What harm can cosmetics do to girls?
Cosmetics are a bone of contention between teenage daughters and their parents. It is further muddied by the fact that so many mothers encourage their young daughters into beauty pageants, dance performances, shows, all of which require face make-up. However, it is no longer just a matter of personal preference; research has identified alarming links between early cancers and young girls exposed to chemicals in cosmetics. Teenage girls often wear make up to look older, now research shows that all those chemicals may actually be making puberty arrive faster and increasing the risk of breast cancer, a high price to pay for a desire to look grown up!
You have to ask yourself why your teenage daughter is keen to look older. If she regularly goes out with a lot of makeup on and wearing grown up clothes, then who is she seeing? It is not always easy to find out who your daughter's friends are but when she starts to stay out later and look different you are going to have to deal with it. Wearing makeup itself is no great drama, but take a good look at her and think, would you let her in to an over 21 club? If you think she looks a lot older than her years then you can be sure so do a lot of clubs and bars. The wearing of makeup could be the first sign that your teenager is hanging around with people, and in places, you would seriously disapprove of.
So how do you tackle this? Firstly, be careful, teenage girls are hypersensitive about their looks. The makeup and cosmetics may be her way of compensating for features she hates, hiding spots for example. Talk to her about good cleansing routines and the benefits of letting her skin breathe for long term good skincare. Work your way round to the worry of where she goes all dressed up and looking so much older. Warn her of the dangers of appearing older than her years, of assumptions by the opposite sex that she can handle a serious relationship, or be available for a more physical encounter!
Your teenager may get very angry as she thinks you do not trust her; the more indignant she gets, the more likely it is that she has managed to go somewhere she shouldn't! She may genuinely have not realized the dangers of appearing older, or she may not care what you think, as she wants to hang around with friends who all wear makeup and boys who drive cars.
Decide, is she at risk? If so, put your foot down, find out who she's going round with, and speak to their parents. Makeup may have to be restricted to special occasions, or you may choose to limit how much she wears. You certainly want to check the ingredients and avoid those with lots of chemicals in them and talk to your daughter about this; she will probably be keen to protect her health. Using a lot of cosmetics is not a big deal in itself, the reasons behind it may be far more significant.