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Making Up Your Mind About Makeup
Is She Old Enough to Wear It?
By Catrina Dickens
Face painting is a ritual practiced by many cultures since the beginning of time. Men and women have always used some form of face decoration to express different emotions and events: war, marriage, religious celebration and rites of passage. Today, wearing makeup is often seen as a rite of passage into womanhood for a young girl. This transition seems to be happening earlier and earlier, and girls are trying to approach womanhood at an earlier age than years past.
Many girls treasure trying on Mommy's shoes, dresses and makeup. A quick trip to stores like Bath and Body Works, The Children's Place and Target reveals an array of what 10 or 20 years ago would be for "play" at home but are now leaving Mommy's room for new desirable locations like the beach, school or parties. There is "glitter" everything, brightly-colored nail polishes and lotions, lip gloss, eye makeup, bikinis and numerous other "older" girl items marketed toward girls ages 6 to 12. The targeted ages are becoming younger and younger, which leads parents wondering the right age for girls to take "dress-up" out of the house.
Corrie Wallace, a high school teacher in Evanston, Ill., is seeing girls dress in more revealing clothing and wear more makeup at younger and younger ages. In her five years of teaching, she says the change has been startling. Girls are getting away with more.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that on the average, girls physically mature by age 9, although their psychological maturity may not be reached by this age. This introduces an interesting dilemma for parents.
According to T. Joel Wade, associate professor of psychology at Bucknell University, there is no "right" age to wear makeup. But be aware that it puts young girls in a different league. "The wearing of makeup does lead to increased interest from males," he says. "It sends a message that says, 'I am mature and possibly interested in being in a relationship or being looked at as a possible sexual partner.' The makeup changes the perceptions of the face so that the dimensions of the face are more similar to that of a mature woman. This then tends to elicit attention from mature males. Some young girls may not be ready for this attention and may be unable to deal with it in a healthy manner."