Woman Says It's Time To 'Normalize' Being Mean To Little Girls At Sephora Buying Expensive Products
When are parents going to start parenting again?
Mixmike / Canva Pro Since opening in the 1970s, Sephora has expanded globally and is one of the most popular cosmetic stores in the U.S. The brand's mission statement promises "a welcoming beauty shopping experience for all."
Although the store is open to all ages, a popular sentiment making the rounds on social media is urging the store to ban anyone 12 and under from entering without parental supervision.
And one woman on TikTok has taken to open hostility when it comes to "little girls" disrupting her shopping experience.
One woman said we should 'normalize' being mean to 'little girls' who are misbehaving in Sephora.
A woman, who goes by K, took to TikTok to express her frustration over unsupervised tween girls running rampant in stores like Sephora.
Looking annoyed and incredulous, she encouraged anyone who has had an encounter with one of these rude girls to be mean to them. In fact, she encouraged adult shoppers to be "10 times meaner back," if a "child" in Sephora cops an attitude.
“It is not illegal. You can’t get in trouble for it,” she proudly stated.
K's message, although harsh, was intended to remedy an ongoing problem: unsupervised and unruly kids being disruptive to shoppers and staff in stores. Unfortunately, teaching children a lesson should be left to parents, not random strangers, and many people thought K's initial video was cruel.
After some self-reflection, however, K walked back on her initial rant.
She uploaded a response video and placed the blame where it needed to be — on the parents.
“These girls are not to blame. They are very young,” K stated. “Their brain isn’t developed to be able to make decisions about things.”
And it’s true! Brains are not fully developed until well into adulthood, so children make decisions based on their social experiences and environment.
K replied to a commenter saying, “The parents are not parenting," and she fully agreed, reiterating that the blame had to fall on the adults and not these kids.
Many moms are passing the buck and placing the blame on retailers.
Parenting is not an easy job, but at some point, bad behavior from minors needs to fall on the shoulders of their parents. If kids can't be trusted in a store alone, they shouldn't be allowed that privilege.
Not all parents see it that way, however.
A bunch of moms claim that tweens today don't have retail stores geared to their age group and interests. Waxing nostalgic, they brought up brands like Limited Too and Justice as places where tweens could be more at home.
And while their argument holds some water in that brick-and-mortar stores are a dying breed and these niche retailers no longer exist, it still doesn't justify the behavior.
If kids can't behave in Sephora why would a store like Wet Seal or Claire's be any different?
There is no reason why young girls can't enjoy the fun of Sephora, but if they can't be trusted to behave properly they must go with a designated adult. Parents also need to be willing to acknowledge that, out of eyesight and in larger groups with other peers, kids don't always make the best decisions.
Lauren Reams is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news.