03.05.24
Actress Drew Barrymore is Dove’s latest advocate to join its growing army of women and skin care experts to come to the aid of young girls in the wake of the treacherous “Sephora Kids" movement.
The phenomenon has been capturing media attention in the last year as more and more children are being persuaded by beauty influencer TikTok videos to buy age-inappropriate beauty products that could be potentially damaging for their self-esteem.
The “Anti” Anti-Aging Movement
Firdaous El Honsali, global vice president at Dove, expressed bewilderment in young children’s sudden interest in aging.
“When did 10-year-olds start worrying about wrinkles and getting older? It is time to speak up to highlight the absurdity and protect their self-esteem,” said El Honsali. “For two decades, we have taken action to build confidence and self-esteem for millions of girls. Today, our girls are anti-aging before they’ve even started to grow up and need us more than ever.”
Rooted in its belief of beauty being a sourcing of happiness over anxiety, Dove has joined forces with actress Drew Barrymore, a mother of two daughters, to fuel its conversation to call on the community to protect young girls’ self-esteem from beauty pressures. They’ll do with the launch of the #TheFaceof10 campaign.
“As a mom to two young girls, it makes me think differently about skin care for younger girls,” said Barrymore. “I’ve spent almost my whole life in a make-up chair, and as a little girl, I loved to play and express myself with things like glitter and stickers—and I would wear makeup for expressing myself. However, now there is a huge skin care movement directed at all ages, and some of the products on trend happen to be anti-aging. Not only can that be damaging to young skin, I feel like the message should always be pro-age, and age appropriate. I’m so proud to be partnering with Dove to help boost girls’ awareness and self-esteem!”
To further support and encourage parents to have important conversations with their kids about beauty’s role in self-image Dove has partnered with Dr. Phillippa Diedrichs and body image expert, certified dermatologist Dr. Marisa Garshick, to create “The Gen A Anti-Aging Talk.” The free resource provides tips on adults can talk to young people about anti-aging and beauty anxiety.
Dr Phillippa Diedrichs, PhD, professor of psychology and leading body image expert, backs the idea that actives in anti-aging products are not only damaging to self-esteem, but to users’ skin health.
“Today, girls are exposed to adult skincare content online and pressures to look a certain way at a very young age, to the extent that they’re adding products designed for adults to their wish lists and skincare regimens, without understanding the possible consequences for their physical and mental health,” he explained. “All of this contributes to a toxic culture of unrealistic beauty standards and pressures.”
Watch Drew Barrymore's post on the #TheFaceof10Campaign, here.
Watch Drew Barrymore's post on the #TheFaceof10Campaign, here.