As a parent, watching your kid start to experiment with makeup and express curiosity about beauty products can feel like a strange time. While for many teens, this is a normal and natural part of growing up, you may catch yourself feeling that your kid seems very young to be interested in all that. One of the most important things you can do is to encourage your child to develop a healthy relationship with makeup, and with their appearance. You may not be able to stop your teen from engaging with the beauty industry, but you can help them avoid its more toxic elements.
Do Your Makeup Together
If you’re someone who wears makeup, it can be a fun and helpful idea to sit down with your teen and do your makeup together. This will send them a clear message that you’re not about to confiscate their makeup collection any time soon and this will help them open up to you and ask any questions they may have. You can also use this time as an opportunity to share what you like—and dislike—about makeup and the beauty industry, so they are clear that there are some problematic issues within the industry.
Encourage a Range of Beauty Icons
If you’re concerned that your child is being drawn to one style of makeup or one type of beauty icon, encourage some diversity by discussing a range of famous beauty inspirations, or even putting up images or posters of some of them. This will help your child learn that beauty doesn’t have to equate to a face full of makeup, and that there are lots of different interpretations and ideas of what beautiful looks like.
Let Them Know You’re Listening
Remind your child that you’re always there to listen. If they know you’ve got their back, they will come to you in a time of need. Whether they want to confide in you that they haven’t been feeling their best about their appearance or get your opinion on which beauty look they should wear to prom, keeping the dialogue open and honest will help you to counteract any negative influences from the beauty industry.