By Erin Peters
Mothers of the modern age are faced with an ever-increasing number of challenges. New and widespread technologies have made the world smaller and more accessible. Cultural biases are always present in print, on movie screens, or chirping from the corner of webpages in the form of imbedded ads. Levels of media consumption are at an all-time high; participation in twenty-first century life requires a competitive streak and loads of dedication to being the first on the block to have the latest and greatest space-age innovations. It’s all about keeping up with the Joneses and always surpassing them when you have the chance. This is especially true when it comes to keeping up appearances. Young girls are now faced with more pressure than ever to dive into the world of make-up and beauty before they even reach their teenage years. The imperative to achieve the standards of female perfection that are shown in magazines and on television only grows stronger as these sources continue to become easier and easier access. The question then, is this: How does a mother living in the twenty-first century go about helping her child achieve an identity outside the superficial? When it comes to beauty, the answer is more than skin deep.
A good and highly visible example of America’s obsession with linking cultural ideas of beauty to children’s self-worth can be seen by watching TLC’s hit documentary Toddler’s and Tiara’s. The aforementioned toddlers on the reality show are filmed during various stages of pageant prep and performance. While they chug giant bottles full of Mountain Dew (with added sugar), slather on self-tanner, and squirm uncomfortably while their gigantic fake-eyelashes are laboriously applied, proud mothers cheer on their daughters in hopes that their particular version artificially constructed beauty will allow them to outshine all the rest. Although pageant girls may be an extreme representation of made-up little girls, the statistics among a more realistic sampling of the population show that cosmetic consumption is on the rise for girls of elementary school age. Research done by Jessica Bennett for her Newsweek article, Generation Diva, presents staggering statistics. In the text she states: “According to market-research firm Experian, 43 percent of 6- to 9-year-olds are already using lipstick or lip gloss; 38 percent use hairstyling products; and 12 percent use other cosmetics. And the level of interest is making the girls of "Toddlers & Tiaras" look ordinary,” (Bennett). These numbers represent a growing trend that affects all age groups, with more and more money being spent by girls under the age of eighteen on cosmetics and beauty treatments each year. When physical beauty is transformed into a kind of social currency, one that must constantly be sought and replenished depending on market trends, the ramifications for developing girls seeking the approval of their peers can be damaging. Bennett cites Susie Orbach’s book Bodies when she says:
…good looks and peak fitness are no longer a biological gift, but a ceaseless pursuit. And obsession at an early age, she says, fosters a belief that these are essential components of who we are—not, as she puts it, "lovely add-ons." "It primes little girls to think they should diet and dream about the cosmetic-surgery options available to them, and it makes body the primary place for self-identity.” (Bennett)
When the focus changes from personal accomplishments to outward displays of accepted standards of femininity, young girls lose many opportunities to view their worth through lenses other than the physical. Instead of being judged by their whole, these children are reduced to their stereotypically feminine presentations and how well these are enacted daily. That type of stress, ingrained in female children from the time they can pick up and read a Cosmo that Mom might have lying about, negatively effects self-esteem and gives girls and incredibly skewed view of what they should become in order to be successful women.
The psychological findings brought forth by Bennett echo points brought up by Peggy Ornstein in her article, "What’s Wrong with Cinderella?". Although Ornstein found nothing quantifiable wrong with a youthful preoccupation with princesses, her research did find something shocking. She states in the text:
…there is evidence that young women who hold the most conventionally feminine beliefs — who avoid conflict and think they should be perpetually nice and pretty — are more likely to be depressed than others and less likely to use contraception. What’s more, the 23 percent decline in girls’ participation in sports and other vigorous activity between middle and high school has been linked to their sense that athletics is unfeminine (Ornstein 4).
While sports might wash off a young girl’s make-up, the life lessons they might teach her are invaluable, and the self-promotion of reproductive health is far more important than any beauty routine ever implemented in hopes of looking like the perfect girl. These are the important points often overlooked by tweens and teens on their quest to achieve the ultimate standard of beauty.
The best tool that moms have to counteract the negative consequences of social pressures to embody heteronormative beauty standards is their own self-esteem. Daughters learn from their mothers, more than any media source, what is considered acceptable and feminine. Although a good upbringing can’t protect girls from all of the world’s unachievable standards, if a young woman has a mother to look up to that emphasizes her embodiment as not purely physical, then maybe she’ll see that beauty can be more than just what lies on the surface.
Sources:
1. Bennett, Jessica. "Generation Diva: How Our Obsession with Beauty is Changing Our Kids." Newsweek. 30 03 2009: n. page. Web. 4 Jun. 2012.
2. Ornstein, Peggy. "What's Wrong with Cinderella?" New York Times 26 12 2006, n. pag. Web. 4 Jun. 2012. <https://blackboard.ohio.edu>
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