It’s that time of year where London is its busiest. Tourists swarm to experience the beauty of the city during the winter months; residents witness the opening of Christmas lights and markets, and shops start to suffer from a vast increase in shoppers craving holiday sale prices. With Christmas and Black Friday fast approaching, there has inevitably been a rise in consumerism as people flock for holiday presents. However, specifically within the realms of beauty and skincare stores, there has been a shift in demographic. These sectors have received a particular growth in teenage and even pre-pubescent girls. What is the reason for the surge in this particular clientele? Is there a growing pressure that these young girls are facing? Are new insecurities being enforced on the new young female generation?
Of course, it is completely natural for anyone – of any age or gender – to battle insecurities. Every generation has faced them in a multitude of different forms. Yet, it seems that the age of battling these insecurities is becoming increasingly and alarmingly younger and younger.
Perhaps this coincides with the rise of influencers on the many social media platforms that young girls interact with today. Any application that girls use nowadays is flooded with influencers, often sharing some form of paid sponsorship or advertisement. They are incessantly promoting new products – specifically beauty and skincare items – that, naturally, will influence the younger generation into buying. These girls do not necessarily need these products so much as they want them or feel the need to want them.
When influencers promote these products, they will typically lead with a comment explaining why their audience must also invest. This explanation is generally always linked to an insecurity – an insecurity that I never knew had reason to be an insecurity! If I, at the ripe age of 21, feel swayed by what these influencers say and promote, then undoubtedly teenage and pre-pubescent girls are going to feel even more pressured and insecure.
So, we see the power these influencers have over young girls and their insecurities online, but in what ways does their power manifest in real life? I spoke to Naomi Hoy, a worker at The Ordinary, about the surge of young female clientele – their ages usually, she states, ‘between 11 and 17’ – who have approached her regarding their ‘acne’ problems.
Hoy explains, ‘they state that their issue is acne, which is a term used very flippantly, as the “acne” they are experiencing is nine times out of ten simply mild hormonal breakouts.’ When questioned about their reasons for wanting to buy products from The Ordinary, Hoy clarifies that ‘100% it is because of social media. When I overhear these girls shopping, their sentences often begin with “I saw this on TikTok…” or “this influencer said this product will help with this…” which is a testament to how much social media cultivates insecurities and peddles harmful concepts about beauty.’
Hoy’s experience at The Ordinary, and her encounters with these young girls, prove that social media is creating and enforcing insecurities on these young girls, and implies that beauty and skincare companies profit off and exploit them.
While it is clear to most that social media is a realm that exists in a false and artificial world of filters, edited content and paid promotions, for these teenage and pre-pubescent girls it is really difficult to differentiate between the authentic and inauthentic seen online. The real word and social media merge together to create a disorientating and confusing space, that produces and emphasises their insecurities.
Beauty items are, for better or worse, a rite of passage for young girls. Makeup is an artistic hobby, it requires such talent and dedication to use items to enhance one’s features, not to cover them up for insecurity purposes, but to feel empowered. They are a way for one to express themselves and unleash creativity. I remember, when I was little, (as I’m sure many of you do) the pure joy I felt when my mother, sister, or cousin would offer to do my makeup – as I’m sure many young girls did and still do. I believe there’s nothing wrong with dabbling in cosmetics during wholesome activities like these, however, it becomes a problem when young girls feel the constant need to have their makeup done due to their insecurities. Beauty becomes boring once insecurities take precedent over creativity.
Society has progressed in many ways, but it has also undeniably regressed. Instead of nurturing these young girls by teaching them to embrace their insecurities and encourage self-love, we have reinforced new reasons for them to feel insecure by implementing expectations that are difficult to attain and impossible to maintain. By implementing more inclusivity and acceptance, perhaps it is possible to rectify these standards in order to alleviate the innumerable insecurities this new generation of young girls are facing.