For decades, putting make-up on young children has been frowned upon, but according to a shocking new report it has become a more frequent occurence.
The survey released by FalseEyelashes.co.uk found that Brit mums are allowing their daughters to wear make-up – some as young as two-years-old.
It asked 2,385 mums what age they were when they started wearing make-up – with the average age being 10 years and 3 months.
However, when the mums were asked what age they would allow their daughters to wear certain products, they said they would let their daughters wear nail polish when they were two-years-old, eye shadow when they were three and lip gloss when they were four.
The full list can be found below:
Historically young children wearing make-up has been frowned upon as it can make them appear and act older and could damage their young skin.
Nicholas Whitmore, Managing Director of FalseEyelases.co.uk, commented: “It’s one of those topics that everyone has an opinion on; should children be wearing makeup, appearing older, acting older even, or should they keep their innocence and enjoy their childhood for as long as possible?
“Similar to ear piercing, there will be some parents that think it’s OK from a young age, whilst there are others that will prefer for their children to wait as long as possible – there’s no right or wrong answer.”
For the parents who said their daughters had asked about make-up, a third of the mums had “made compromises” while a quarter said they told their daughters to “wait until they were older”.
A third of the respondents whose children had yet to enquire about make-up said when the time did arise they would consider it.
They said: “If they are of an appropriate age, then I’ll buy them what they want and show them how to use it.”
Young girls wearing make-up has always been an iffy subject and while society will always have their say, it’s a choice that is ultimately up to the parents.
