Teens & Makeup: Should Teen Girls Wear Makeup?

Headlines like this one have some truth in them. Makeup serves plenty of purposes. Sometimes, it supplies females with a sense of confidence or attractiveness. The equipment of makeup can reveal signs of refinement or care toward one’s appearance, which is not altogether a negative thing. In fact, it seems like standard practice for ladies is to wear makeup whenever they attend formal occasions like weddings, or even when they go to school. Wearing makeup does not make ladies stupid, nor does it make them shallow.

But, like all things, there comes a time when excess leads to error.This is especially true regarding younger females, as the time they spend improving their physical attributes could be spent enhancing their mental abilities. Instead of worrying about how their mascara might run when things get rough, they could be focussing on how they might solve a societal issue when the world gets tough.

Don’t get me wrong, ladies should worry about their appearance. I’m sure that, to some extent, we all do; even guys. But the problem with this is paramount within young females, as they are becoming brainwashed by society from the start to value aesthetics over actual knowledge. I don’t intend to utilise absolutes, as I’m sure this is not the case for every female everywhere in the world, but lately it feels like more people are fawning over looks as opposed to intelligence or morals. When we approach a little girl at a party, we don’t immediately comment on her intellect – rather, we compliment her clothing choices or her hairstyle.

When was the last time a female celebrity was praised because of her brains, and not her beauty? I can’t recall Chidinma, Seyi Shay, or Yemi Alade garnering good remarks from the media for their smarts. It’s not like these celebrities aren’t smart, or that they aren’t remarkably talented – rather, I feel like sophistication is taking a backseat to sexiness and prettiness and all things visually pleasing.

Maybe that wasn’t the best analogy, because it isn’t Mo’cheddah’s job to be smart. Her job, as an artiste, is to sing. But in this day and age, when young girls are texting from the age of three and wearing makeup and high heels before secondary school, role models with real brains and strong characters are absolutely necessary. Females suffer from society’s expectations when they are placed on pedestals of aesthetic perfection, and they are hurt when discussions about books are eschewed in order to make room for improving their outfits.

Girls, let me tell you something. Good looks can reel a guy into your circle, no doubt about it. But only a cultivated mind, prepped for clear and informed communication, will keep him there.

So, what do y’all think? Is it really advisable for teen girls to wear make-up?