Teacher Accuses Young Girls Of Focusing More On Beauty Than Schoolwork
She's calling on parents to help put a stop to the problem.
Volodymyr TVERDOKHLIB / Shutterstock Getting kids to focus on schoolwork is an age-old struggle. There’s almost always something else they would rather be spending their time on.
However, one teacher claimed young girls are being distracted by something new.
An elementary school teacher accused young girls of ignoring their schoolwork in favor of beauty products.
One teacher posted a plea for parents on Reddit. “Stop sending your third and fourth-grade daughters to school with nail files, lip gloss, hair brushes [and] mirrors,” she said.
Furthermore, this educator argued that girls are not only distracting others with their beauty paraphernalia but also distracting themselves. She stated, “They’re missing lesson content because they’re busy filing their nails or slathering lip gloss on.”
“These girls are way too young to be obsessed with their appearances and they have so much potential to be more than just pretty,” she argued.
The teacher explained that girls are going through this new obsession because of what they observe around them. “This starts at home with what they see from mom, as well as what they see online and hear from their friends.”
Girls are becoming interested in makeup at increasingly younger ages.
After the phenomenon of “Sephora kids” took over social media, it has become clear that young girls are more obsessed with makeup than ever before. What’s the reason?
Psychotherapist Sonia Rodrigues told USA Today, “Social media influencers are expanding their target group, so there’s a lot of pressure for kids to fit in and figure out what’s trending to feel connected with their friends much earlier than they need to be feeling that.”
As kids have more access to social media than ever before, influencers are taking advantage of this new demographic. They understand the importance of appealing to all ages, including kids, to promote their personal brands and their partnerships.
Many will blame this issue solely on social media, but that’s not the only thing responsible for young girls’ interest in makeup. According to USA Today, “Even without social media, young kids are still exposed to makeup on TV; even dolls are painted with mascara and eyeliner.”
It would be difficult for children to escape the reach of beauty products and standards. As this teacher pointed out, they are even exposed to it at home through their mothers.
Indeed, Jenjit Howard, a mother interviewed by USA Today, admitted, “It’s a tough message to relay to kids when I myself love going into the makeup store and buying everything I touch.”
Many agreed with this teacher’s point of view.
Commenters on Reddit mostly agreed with the teacher. One person pointed out parents’ role in influencing their children to take up an interest in makeup. “The problem is many parents also value appearance and status over education,” they said.
“This starts with them being allowed unfettered access to videos on their personal phones, which they do not need at that age,” another pointed out.
One parent said, “Some of the ‘mature’ girls in my kids’ third-grade class have skincare routines and talk about them like they are [influencers].”
But, if parents like this one are against their children being exposed to or using makeup, how is it still happening? Surely the answer lies in our culture that celebrates unrealistic beauty standards and promotes consumerism above all.
Kids will be kids, and few will listen to their parents when they tell them to stay away from makeup or from social media that features it. Perhaps the answer is for us, as a society, to work together to stop promoting beauty products to children.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news, and human interest topics.