brands.’

I think neither of my dc would attract friends who are into Sephora and Stanley cups though as Dh and I definitely not those sorts. 😂 This is obviously being driven by the parents trying to one up each other. My 8 year old would have no idea what a Stanley is!

Eeshk
My daughter and pals are turning 8 and they mainly want parties at lazer tag / trampoline parks. We're in Scotland P4 so coming to the last of the 8th birthdays for the year. A lot of the presents are lego, craft bits, science kits and stuff like spirograph. Some clothes like oodies, hoodies with k pop characters are popular too. DD doesn't have any girls in her class of 22 who wear make up, as far as I can tell anyway.

Ime one subset of the girls suddenly flip to this identity in Year 4, usually influenced by TikTok (the equivalent boys group starts absorbing and repeating inappropriate sexual/manosphere content).
It isn't universal, however, and most schools clamp down quite firmly on bringing it all into class.