What age...

[Tallguy88]

... is it appropriate for girls to start wearing makeup?

It's not a problem I'm having, all my young relatives are boys and boys don't wear makeup. But we were debating it a bit and I wondered what opinions here were?

 

[Paidiske]

I would say, when she's old enough to have a job (which where I live is 15) and buy the make up herself.

Which is not just about the money, but about stepping into a world of more "grown up" responsibilities and expectations.

 

[Ada Lovelace]

I think it should be dependent more on the context and the child rather than a set age. Some kids are afflicted with embarrassing acne at an early age. One silver lining for girls is that they can wear makeup to help to minimize the appearance of it, without it causing eyebrows to raise as high as they would for a boy with foundation and concealer on his face. Some have baby faces that makeup doesn't look as appropriate on until a later age. You also have to consider any school rules regarding makeup, and whether other kids are wearing it already.

In general, I think around age 12 appropriate time to allow more natural-looking makeup. That's when most of my friends started wearing it to school and socially. I've been wearing makeup for dance performances since preschool, but actually just started wearing it on a daily basis this past year. I could have worn it earlier, but it didn't interest me.

 

[bill5]

No pat answers...some girls mature quicker and therefore can get away with it earlier, plus you'd have to define "makeup." It's one thing to put a little lip gloss on, quite another to to the hooker/clown face thing.

Very generally speaking, I would agree with Paidiske (16 here). At the earliest and the later the better. Don't try to pretend to be an adult if you really aren't one yet, or even close. Frankly an overly young girl with makeup looks comical to me, like an 6 yr old boy wearing daddy's shoes.

 

[Landon Caeli]

Good question, I have 4 daughters -two teenagers and two at ages 4 and 6.

The 6 year old has been hiding lipstick, chapstick or gloss since she was old enough to learn to hide things (about 3). She sneaks some on every day and has since she was 3.

She has become very possessive over property since then -she now has a secret drawer filled with all kinds of things, and she tends to be very selfish with posessions.

...I dont know if selfishness and makeup are connected in any way at a young age, but I do know that she is prone to them.

 

[Sheep4Christ]

The young women in my family started wearing colored lip gloss and eyeliner when they were either 12 or 13. They didn't start wearing eye-shadow and real lipstick until around 15 or 16. Some girls start wearing full makeup at 9 or younger (beauty pageant contestants).

 

[pdudgeon]

agreed. usually 7th grade for makeup.
I didn't have anyone to teach me so i browsed the ads in the fashion magazines a lot.

When my daughter was that age i took her into a good class narional department store to the make up counter, and had the lady there show her all about various make up; what to use, how to put it on, etc.
She helped my daughter to achieve a natural look that was easy to do and looked good. So my daughter was comfortable with something new, and had good help and advice as well.

When it came time for Prom night, we went back to the same store so she could learn what to wear for a night out occasion. and again a big success.

 

[AvilaSurfer]

Depends. My daughter, 40. Niece, 30. Other girls, 17.

 

[Sword of the Lord]

My 7 year old has been wearing it for a couple years. She also has her ears pierced and we let her have pink hair.

 

[Tallguy88]

I agree with the 16+ for any kind of "look at me I'm sexy" makeup. Basic "cover up my zits" makeup would be fine as needed before that.

 

[bill5]

Some girls start wearing full makeup at 9 or younger (beauty pageant contestants).

Which is enough to make me ill. Not the girls so much but their so-called parents. What kind of warped mind puts children that young into beauty pageants?

I agree with the 16+ for any kind of "look at me I'm sexy" makeup. Basic "cover up my zits" makeup would be fine as needed before that.

Exactly....

 

[Ada Lovelace]

I agree with the 16+ for any kind of "look at me I'm sexy" makeup. Basic "cover up my zits" makeup would be fine as needed before that.

I went to all-girls schools renowned for their strong intellectual learning environments for the majority of my middle and high school education. With the absence of boys there really wasn't a temptation to wear makeup out of a "look at me, I'm sexy" desire. And yet most girls age 13 and over, regardless of their complexion, wore makeup on a daily basis. Not for boys, not for adults, but for themselves. Many simply view it as a part of taking pride in their appearance, akin to staying in shape, grooming their brows and nails, and getting regular hair trims. Some do it for pleasure, or as a hobby, enjoying following and even creating makeup tutorials on YouTube. Most derive benefit from it, feeling a boost in joy and confidence from enhancing their features. It can have a perceptible, positive impact on self-image.

