8th grade is when this American girl started wearing make-up to school in 1980. We looked like ridiculous racoons, with bright blue eyeliner all around our eyes.

My DD started wearing some make-up in 8th grade, thank goodness with a much lighter touch.

Something I wish my mom had done - taken me in somewhere so someone could teach me about skin care and make up.

If you can do that, op, do it. Let her wear a little make up.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it is fine if she wears one thing (gloss or mascara etc). I am not on board with the cover your face because your natural face can't be seen view of make up that leads to women always wearing make up and not leaving the house without it. I find that very unhealthy to have to hide your own face and so I wouldn't support the full face look but a dab of this or that - fine.

And, yet, you're not allowing her body autonomy and shaming women who make different choices.

+1000. Just as it was wrong back in the day to look down on girls/women who didn’t wear makeup, this present day attitude toward girls and women who enjoy wearing makeup is also wrong. If wearing makeup is something my tween/teen enjoys, it’s fine with me, and it’s also fine if they choose not to.

Anonymous wrote:I think it is fine if she wears one thing (gloss or mascara etc). I am not on board with the cover your face because your natural face can't be seen view of make up that leads to women always wearing make up and not leaving the house without it. I find that very unhealthy to have to hide your own face and so I wouldn't support the full face look but a dab of this or that - fine.

And, yet, you're not allowing her body autonomy and shaming women who make different choices.

My mother did not allow make-up until I was sixteen. I spent every morning in the school bathroom applying it. I also changed into clothing that I wasn’t allowed to wear. Don’t do this to your kids. Your children will rebel if the rules are too strict and they will do things behind your back anyway.

Anonymous wrote:I think it is fine if she wears one thing (gloss or mascara etc). I am not on board with the cover your face because your natural face can't be seen view of make up that leads to women always wearing make up and not leaving the house without it. I find that very unhealthy to have to hide your own face and so I wouldn't support the full face look but a dab of this or that - fine.

+1

Gloss and clear mascara are enough.

It's a crutch and it attracts the wrong kind of attention but if she needs it to compensate for anxiety, it may be worth the tradeoff.

I was allowed to wear make up starting in middle school and I think I'll allow the same. MS starts in 7th here. My daughter is only in 3rd now, fwiw. I have 2 older boys.

I think it is fine if she wears one thing (gloss or mascara etc). I am not on board with the cover your face because your natural face can't be seen view of make up that leads to women always wearing make up and not leaving the house without it. I find that very unhealthy to have to hide your own face and so I wouldn't support the full face look but a dab of this or that - fine.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MS is a normal time for kids to start experimenting with makeup. My only thing with my DD once she started wearing some was to emphasize the importance of taking off her makeup every night and washing her face. Kids these days are way better at makeup application than I was in the late 80s/early 90s. I’m actually impressed with how natural it appears when my DD wears it.

Same situation here, when I told my DD is she wears makeup she has to wash her face every night she was less interested in wearing it. I don’t like makeup on kids and don’t wear a lot myself but like others said this isn’t a hill I’m going to die on. Also makeup now doesn’t translate into makeup forever, they are figuring it out.

This. it's normal for girls in MS to want to try it out.

Anonymous wrote:MS is a normal time for kids to start experimenting with makeup. My only thing with my DD once she started wearing some was to emphasize the importance of taking off her makeup every night and washing her face. Kids these days are way better at makeup application than I was in the late 80s/early 90s. I’m actually impressed with how natural it appears when my DD wears it.

Same situation here, when I told my DD is she wears makeup she has to wash her face every night she was less interested in wearing it. I don’t like makeup on kids and don’t wear a lot myself but like others said this isn’t a hill I’m going to die on. Also makeup now doesn’t translate into makeup forever, they are figuring it out.

Eyeliner is fine. Some people think eyeliner is a step too far but I wear eyeliner every time I wear makeup because I look a little...weird without it. I think it might be my pale skin; it's almost the same color as the whites of my eyes. Nobody can tell I'm wearing it (they just think I look sick or tired when I'm not).

I think what your DD is doing is fine. I would just keep have conversations about beauty, self-esteem, etc. and be sure I wasn't sending messages about my own-self worth being wrapped up in my appearance.

I was in middle school 35 years ago in the US, and everyone wore lip gloss at the start of sixth grade, and by 7th, we all wore as much as we wanted.

I teach middle school. All the girls wear makeup. It’s perfectly normal.

Mine is in 7th and she’s wearing a bit too much.

She looks cute but I told her to tone down blush.

She also could fix her mascara application.

We have a lot to figure out together and I can’t approach it all at once. This is the first year she’s getting prickly.