Does your Y6 DD wear make up?

[Didntseethemountain]

A large number of DD’s friends (Y6) have started wearing mascara and lipstick/lip gloss and talking about it. A lot. I’d go so far as to say all the time. There’s also lots of chat about whether it’s the “right” make up - whether they’ve bought it from the right place etc - and about skincare.

DD hasn’t expressed any interest to us in buying any make up yet. She is using some skincare because she was getting the odd spot, but just straightforward stuff from the supermarket - she isn’t asking us to buy any of these designer skincare products her friends are talking about. She came home from a sleepover last year saying that the endless chat and constant application and remover of moisturiser was a bit boring, but I am also aware that things change and that it may not be long until she decides that she wants to jump on the bandwagon…

Instinctively, I feel that it’s bonkers for 10 year olds but I also appreciate that when you’re 10, the maintenance of your friendships is hugely important to you and I don’t want to mess that up for her. Please talk to me about what’s “normal” for your Y6 girls - is it that I’m stuck in the past?

Anyone…? I’d be really grateful!

I don't have a girl but my best friend's 10 yr old only plays with her mum's makeup really, like playing dress up at home. She has a couple of glittery lipglosses/tinted lip balms that she likes/is allowed to put on if we are taking the kids out for dinner or to the cinema - nothing more than that.

I am nearly 50, at that age we were wearing lipgloss, mascara and sometimes eyeliner. We wanted to be Madonna or Tiffany 😂.

Unfortunately the quality available of more elaborate options were rather unfortunate so we didn't venture much further.

I don't see the harm but understand social media changes what was typical experimentation.

Thanks for your responses.

I’d totally understand if it were experimentation but this feels a bit different - they seem very serious about it!

My daughter is 9 and a very young 9 who still loves her Barbies. She has in the last few weeks expressed an interest in make up and said she would like some for Christmas. I’ve bought her some 17 stuff from boots- it’s def not a trendy brand but she has no clue about that yet. I’ve got her some eyeshadows and mascara for her to wear if she went to a party. I’ve told her she isn’t to wear anything on her skin (bar possibly a bit of shimmer if she went to a disco or something) and that she isn’t having skin care any time soon which she was fine with. I think she’s too lazy to add skin care to her evening routine anyway 🙈 she has a friend who is ten who is obsessed with skin care. And lots of them in year 6 wear make up already.

crikey, no.

I think companies like Plouise on Tiktok play a huge part in this problem as they seem to be marketing their products to children and encourage days out to the shop or her "empire".

No mine doesn’t except for the odd fun stuff.

There are a few girls who got into the skincare thing (which is a joke at their age) and they’re the same ones whose mums don’t seem to care if they go on TikTok etc too
Luckily her close friends and their mums have no interest in encouraging 10 year olds to buy stuff that’s more expensive than their own mums stuff!

Putting on your mum’s make up badly is almost a rite of passage for young children. Buying children proper make up and wearing mascara / blusher / lip gloss etc is the start of sexualising them. Teens are bombarded by what’s the right thing to wear from TicTock etc and it’s so sad.

It does seem to be quite the thing with younger girls at the moment. I know a ten year old who only wants make up for Christmas, but it’s all quite “ young” looking - lots of lip gloss and sparkle/shimmer effect, as well as peel off nail polish in childish colours like lilac.

I wouldn’t want them using foundation but I guess a bit of lip gloss or nail polish is ok . I’d much prefer it to more permanent things like pierced ears.

Mine at 10 wore a little bit of make up to school discos or parties.
She'd put a little bit of moisturiser on dry patches and want her hair in fancy plaits or styles.

Things seem to have moved on rapidly with these young girls knowing all the big brands. 9 year olds wanting Dior lip oil and similar.

My 11 year old DD wears clear lipgloss and clear or natural nail polish. Skin care routine as she has started getting spots, cerave and simple products.

Dior!!!?

Right?? Good lord, I was looking at those lip oils the last time I was in Selfridges and they cost about £30. No way this side of hell I'd be buying that for a 9 year old!!

I have an 11 year old dd and unfortunately there do seem to be a large number of girls she knows who are very into "proper" makeup and who are obsessed with skincare. They are mainly kids who have access to TikTok and they're asking for Drunk Elephant products and Sephora vouchers. My dd is quite innocent compared to a lot of kids and she occasionally puts on some clear mascara but mainly doesn't bother. At a recent school disco I realised how young she looked compared to many of her peers who were wearing full faces of makeup plus false eyelashes and nails. I think it's sad that girls of this age are so into makeup (I'm talking full on faces of makeup, not a bit of mascara or lipgloss) and my dd just wants to have fun, not spend hours wiping various products on and off her face. I think it's making her feel a bit disconnected from a few of her friends tbh.

