Saturday, March 15, 2008

Growing Divas

“‘Look, we’re reading an adult magazine,’ Eleanor told her mother, gleefully waving a copy of People with a desultory-looking Britney Spears on its cover.

Eleanor was in the bubble-gum-colored pedicure lounge…with her 3 ½-year-old sister and a half-dozen or so friends. The girls were celebrating her birthday with mani’s, pedi’s and mini-makeovers with light makeup and body art — glitter-applied stars, lightning bolts and, of course, hearts.” (NYT, 2008)

A salon similar to the one Eleanor visited is located near my house, and I’ve often noticed it because of the limo parked outside. (It’s actually impossible to ignore—since the limo is pink.) I wasn’t sure girls actually threw birthday parties there, but according to the New York Times, I'm out of the loop. This local salon is only a fraction of a hot national trend: Beauty treatments for 6 to 9 year old girls.

Al Mohler commented on the issue:

“Some observers relate this all to the ‘KGOY’ trend – ‘Kids Getting Older Younger.’ But in this case it is not just a matter of getting older faster, but of being tragically misled about the purpose of life and the truth of beauty.”

Bingo. It’s not a problem of girls maturing too quickly—but that girls are learning to be obsessed with outward beauty.

This makes me wonder how I can personally be a better example to younger girls around me. I have little sisters who also have friends. Knowing that they are facing the same pressure to conform, how can I best serve them? How can I help them to develop a right view of beauty? What priorities am I communicating in my own behavior?

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