Is this really what primary school kids are like?

We had an 8 year old Harley Quinn at the school harvest singalong before half term, the kids were all in there halloween outfits. Ripped fishnets and sequinned hotpants, midriff, lippy etc. Its rough round here.

God no, DD is 7 and none of her friends are like this and I don't anticipate that changing dramatically by their 8th birthdays. I find what you've posted desperately sad and terrible parenting

Stanley cups are just a water bottle basically so there's no problem there, I do think it's a bit young to only be getting make up and skin care, surely most still want toys too at that age

Yes I’ve seen that around here and it makes me sad. They have a lifetime of that

Agree.

Most kids that age i know (my dd is 10) still wanted barbies and maybe a lip gloss at most.

My dd has only recently been exposed to skincare but thats because blackheads have started and its just facial wash and moisturiser.

Maybe not your y6 kids but I have friends and family with y6 girls and this absolutely IS going on with some of their friends.

Yes, that’s how the parents that I know would react. Bluntly, it would be viewed as common/ lower-class.

I agree with other posters that parents influence is key. It’s not just the attitude to smartphones and social media use - I’ve got a basic skincare routine and wouldn’t ever buy Sephora or Benefit for myself, so DD doesn’t see me using expensive skincare. I’m not that bothered about designer brands either, so these kinds of things are just not on her radar.

I work in a school and I definitely think with some parents there is a desire for the girls in particular to be more grown up, and I do notice this with my own daughter's year group too with some of her friends very much into brands, skincare, make up.

I think my children both come across as young for their age because at the moment they have no interest in a lot of trends or brands (but this could soon change when they go up to secondary).

Some parents encourage this sort of stuff.

But I don't think it's typical nationally at age 8. Make up yes but not necessarily expensive brands. It's whatever the parents are willing to pay for.

But I personally think if a child starts younger with that sort of stuff they will at least develop skills to look after themselves sooner.

IME there are plenty who fit your description because the parents allow/encourage it but equally plenty whose parents still want them to have a “proper childhood” and they’re still receiving more age-appropriate presents and activities.

My dd12 was not like this at 8!… She is a bit now though. Now she’s started secondary school.

All the activities listed in this thread aren’t mutually exclusive. We have a 9 year old who loves horses, rugby and cheerleading. She had a gymnastics party for her birthday which involved running around hitting each other with foam blocks. She loves drawing and crafting. But she doesn’t live in a bubble and isn’t sheltered from all social media movements (no tik tok or instagram and no phone, but watches YouTube). So she asked for byoma, bubble and some Sephora bits for her birthday, plus loved a shopping trip with a bubble tea. It’s sad if that’s all an 8 year old is into, but I guess (hope?!) they’re few and far between!

I have an 8yo DD, and sadly lots of the girls in her year are just like that. DD is very young for her age, so she's struggled to fit in. It doesn't help that I have absolutely no interest in clothes, make up or trends, so I won't be able to help her out!

My dd is 9. For her 8th birthday she had barbies, clothes for her baby, curlers for her hair , a new till, some makeup and rollerboots. A mixture that I think is right for a girl who's in between age groups.

Not here. In fact you would be looked down upon if you’re growing your kid up so fast like that.

Instagram and shallow, vacuous “influencers” are eroding childhood as we know it. To aspire to be known as someone so irrelevant is truly mind boggling.

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-67993618

The idea of eight year olds having those sorts of presents and parties really depresses me. What has happened to childhood? Why on earth would a parent want their child to be so focused on their appearance?

Not typical imo but a good indication of certain parents...

At the primary school my kids went to only one girl was made up each day and even wore a thong... she was identical to her mother!

Children should have childhoods.... a bit of dressing up now and again is of course normal.

I have a couple of friends with 2 and 3 year old daughters who are regularly covered in nail varnish (not kids nail varnish), bits of make up, hair stuff. And in both cases the parents will say things like "Oh Lucy demanded that I buy her that sparkly nail varnish, what a little diva, hahahahahaha".

Maybe as the mum of a typical boy, I just don't get it (thank god) but I think it's bullshit. They seem so desperate to advance these toddlers into teenagers and I don't know why. It is ALWAYS with the notion of the child be a "diva" and something they're naturally like, rather than a parent thrusting them head first into it.

Jeez no not mine. Surely if this child is 8 and you have a 7 year old you know this though?

My daughter is 12 and just started experimenting with a bit of makeup - mainly in mt bathroom mirror when she is bored. It is even ar 12 not her priorit when it comes to what she wants for Xmas and I am shocked when I see 12 year old hauls that they only really seem to include make up skin care etc clothes and shoes. She would appreciate a couple of bits of make up but it isn’t the overloading majority of her list - which includes - a ghetto blaster 🙈 headphones, CDs , cassette tapes , manga books and anime figures.

Kids here run the entire gamut from that to playing in the dirt. I just saw an insta post on my daughter's dance school insta that was a birthday party for children in my son's class and it could have been adults or teenagers. They were turning 9. Had a private karaoke room and their makeup and hair done professionally and were dancing around like I did at 18.

My daughter is 12 and doesn't wear or care about makeup. So very much on the other end of the spectrum.

I think it's crazy at that age but I would say in the minority. Even when I was a kid, there was always 1 or 2 girls who were interested in much older things.
DD and I went shopping on Monday and we twice saw a mum and two daughters. First time was in Bershka, where we both noticed the younger girl, 8 or 9, had been trying on tops. She was dressed like a teen, vest top, oversized joggers with the waistband folded over. We then saw them in SpaceNK where she was asking for some expensive makeup item. Mum was clearly very image conscious. It just seemed sad, the older daughter looked quite bored in SpaceNK!

Its definitely a mix of premature social media exposure and 'my daughter is my bestie' mums.