At the ripe age of 10, I remember asking my parents for detailed coloring books and large glittery stuffed animals with animated eyes. I don’t recall wanting serums and bronzing drops.
Now, as a 20-year-old, I often find myself browsing through the black and white aisles of Sephora, looking to restock my favorite makeup products or skincare essentials. What I find infuriating are the young girls blocking my way.
These girls — often no older than 12 years old — crowd the store in their Lululemon leggings and UGG platform Tasman slippers as they hold Stanley cups in one hand while grabbing items and pulling out wads of cash with the other.
It is shocking to say the least.
A few weeks ago, I walked into the store looking for a bottle of The Ordinary’s Niacinamide, which I use every night.
As I walked up to the aisle to pick up a bottle, three young girls turned to glance at me, gave me a dirty look and continued to admire the products.
After they moved to the Drunk Elephant section of the store, it angered me to see that they had left every single product open, spilling drops of colorful serums and lotion everywhere.
They didn’t even bother to tell an employee or better yet, clean up the mess they created all over the white tiled floor.
Sephora has become the new Claire’s — a playground for preteen girls introduced to materialism and harmful beauty standards far too early.
I still remember Claire’s as being the first store I was allowed to even purchase beauty products from. I would be happy if my mom even bought me a pair of pink, sparkly earrings or a flavored lip smacker set.
Ulta Beauty was the next step up from Claire’s and then finally, Sephora, after I turned 16 years old.
Many of these girls have barely even made it out of elementary school and are jumping into a world only older girls should have access to.
If applied too early, makeup and skincare can be harmful to preadolescent developing faces, especially individuals who are more vulnerable to toxic substances and have more sensitive skin, according to The Health Site.
Now, they are reaching for products like Drunk Elephant and Rare Beauty like their skin will melt off if the products are not applied the night before.
Comprised of people aged primarily under 13, Gen Alpha is known online as the generation of children glued to their screens, which labeled them with the unfortunate term "iPad kids," according to a Business Insider article.
However, “10-year-old-girls in Sephora” has become the new trope, again painting Gen Alpha under an embarrassing light, according to the same article.
It is entirely their fault.
Of course, I can understand that these young girls are growing up in an entirely different time period where social media platforms like TikTok encourage materialism and skincare. However, this does not excuse their snobby behavior.
My other concern is: how are the parents of these young, spoiled preteens allowing such unacceptable behavior. If I had even dared to ask for even a mascara at their age, my mom would have immediately shut me down.
These girls parade around the store holding stacks of cash or credit cards — presumably given to them by their parents — and baskets filled to the brim with expensive items. I simply don’t understand it.
As they waltz to the front registers ringing up a total of $300, they shrug their shoulders and act as if it is no big deal.
I think a part of it is that parents simply do not want to deal with kids screaming and throwing tantrums in the store if they don’t get what they want. This is something I witnessed a few weeks ago when a girl had tears streaming down her face because her mom would not purchase a lip plumper for her.
Not only do these girls purchase products they don’t need in Sephora, but then they jump onto TikTok to film “get ready with me” videos displaying their new possessions.
Every time I see one pop up on my Tik Tok feed with their high-pitched squeaky voices, I roll my eyes and click the “Not Interested” button. I seriously do not need to be educated about makeup or skincare by someone who is barely an adolescent.
I swear, Sephora needs to start checking IDs before letting in kids who can’t justify why they are buying products only their older sisters should be using. Until then, I am happy to shop for my favorite items online from the comfort of my own, preteen free home.
