If you thought the story about 6-year-olds in the UK wearing makeup to school was bad, then I've got some unpleasant news for you: adult makeup use in children has jumped sharply in the US as well. Eighteen percent of kids ages 8-12 are using mascara, and 15 percent are using eyeliner and/or lipstick — all more than five percent increases over the numbers from just two years ago.
If makeup usage among small girls continues to grow at this rate, one-third of all third-graders could be wearing makeup on a daily basis five years from now. And this month, a study from Mount Sinai Hospital revealed that girls with early onset puberty had abnormal levels of the phthalates found in some beauty products, possibly suggesting there may be a link between childhood makeup usage and unhealthy development.
Interestingly, though, there seems to be a backlash brewing among teens, as the "How to Apply Makeup Like a High School Girl" YouTube phenomenon and its many tribute videos suggest. What do you think? Should makeup come before puberty? And do you think this is a fad that's about to be on its way out, or will second-graders be giving smoky eye tutorials in Show and Tell by 2020?