How did you spend your break away from Holy Cross? Some of you might answer with skiing, escaping the cold for sunny beaches, or reconnecting with your hometown haunts, friends, and family. I, for one, spent it curled up on my couch eating avocado toast, rewatching The Summer I Turned Pretty, and scrolling aimlessly through TikTok. If any of you readers did something similar (I’m hoping you did-because I can’t be the only one with FOMO from all the Swiss Alps or Florida pictures on my feed) then you might’ve seen the latest epidemic gripping the nation: Drunk Elephant Tweens.
In recent months, TikToks have been going viral of barely-tweens sporting neon, Lululemon belt bags, and pink Nirvana crewnecks descending upon Sephoras nationwide in bloodthirsty droves. They often travel in packs, escorted by an exhausted soccer mom, worn out from shuttling seven noisy fifth graders to the local mall. What draws these freakishly trendy children into Sephora, you ask? The answer is all Drunk Elephant products. The skincare brand has exploded in popularity among TikTokers and young women, most known for their Bronzi Drops and Polypeptide Cream. These tweens have been clearing out Sephora’s shelves of every Drunk Elephant product, leaving none left for the adult women who may have an actual use for them. However, this fad has implications beyond being just an annoyance: it reveals a sad truth about the messages we as a society pass on to our most impressionable.
The desperate urge for skincare products such as “anti-aging” creams or bronzing serums for ten-year-olds revealed just how obsessive our culture is about youthfulness, appearance, and maturity. We have emphasized “looking young” to such an extent that ten-year-olds are no longer thinking about imaginary friends and toys, but preventing wrinkles, long before they will ever have them. Our society has also transmitted to the youth the message that they must grow up and mature, fast. Young girls see TikToks of their teenage/young adult counterparts using various makeup and skincare products, and desperately want to mirror them. This is not the fault of the children or their older examples, but the fault of our culture, which has passed on the message that children must prioritize not the fleeting moments of their childhood, but growing up and appearing more mature. This is an issue that can be resolved if collectively as a society, we change the messages we send to young children through media and daily behaviors.