Why are kids washing away their childhoods?
We live in a day and age where kids are encouraged to grow up faster than they need to. Preteens—children—are dressing like they’re 16 or older when in reality, they are years away.
Instead of children wishing for Barbies, Legos, and stuffed animals, many are wishing for Stanley cups, Ugg boots, and Drunk Elephant skin care. Not only are they wasting their childhood away by trying to grow up faster, but it is also a huge expense for parents.
Parents are purchasing $120 Lululemon Scubas for their daughters. They spend $45 on a Stanley cup, just for their daughters to feel like they belong. They buy them expensive makeup so that their daughters can feel better about themselves and how they look, though some do find a hobby in it.
I’ve seen many videos of kids at Sephora spending their birthday and Christmas money on $38 Bronzi drops and $24 Sol de Janeiro perfume. Kids do not need Bronzing drops or any sort of 22-stepped skincare routine element. Most kids used to just wash their face and occasionally throw on some moisturizer; now, kids film “Get Ready with Me” videos to post on the internet and spend hours at a time on their skincare.
Drunk Elephant even states on their website that some of the products should not be used by children under 10 because they are products “which address concerns that aren’t present at such an age.” Nonetheless, it doesn’t stop these kids.
It saddens me to see these young, impressionable girls destroy their individuality through social media.
They don’t need to worry about skincare and a full face of makeup; they should realize that they are beautiful without having to change themselves.
Kids need to be kids.
When a child has a Christmas wish list that totals over a few hundred dollars on things that are meant for people years older than them, it’s depressing. I long to see a girl on my Instagram feed getting excited about a toy they have gotten for their birthday. The countless amount of videos I see of little girls opening their birthday presents and screaming with happiness when they get a Stanley is upsetting. It’s just a cup.
If Stanleys were not all over social media, not nearly as many people would have them. Kids want them to fit in and be cool so they buy them. But who knows where Stanley Cups will be in a year or two? They are a trend and will fade eventually.
Kids need to be kids.
They should be begging their parents to take them to Toys R Us or Target like we used to do, sprinting down the aisles and pointing out every single toy they wanted to own. Instead, they are wishing for cups, activewear to not actually be active in, and boots you can’t even get wet in the snow.
I hope that the upcoming generation can figure out that they don’t need all this stuff; they can be who they are and will wear what they want to, not what’s trendy. I hope these girls realize that they are beautiful inside and out, without extra products on their faces, or certain clothes.
