AIBU to think a seven year old should not wear lipstick and nail varnish?

[sammypaws]

Maybe I am being old-fashioned, but I don't think that my SIL should allow my seven year old niece to wear lipstick and nail varnish (in fact she applies it). She has been doing this since she was four/ five years old. I am of the school of thought that children should look like children and not miniature adults - some of the clothes she wears would look more appropriate on someone in their thirties! I think she should be wearing things with animals on them, .

When I was about 5 we used to use red smarties for lipstick!

That was in the sixties btw.

Answer depends on where she is wearing them. If it is time to time because the little girl sees her mother putting make up and nail varnish up and she wants to try it herself at home, why not? In the meantime she is not sensitive to the chemicals, I see it more like a playful thing, all girls like a bit of colour. If she wears outside the home everyday, then not good, especially the lipstick.

Righto, you must be right. I am ashamed and will stop my children playing with such terrible stuff. Thanks for pointing out the error of my ways.

Missymoomoomee - I have never said anything to her about how she is raising her daughter - I wouldn't dream of it as I know how it would end up, having had the temerity to say to her once that I thought selection on the basis of faith was unfair in state schools, and her going nuts about it.

She wears it outside lydiamama.

my dd is 3 & loves having her nails painted. She only has a very light pink but I don't see the problem with it. I don't put lip stick or eye shadow on her but if she wants to soon as fun I would let her. I love that she is girly and its my only daughter, I am soon to have a second son.

What Rubyfakenails said.

It makes me a bit pissed off tbh. All this girls should be building dens, barbie is a bimbo, pink stinks, how is make up fun bollocks is just another way of saying girls, if you want to be a real child, a real human being then the sooner you accept that the things you like are completely without value and you need to change what you are and be more like a boy the better.

My dd is a girly girl. She likes pink sparkly toys, make-up, mermaids and princesses, she has long hair and her only pair of trousers are unworn. She is happy and confident with who she is and I hope that she always will be, whatever she becomes but I don't see how she can be if I tell her to put down the things that she values and pick up someone else's idea of fun.

tbh I could judge you easily for a 14 month old unable to feed herself solid food, but I wouldn't as it's not nice to judge

I can't tell if you're joking or intentionally being such a judgey cow but

Sequins all the way eh, rubyfakenails

Because thats right the only options are dress my child like an itsy bitsy cutesy animal print pastel Bo Peep type caricature or pile on the slap and send her out in the sequinned thong.

There is a middle ground, and considering the majority of posters think yabu, maybe you should concede, or take the earlier advice and examine why you have such an issue with it.

The more you say, the more it sounds like your SIL gets on your tits in general and this is just a projection of you're overall irritation. You haven't really said anything of substance in your complaints such as sexualisation or gender roles etc its just bitching about your SIL.

Yanbu. It's bloody awful.

What RubyFakeNails said :)

DD hates animal pictures on her clothes, and shock horror - has no sequins in her wardrobe. She likes bright, bold colours, patterns, flowers etc. There is a happy medium in all these things.

My dd has no sequins either. She may never wear trousers but she knows sequins went out with bootlegs.

I think you need to get over yourself.

I'm sorry sammypaws I just laughed at loud at your post "I worry for her future"! That has to be the most OTT ever. Absolutely love it.

Anyway YABU.

Still laughing.

But applying make up does put emphasis on how girls look, even at this young age. And girls are under loads of pressure to look good when they get older as it is. So why start so young?

Yes, all kids love to dress up. But it sounds like it's more than that, if the mother is actively applying it.

Such different opinions here now to when that beautician advertised on mumsnet a couple of weeks ago with her pamper and makeover parties for 4-5 years. Most people were horrified.

to RubyFakeNails.

Really, what other parents do or don't do isn't really your concern, unless there is something really worth worrying about. Make-up? Meh.

I used to apply DD's gloss/lipstick for her when she went to parties and wanted to wear it. I did that so it was applied on her actual lips, not round them or on clothes/floor and so I could just put a bit on not lots. I still see no issue with a bit of lip stick/gloss for parties and special occasions, and a bit of nail polish in school holidays.

Eionmclove - personally I don't hold with boys toys vs girls toys, they are all toys to me (dd does seem to have a fair few fire engines though). Though I do draw the line at dolls and prams and too much plastic. DD also wears pink and green and blue and yellow etc - no barbie pink though, that's just too much.

So a stereotypical boy toy (fire engine) is fine but a stereotypical girls toy (doll) is not? What message does that send?

Do you not think dolls have their place in child developent?
My DD and DS both love to play with dolls and prams. They act at caring for them, and I think it benefits them. They have learned to be gentle and calm through this play.
Do you really have an issue with imitation play like this?