Cover image illustrated by Caitlin Smith
By now, you’ve probably heard the term “Sephora kids,” a nickname attributed to young girls who add skincare products to the top of their birthday lists. This maximalist approach of buying unnecessary skincare has raised concerns that products are causing hypersensitivity and allergic reactions in young consumers.
Modern beliefs about aging can be attributed to the promotion of anti-aging products and procedures on social media, filtered images, and long-standing resistance to aging across generations due to gendered double standards.
“A lot of teenagers and kids who are consuming social media content about anti-aging products don’t actually need those sorts of products yet, but they’re being raised with a pressure that you need them in order to feel good about yourself,” said sophomore Stella Hall.
Young social media influencers are promoting anti-aging cosmetic procedures beginning as early as 20, possibly explaining how the fear of aging trickled down to tween Sephora-fanatics. “I think social media sets a standard of perfection, which is very difficult to keep up with because that isn’t the reality,” said sophomore Gabriella Peñaloza López.
Young social media influencers are promoting anti-aging cosmetic procedures beginning as early as 20, possibly explaining how the fear of aging trickled down to tween Sephora-fanatics.
According to a study from dermatologists at Boston University, the more time spent on social media scrolling past unrealistic, perfectly sculpted faces and bodies, whether due to filters or filler, the higher the likelihood of desiring a cosmetic procedure.
“Social media has set high expectations on what to look like. It makes people want to do botox and other treatments to look like a filter, which is very toxic,” senior Kimberly Estrada said.
“Now that young people have more ability to have their own platforms [on social media], I think we’ve seen a lot more young people becoming icons for both teenagers and for older people as well. We’re all trying to emulate downwards in age,” Books Editor at Oprah Daily Charley Burlock told the M-A Chronicle.
Many mothers reinforce beauty standards pervasive online due to pressures they faced growing up, creating a generational cycle of women who fear aging. In writer Alexandra D’Amour’s 2024 essay “Toxic Beauty Standards Can Be Passed Down” she connects ‘90s toxic diet culture to now-adult millennials whose mothers obsessed about their weights and projected that certain diet culture onto them.
Body positivity emerged as a conscious counter to this phenomenon, as seen in the 2004 Dove campaign for “Real Beauty.” Two decades later, Dove has continued this message, “with a pledge to never use AI to represent real women in its ads.”
While body positivity is on the rise, the fear of aging remains prevalent across generations. “Wrinkles are the new enemy,” wrote D’Amour. In short, it appears the mother’s obsession with youthful beauty and their role modeling to their daughters is analogous to the diet culture of their youth.
Wrinkles are the new enemy.
Alexandra D’Amour
“I think moms in our community are trying to stop the aging process by using too much skincare and cosmetics,” junior Noah Jacobi said. But Jacobi acknowledged that it’s hard to know whether teenage girls are emulating their moms or the images in their feed—or both.
According to the Journal of Aging Studies, “The double standard of aging exists for women who feel that aging erodes their appearance, give more importance to their appearance than men, and fear looking old from an early age.” While aging men are dubbed “white foxes,” appreciation for women’s beauty often decreases with age.
“A lot of older men are seen as wise, while women have a stereotype to look a certain way,” junior Austin Horton said. Horton is not afraid of aging because he views it as a natural progression to having more opportunities.
According to research shared by Jeff Guo in a Washington Post article, Hollywood has long been ageist in their casting of women: “While male actors can enjoy rich careers that last well into their 40s and 50s, female actors are often treated like they have an expiration date.” When older roles are given to young actresses, they reinforce an inaccurate, youthful beauty standard.
Older generations are responsible for reshaping this precedent and setting a better example for younger girls, or they’ll simply resort to social media and its toxicity. By viewing aging as a sign of growth, teenage girls can create a future without stigma.
