While some may think that I favor the use of makeup on children, I, for the most part, do not.
When I see children with makeup caked on their faces, whether it be for a pageant, a dance recital/comp, cheerleading comp, etc., I cringe.
I’ve also seen pictures of young children at pageants with so much makeup on (think Jon Benet Ramsey) that they looked far older than they actually are. There are too many perverts in this world that prey on young children, and I think the use of heavy makeup on a child only feeds their sick perversions.
And if you want to jump on me and try to defend the use of it because of the harsh lighting on stage, I’m going to stop you right there. I’ve heard the arguments and still don’t agree. My daughter was in dance for several years, and I saw older girls wearing it for their recitals, and I refused to allow my daughter to be one of them. And that’s my choice.
I don’t necessarily blame the parents for the use of makeup on children either. While parents have some control, I actually place the blame on the entertainment industry for the use of it because they have put out a misconception that young girls need to wear it in order to look beautiful or win any kind of competition. Even the parents of these girls are being convinced that their children need it, and that’s sad. Our babies are being forced to grow up far too fast and are being convinced that if they don’t look like one of the Kardashian sisters, they aren’t good enough.
I do feel that each parent has the right to chose, though, if their child wears makeup or not, but I for one will not tell my daughter it’s okay. In fact, whenever my boyfriend’s daughter brings up wearing makeup I tell her I don’t think she needs it and that she’s beautiful without it. She has a beautiful peaches and cream complexion that’s flawless, and gorgeous eyes that do not need to be covered up with makeup. I think she should let her natural beauty show. I think both girls should. Neither one of them has the skin I did growing up. At least not yet, and I hope they never do. And if I could stop them both from having to deal with it, I would.
I wonder if all parents banned together if things would change, but I suspect not.
So what about the instances where I think some makeup is okay?
Well, the only time I think foundation, concealer or powder should possibly be used by young teens or preteens is if they have scarring on their face, a bruise or suffer from severe acne like I did. Children that age already face enough issues in school without being made fun of. I was one of those kids that dealt with bullying because of my face, and I do not wish that upon any child.
I hate to admit this, but because of the bullying I dealt with, I’m still incredibly insecure about my face. My boyfriend loves when I have no makeup on and am au natural. He says I’m beautiful and I don’t understand why. So yeah, if a little foundation, concealer or powder can stop a child from being bullied, I’m okay with that. But anything beyond that I feel is too much.
Am I the only parent that feels this way?