When girls are little they want to be all dressed up like their mommies. Moms are important role models for their young daughters. Some girls don’t grow out of acting like mommy. Girls ages eight through twelve are going out of the house wearing makeup, revealing clothes, and platform shoes. That’s a problem and it needs to stop. Girls need to look more natural instead of like teenagers.

Girls are trying new things at too young an age. Experts agree that girls between the ages of eight and twelve are skipping preadolescence and acting like teenagers. One middle school educator says that kids are teenagers at ten. Teachers complain that their ten and eleven year old students are coming to school in full cosmetic regalia. Some girls justify wearing makeup by saying that all the other girls are wearing it at school. Teachers are seeing girls wearing skirts about the size of belts. In recent years, some cosmetic and clothing companies have begun aiming their products at girls ages ten and younger. These items include colored lip gloss and perfume even for the younger girls.

Marketers have a new name for girls between the ages of eight and twelve; they call them “tweens”. Companies try to get tweens to buy their products by convincing them that they will be prettier and will smell better. Market research has shown that more tweens are shopping for their own clothes, shoes, and drugstore items. Girls are shopping for cool black mini dresses in Limited Too and Chickaboom stores. Bath and Body Works sells a line of cosmetics for young girls also. Another cosmetics company sells different lotions for young girls with names like “Follow Me Boy” and “Vanilla Vibe”. In research conducted by Nickelodeon, some 12-year-old children describe themselves as flirtatious, sexy, trendy, athletic, and cool. Some 11 year olds no longer think of themselves as children.

Experts agree that there are two reasons why young girls are adopting styles and attitudes of teenagers. The first is our media crazy society that focuses on glitz and glamour. The second is absentee parents. Some experts believe that these two realities result in increased authority of the peer group, which becomes more important to kids whose parents are never home. Absentee parents are parents who don’t spend enough time with their children. They think that their eight-year-old son or daughter is able to take the responsibility to take care of themselves. Some parents don’t pay attention to advertisers so they can’t help their children with making decisions. Children of absentee parents have to make their own decisions. As time goes on, the peer group takes more and more control over tweens. The teachers in different schools can see that their students are lonely. They are lonely because they live in homes where both parents are focused on careers and other interests. These parents have no idea what their kids are doing. The more lonely a tween gets, the more power the peer group has over them.

There are many problems that young girls encounter when they act too mature. Wearing makeup shows signs of maturity. When girls wear makeup and revealing clothes, they attract the attention of young males. The girl is clearly too young for a serious relationship. Also, if girls are allowed to wear makeup and adult clothing styles, they might get the message that they are allowed to participate in other adult activities. Furthermore, marketers say that if young girls wear makeup they will be prettier, and if they wear mature clothing they will be considered sexy. Most marketers target girls’ insecurities. Girls looking too old at a young age, the influence of marketers, and absentee parents can cause major problems in a young girl’s life.

Tweens aren’t mature enough to do different things a young woman does. They are too young to wear makeup and skimpy clothes because they could get a response from boys they aren’t ready for. The parents have to decide how they want their children to feel about themselves. Parents also have to listen and pay close attention to their children. They have to talk to their children about these different topics. Young girls need to ignore marketers and spend as much time with their parents as possible. And tweens need to ignore the peer group if they are asked to do something they aren’t ready for. If tweens follow this, they will become healthy teenagers.