Makeup and diet culture?
Is this really just about children interested in skincare or makeup? Maybe and maybe not.
I must admit that my TikTok algorithm wasn’t showing me the 10-year-olds at Sephora that everyone is talking about. Granted, I’m not on TikTok a ton, and when I am, I’m on the cooking videos and dating advice side of things because my algorithm knows me a little too well, I guess. I also really didn’t pay too much attention to it because I have seen 10-year-olds at Sephora firsthand. I describe myself as a low-maintenance skincare and makeup kind of woman, and I’m not saying that in a “bragging or pick-me way,” but I am saying this in an “I really don’t have time to apply many products to my face and don’t have the patience to learn,” kind of way. My trips to Sephora are very quick because I know the products I need, grab them, pay, and leave. There are occasions when I’m with friends and will browse along with them, but that’s because we’re usually killing time while waiting for something else. This is the exact opposite of what the children seem to be doing now, which is going in and buying skincare products and makeup for themselves.
I remember being a child and wanting to play with my mom’s makeup. I had no idea what I was doing because I was a child, and I considered it part of playing. There was also no way my parents would’ve let me walk outside with it on, but that’s beside the point. I am going to really age myself here, but I also did not have social media back in the day that the children now have access to. Needless to say, I do see children in Sephora now. Most are with their parents/adults, some look bored, and some are intrigued by what the adults are doing. It’s natural to be curious about all the colors, creams, gels, and pencils because, after all, they do look like markers and other drawing tools. Okay, what does this have to do with diet culture? I’m getting there, I promise.
I’m a millennial, particularly an “elder millennial,” and many of us think of Gen Z’s, when we think of TikTok and who the primary user is. However, we are forgetting about an even younger demographic on social media. Children, and not sarcastically calling the 18-25-year-olds “children,” I mean actual children, are also prominent users. 49% of parents of children ages 10-12 years reported social media use in the past six months. For children 7-9 years, 32% of parents report use of social media apps. Don’t get me wrong, I believe that social media can be good as there is a ton of educational programming on there, and humans of all ages like to have fun and be entertained. But at what point can it be dangerous?
I will make this disclaimer: I am not saying that makeup is dangerous, and I am not saying that children using makeup is dangerous. I want to discuss the much larger topic of how we can be impacted as a society, as a whole, by the messages we are internalizing. More and more adults are becoming aware of the impact that social media can have on vulnerable minds. I have seen the skincare videos myself, and sometimes I will watch them and then rethink my own routine (which isn’t really one), and it makes me, a grown adult, want to purchase products to “fix” things. We are warned about wrinkles, dark spots, under-eye bags, and any and all forms of aging that we can think of, and told that’s a problem and to get rid of it by all means possible. I’m sure you’re still wondering, “What does skincare have to do with diet culture?” The answer is everything.
Diet culture thrives on profiting off of the insecurities that are created by society. Many skincare products profit off of insecurities that are created by society. Anti-aging products make us believe that getting older is the absolute worst thing in the world that could possibly occur. Diet culture makes us believe that gaining weight, under any circumstance, is the absolute worst thing in the world. This doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t look to eat nourishing foods or that we aren’t taking our individual health into account, and having a skincare routine doesn’t automatically equate to something unnecessary and not beneficial. I’m purely talking about the messaging that implies we shouldn’t like our appearance and that our bodies are in constant need of fixing.
It sounds nonsensical, but when you see 10-year-olds at Sephora not just being mesmerized by playing in makeup but asking sales associates about products to stop themselves from aging because they saw it on TikTok, the power of social media becomes apparent. Being a dietitian, I am more familiar with the disordered eating realm and how easily everyone can be affected. We have been told for a while that thinner is better, and it doesn’t matter how you become thin as long as you get there. This messaging leads to a pipeline of fatphobia, disordered eating, eating disorders, and body dysmorphia. And yes children are exposed to these same videos and internalizing these same messages. More than 1 in 5 children worldwide are at risk of developing an eating disorder such as bulimia, anorexia, or binge eating. An estimated 45% of children and teens have body image issues, according to the National Institutes of Health. Is social media to blame? No, absolutely not, because “the ideal body” is something that has been promoted throughout all kinds of media (movies, television shows, books, magazines) even before the apps. However, I do think that social media can exacerbate these issues, especially considering many people of all ages are on their phones and using these apps.
I don’t think the problem is seeing children at Sephora. I don’t think the problem is parents/adults purchasing products for their children (it’s their money; they can do what they wish) at Sephora. I think we are all becoming more attuned to the effects of social media. We are seeing children with wish lists in these stores and asking employees with confidence where to find them because they saw it on social media. An app that is on our phones and easily accessible to people of all ages has more power than we would like to admit. I don’t envy adults with children who have to navigate the rough waters of social media and decide what their children have access to. I myself see the effects that it has in the food and nutrition world, but there are so many levels to feeling less than and feeling the need to fix oneself. It’s hard for us all when consumerism, capitalism, diet culture, wellness, and elitism, amongst other “-isms” are at play.
Unfortunately, I don’t have an answer to all of this, but I do think that there is a much larger issue at hand here. So yes, in my opinion, I can’t help but notice the parallels between children seriously buying makeup and diet culture. I can’t help but unsee it, even as innocent as it seems. This was not on the agenda for topics for newsletters this week, but as I write this, I remember the last time I was in Sephora, and a little girl begged her adult to try on blue eyeshadow. This was around Christmas time, and I found it amusing that I was also looking at eyeshadow and had something in common with the child. I jokingly said, “Start them young, right?” to the adult. I thought it was cute, and there wasn’t a “phenomenon of children at Sephora” being discussed yet. The adult looked at me, laughing, and said, “Blue is her favorite color. And she’s taking it off before we leave.” I think about this because I wonder if that little girl got her adult to buy that eyeshadow. I wonder if she saw it on TikTok. I wonder what else she is looking at and wanting to try.
