Moms Talk: Makeup for Little Girls?

Wal-Mart's newest cosmetics line, Geo-Girl, was developed with girls in the 8-12 age range in mind and will be marketed to parents.

The megastore has gotten a lot of heat for targeting this young, impressionable age group of girls.  I agree.

Don't get me wrong.  I like makeup but I rarely wear it.  As a professional photographer, I find it hard to imagine holding a camera tightly against a face decorated with eye shadow, mascara, foundation and blush.

When I do, it is for special occasions.  I  trade in my jeans and comfy work shoes for a girlie outfit and a pair of pumps, apply some makeup and a splash of perfume.  It is an escape from my daily work "uniform" and I feel especially pretty. I don't use makeup, however, to feel "pretty special."  

My tween daughters, ages 8 and 11, have indeed received that clown-like makeup goop as birthday party favors and from Santa.  They have played with it, with my approval, in the past. Makeup is "cool" in my tweens' minds.  

My girls love this stuff.

Females are bombarded with media messages about what they are supposed to look like. The makeup, the hair, the body, the clothes. Madison Avenue set its sights on females a long time ago.

Even though my daughters love playing with makeup, they won't be wearing makeup with my approval during their tween years any time soon.  There is a time and place for everything and marketing grown-up makeup to preteen girls is premature.  

Simple reason.  Whether or not I wear makeup, the person that I am is still a confident, professional woman.  I learned this lesson as a mature adult and not as a tween, as a teen nor as a young adult.  My tween girls need more time to discover and own what makes them pretty special in this complicated world before they feel pressured, thanks to Madison Avenue, to slather goop on their skin to make them feel pretty.

Can young girls escape the pressure for a few more years?