This research comes in light of the release of One Direction’s make-up line ‘Little Things.’ The line features nail polishes, lipsticks and cheek tints, with each product named after one of the band’s tween anthems.
The marketing of make-up to young girls has brought about cause for concern for some parents and teachers. They feel that experimenting with make-up at too young an age could be damaging.
13-year-old Catherine says that her friends' influence has made her start wearing make-up. She says: ‘I’m not allowed to wear make-up to school but all my friends wear it… It makes me feel more confident and I like experimenting with different make-up looks.’
Catherine also says that using social network and reading magazines has exposed her to make-up looks and made her want to start wearing it more often: ‘a lot of the celebrities I like wear amazing make-up looks. I usually look at these in the magazines I buy or online, via Twitter and Instagram.’
Nichola, a secondary school teacher, expressed her concern over the increasingly young age that girls now start wearing make-up: ‘the use of make-up sexualizes young people and makes them look older.’
Nichola goes on to consider the impact that wearing make-up has on their relationships with their peers: ‘make-up exhibits a social status. If they wear it, they instantly feel more confident and it sets them aside from the other pupils. In school, everyone should be equal.’
One parent held a more liberal view arguing that if it makes her child more confident it’s harmless: ‘I don’t mind foundation on teenagers to cover bad skin as it boosts their confidence. A tiny bit of mascara or lip gloss isn’t bad either.’
With the popularity of picture sharing apps such as Instagram young girls have become more aware of make-up tricks and have attributed self-confidence to perfect skin and a fab profile picture.
Schools have tried to combat the isse by trying to ban make-up but due to the increasing number of young girls using social networking tweens have now become a lucrative demograph for make-up brands.