How Young is Too Young for Makeup?

When did you start wearing makeup? When did you let your daughter start?

This week, Poway Patch's Moms Council answers the question: How young is too young for makeup?

Suzanne: For more than 40 years, my greatest expense for makeup has been a new tube of lipstick occasionally.  I discovered early that I had no talent for applying makeup.  Thus, makeup for our two daughters was pretty much limited to activities at girl sleepovers. And I was very pleased that in those days (1984), Poway schools didn’t allow make-up before sixth grade...really proud. Of course, light pink fingernail polish was always proper at home, and ignored at school.  And makeup was always applied for dance school recitals – Oh, how I envied my 9-year-old’s fully supplied makeup case which, by the way, she used with excellent results and only for shows. 

Thus, make up is for pretend, for Halloween and maybe the sixth grade parent-student dance.  Children need to be comfortable with their own skins and work with the reality of who they are—not what a magazine cover pop idol suggests.  When pimples begin in middle school, that is when cover-up makeup really makes sense, for boys and girls. After that in high school, makeup is an individual family decision based on need initially to deal with acne, and then acquiring the current “look.”

Kristine: This issue came up in my house when my daughter became a teenager a few years ago.  For some reason, I've always felt like the age of 13 is a good number. With becoming a teenager, there are certain coming-of-age practices that go along with it like wearing makeup.  I think that's the age my parents allowed me to wear makeup.  But kids are in a bigger rush these days so although my daughter wanted makeup before then, I refused. For me, it's not so much about the act of wearing makeup as it is about building my daughter's self esteem. I wanted to make sure she knew makeup is a tool to enhance beauty and that it doesn't make a person beautiful.  I never want her to use makeup as a crutch and feel like she absolutely needs it.  If I had sons, the makeup conversation may not be different.  I have male cousins who liked to play with makeup as kids and none of them grew up wanting to wear it full-time.  But even if they did, I would still think it's part of their identity much like it is for a young girl so my conversation would be very similar: you wear the makeup—don't let it wear you.

Leslie: Starting to wear some make-up at the age of 14 plus is good. As time goes on, it’s okay to experiment, but don’t overdo it.  Our young ladies don’t realize how beautiful they are without make-up.  They have such soft, smooth skin – show it off – don’t cover it up.  As I have told my daughter, once you start wearing make-up you will feel as if you need to continue wearing it, and eventually feel naked without it, and at times may feel self-conscience when not wearing make-up.  Experiment a little, but don’t go crazy.  No one wants to look at a beautiful young lady with caked on make-up, and black eyes from dark eyeliner.  I think young girls should hold off wearing make-up for as long as possible.