Confidence is being boxed and sold to young girls and it’s doing more harm than we can conceptualize. In the age of social media, young girls are growing up with unprecedented exposure to comparison that drives insecurity in an already vulnerable demographic. In order to sell beauty, the customer must be made to feel lacking in some way. Customers created as children become lifelong consumers, and the beauty industry has tapped into this brand loyalty.
Are girls growing up too fast?
Many women have taken to social media to express that they believe that girls are “growing up too fast.” Social media has cultivated an environment of self comparison and for children exposed to it before having an understanding of the unrealistic expectations being pushed by these platforms, children are exposed to makeup and skincare advertising and brand deals before fully grasping they are being sold something. The normalization on social media of complex and long skincare routines through “Get Ready With Me” videos have no doubt had an impact on the understanding of what self care looks like in the minds of the primary audience, young girls. Young girls find role models in these older teen influencers and believe they can like them by purchasing the products they are using. Unrealistic beauty standards have put pressure on young girls to try to appear older than they are, instead of embracing the growth and change that comes with coming of age. This stage of adolescence is defined by attempting “to fit in” and the deeper underlying desire of belonging, the age of social media has transformed the game of what it means to “keep up” with one’s peers.
The Age of Influence
Influencers have made makeup and skincare marketable to young girls which has led to ten year old believing she should start using retinol. The problem is not young girls experimenting with self expression, it is that brands are marketing towards a vulnerable demographic which leads to a perpetuation of insecurity and competition. In a crucial time for identity formation, fears of being different have driven young girls to consumption of makeup and skincare products in large quantities, it is important to examine how the problems at the root of this are a lot longer than the line at Sephora and instead stretch into coming of age and identity. The effects of this marketing leads to further feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction in an already deeply insecure demographic.
Beauty is not skin deep
If you are a young woman struggling with insecurity, know that you are not alone, and approach your social media usage with self compassion instead of self comparison. Remind yourself there is a little girl inside of you just wanting to be loved, so love her. Challenge the unrealistic standards pushed on us to set a strong example of true beauty or the younger girls looking up to us.