The student handbooks required that makeup and hair not cause a distraction, so no blue hair or neon eyeshadow, but otherwise free to use sensible methods of polishing and expressing yourself. You can find hundreds of makeup tutorials specifically crafted for age-appropriate school looks. There are even ones for younger girls who simply like to play with makeup. My little sister turned 11 today, and my gifts to her were Urban Decay palettes because she delights in playing with mine. She doesn't wear makeup to school yet, but on the weekends she and her friends greatly enjoy doing makeup one for another. In a couple of years if she wants to wear makeup to school my parents won't object, because they'll understand her benign reasonings for it. They also try to avoid generating rebellion and resentment as minimally as possible by not forbidding things unless wise or necessary.

Girls wearing makeup as a part of their self-maintenance routine and for pleasure isn't new to my generation or location. Just before my mom - a lifelong tomboy - started high school in Virginia in the 1980s my nana took her to the beauty salon and the Clinique counter. She gently nudged my mom to start tending to her appearance and presenting her best self as a young lady. My first internship was at age 14, and my mom brought me to MAC where a makeup artist taught me how to create a subtle, appropriate look for it. The main reason I stopped wearing it after the internship ended was laziness, ha. It required extra minutes in the morning.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Well, my wife doesn't feel dressed if she goes out without 'putting on her face'. I think for things like make up and earrings etc it's really the teen years when it starts so naturally. I don't find it problematic in moderation; and these days both genders seem to wear earrings, often; which I don't find problematic, ether.

 

[Gnarwhal]

Being a guy, I think it's hard for me to say when/why a girl should wear makeup, but if I have a daughter I don't think I'm going to be okay with her caking it on if she's under 16. That's kind of the age for me where I think I'm obligated to start letting my kids do more adult things. When they get their drivers license then I think having a cell phone, wearing makeup—whatever—is slightly more acceptable. Like you said though, if she is desperate to cover up some acne or something like that, I might be compelled to say okay to some cover up or something.

As a dude, I tend to think minimal makeup is more attractive anyway. My ex piled it on, justifying it because she was a hair stylist, but I always preferred when she didn't wear any (or very little). So I tend to dislike heavy make up on women in general.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Being a guy, I think it's hard for me to say when/why a girl should wear makeup, but if I have a daughter I don't think I'm going to be okay with her caking it on if she's under 16. That's kind of the age for me where I think I'm obligated to start letting my kids do more adult things. When they get their drivers license then I think having a cell phone, wearing makeup—whatever—is slightly more acceptable. Like you said though, if she is desperate to cover up some acne or something like that, I might be compelled to say okay to some cover up or something.

As a dude, I tend to think minimal makeup is more attractive anyway. My ex piled it on, justifying it because she was a hair stylist, but I always preferred when she didn't wear any (or very little). So I tend to dislike heavy make up on women in general.

I think also the fact remains that in some families it's more customary than in others. Same for earrings (for both genders also).

 

[Gnarwhal]

I think also the fact remains that in some families it's more customary than in others. Same for earrings (for both genders also).

Yeah there's cultural differences to consider.

 

[Winter]

I started wearing makeup when I was around 12 or 13 (junior high school). But this was back in the 80s and makeup was "big" back then, so much so that the bit of eyeliner and lipstick I wore wasn't very conspicuous for those times. I think in general 13 is an ok age to start with natural, but minimal makeup.

 

[Genersis]

I'm not sure there is a right and wrong age, more so right and wrong reasons to wear makeup.
While using makeup for self expression doesn't bother me, doing so out of peer pressure or feelings of inadequacy would be of concern to me.

Of course, once a child's old enough, there's not much that can be done. A teenager will often find a way around any rigid rules they disagree with, and perhaps must learn from their own mistakes; I feel it is perhaps a key part of becoming independent. I suspect any rigid rules on makeup would be little different.
Heck, I'm perhaps the furthest thing from a parent though, so pinch of salt and all that...

 

[WarriorAngel]

My daughter wore lip gloss and some mascara (not heavy) in late middle school. 7-8th grades.

 

[MikeK]

I suppose middleschool is appropriate to start really wearing makeup. All of my daughters played with my wife's makeup occasionally starting as toddlers though, and I think that's fine. Kids need to learn their assigned gender roles and I worry a little bit about any girl who doesn't play with makeup when they're young, just like I'd be a bit concerned if my boys had no interest in "playing with" guns and chainsaws and fire and motorcycles/snowmobiles/atvs (with appropriate supervision). Girls have to learn to be pretty and boys have to learn to be handsome and valuable..

Not sure if I'm kidding or not