Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Jessica Smock's avatar

My daughter just turned 9 and all she wanted for her birthday was expensive skin care products. Literally, the only thing. I went to Sephora with her for the first time and almost had a panic attack. She and her friends talk about skin care products ALL THE TIME. I'm a feminist Gen X-er whose entire skincare/beauty routine has been sunscreen and Neutrogena moisturizer and generic bodywash for 30 years. I feel like I've entered hell, and I have no idea what to do. Do I keep her off YouTube... permanently? Take her to a therapist?

Expand full comment
Beth Wych's avatar

It was this section of The Cut article that just made my heart hurt for these young women.

“Even if I get tired of doing [my multi-step skin routine], I just push through it knowing that at the end of the day, this is all gonna be worth it,” [22 year old Bennis] says. “Eventually it’s gonna be like, ‘Wow, you’re 40 years old and you don’t even look like you’re 20.’”

Because, frankly, that payday isn’t coming. It is never going to be worth it. There’s no good evidence that this kind of routine keeps skin looking young - her skin just looks young now because she IS young. And when she’s 40, she’s going to look 40 (give or take a few years) no matter how much gua sha she does or retinol she uses.

Even if - and it’s an enormous if - her skin routine is effect-producing (and, again, nothing to suggest it actually would be), she’s not going to have this amazing satisfying “I made it!” moment at 40. Because she’ll still have 50, 60 and 70 to worry about.

I probably sound judgemental- I don’t mean to be. It just makes me very very furious how aggressively companies target young women’s fears - create them, even! - to sell products.

Expand full comment
20 more comments...

No posts