My daughter is 12, nearly 13. There seems to be two types of girls at her school - those who spend all their time and energy talking about their appearance, skincare, make up and what brands they have or want to buy or making videos of themselves applying make up or unpacking shopping spree items and those who have actually hobbies such as sport, music, drama etc and actually meet up and do things with their friend such as going to the cinema, escape rooms, bowling, climbing etc. In my opinion the second type of girl seems to be heading in a much healthier direction and appears to be far more supportive of each other. The first type of girl seems to gossip far more and badmouth each other behind their backs regularly. My daughter is bemused by the need for anything more than a face wash and moisturiser if skin is healthy and free of spots - why add extra beauty regime steps when skin already looks good just to fit in with the trend? Also why waste time talking about it?!

Lipgloss or tinted lip balm is not an issue and I put in stockings each year, mine has it by that age and they were allowed access to my make up for special occasions if they asked, older one never was bothered younger was keener. Didn't get own until teen years. For skin care we all had Aldi and still do (in 20's now)

Eg this

amzn.eu/d/9mXjv1r

I was surprised that there were girls in my daughter's class in Years 5 and 6 who were wearing some form of makeup and even more surprised that some parents thought it was acceptable to give makeup sets as birthday presents. At 10 and 11 I don't think children need more than soap and water to clean their faces.

I didn't let my daughter use any make up or nail varnish etc at all until she was at secondary school and was going out at the weekend. There was never any question of her wearing any sort of makeup at secondary school as they were immediately sent out of class to remove it.

It totally depends on the cohort! My DD was in Yr6 last year at a small village primary, once class per year. Whilst she did once complain about others talking about make up her class was mainly into coloured lip balm and the occasional face mask. One girl (out of 10) wore minimal make up, she was the oldest one and had older teen half siblings.

The Yr5's however, were a different story. Perfectly done hairstyles every day, make up, fashionable school bags, clothes had to be just so. Most of them looked so much older than DD's class and like they shouldn't still be in primary. You'd often see them on the bus into town at the weekends, whereas DD's class were ridiculously sporty and always off to matches or training sessions when they were on the bus. A few of the mums said the atmosphere in the Yr5 class was quite unpleasant especially if their DD had the "wrong" bag/hairstyle.

DD is totally uninterested although I have said she can have some if she wants, she just needs to ask. I did get her a small eyeshadow thingy but she never uses it. She won't even wear coloured lip balm out of the house, only a clear one. She hasn't mentioned it al all since starting secondary so I don't think there's any pressure coming from there. She doesn't have TikTok etc so maybe that's also part of it?

I don’t have children but a close colleague of mine has a daughter in Y6 and says on her Christmas list this year she has included makeup and skincare from designer brands, some that we have never heard of! Including retinol under eye cream😂

I think a lot of this is to do with the popularity of social media such as TikTok where influencers post makeup videos and tutorials they will watch and then want to buy their products.

My colleague said she will be creating her a Christmas basket with things like the 79p face masks and some body wash etc but it seems like a lot of her daughters’ friends are wanting the same items.

My quite young Y5 10yo says the girls in her class wear makeup and thinks she should be wearing it too.

She has raided my stuff to play with but I don't allow it out of the house (apart from lip gloss). It's way too young IMO but I think there will be growing peer pressure in the next few months/years to keep up with the other girls (most of them have older sisters).

There’s been a fair amount in the news on this I think. Young preteens being targeted by expensive skin care brands on social media. My niece is 11 and my sibling says a lot of her chat with friends is ‘skincare routines’ and stuff, all elaborate with many stages. Depressing at that age when their skin is perfect bar perhaps the odd spot. I guess interest correlated to how much access to social media they have. I do remember make up was forbidden at my school, prob made things a bit easier!

I suppose it depends on your perception of what make-up is. Sadly, I think a lot of society view it as only for attracting sexual attention. Whereas I think it’s more an expression of creativity, experimentation and figuring out different ways of self expression. I think it’s an amazing art form. I also see it the same as any child playing dress-up. What harm is it doing? Are you worried about others judging? Because I think that it’s a great opportunity to teach a child that it doesn’t matter if others judge you, and there there are always going to be haters in society. It’s ok to not be liked by everyone.

As a PP said, there are definitely two tribes of girls. The makeup wearing is directly correlated to the amount of internet access, I find.

My y7 DD doesn’t.