Young And Obsessed: The Skin Care Drama

Vidhi (name changed) was oblivious about the skincare world until her first pimple made her 바카라�cry바카라�. To her, the pimple wasn바카라�t merely a natural part of growing; rather, it seemed to be a threat to her skin and 바카라�beauty바카라�. Starting with basics like face wash and moisturiser, her inclination to dig deeper into the skincare realm stemmed from visible difference, particularly in the reduction of her acne (which may or not be the result of the products being used).

What started with 바카라�basics,바카라� has turned into a 10-step skincare routine today. With a lavish range of skincare products (some gifts from her aunt in Dubai and some local), Vidhi expresses a special fondness for the Korean Beauty range.

Citing issues such as dark circles (hereditary), pigmentation, and acne, she describes the current process of engaging in her skincare practice as 바카라�relaxing, reassuring바카라� and something that helps her 바카라�combat basic insecurities and feel good about herself바카라�.

Vidhi is a 12-year-old girl from Kolkata.

What could be lying beneath the mind of a 12-year-old child who has already fallen into the trap of an ostensible perfect skin?

When asked about the moment which drove her initiation to the beauty world, she recalls: 바카라�Skincare, it came around when I was in Ahmedabad, where I lived for some time. I kind of let go of myself completely. I would do basic hygiene practices, but I would get a lot of acne. Basically, pimples that would kind of drive me crazy.바카라�

Talking about the sources which guide her purchases, she mentions: 바카라�I research like 바카라�actual websites바카라�. I definitely watch social media, but I try to not let it influence what I think about it.바카라�

This is not just the story of one but thousands of such young children, pointing towards an onset of new victims of the year old 바카라�ageing바카라� and 바카라�younger-and-brighter바카라� looking skin gimmick, which has kept women in a chokehold.

While Vidhi has recently started her anonymous skincare recommendations and reviews page on Instagram, there are many other creators in the similar age group who are influencers or content creators on the platform. @happyskincaringg, aka Divya Agarwal, is one such Instagram handle which is run by a 19-year-old law student of NMIMS Bangalore, with 54.7K followers.

Explaining how she entered into the domain of creating beauty content, she recalls starting the journey very young, when she was 15 or 16 years old during the Covid period, where she had a lot of time in hand and stumbled upon some YouTube videos from creators like James Welsh. Fascinated by the skincare wave outside, she started her own journey and experimented with products.

Interestingly, the phenomenon of the 바카라�Sephora 10-Year Olds바카라� or 바카라�Sephora Teens바카라� in the United States is testament to this frightening shift of perception, and an apparent byproduct of the unrestricted content consumption which consumes lives of children today. This unusual viral trend raised alarms as children around the age of 10 starting 바카라�taking over바카라� stores for expensive makeup and skincare, becoming consumers of high-end beauty products and occasionally posting videos of their hauls and consequent skincare routines.

Aware of this trend in the US, Vidhi바카라�s mother expressed her own concerns about the social media algorithms and the lack of any means to control the kind of content that reaches her daughter, who she describes as 바카라�next level obsessed바카라� with skincare. She says, 바카라�I don바카라�t think any teenager is as much into skincare as my daughter is.바카라�

While skincare is at the centre of their 바카라�mother and daughter bonding time바카라� at home (where the daughter guides her mother with a multiple-steps skincare routine), she also points at the flip side of the situation. She admits having healthy scepticism and hopes that this doesn바카라�t age her child.

In the case of teenagers바카라� exposure to widely available content in this day, Kaur emphasises that different media channels have long shaped the trends, dating back to newspapers to reels today.

바카라�There is a shift almost every 10 years with respect to trends that shape society. With AI and advanced algorithms, this change has fastened, and it is these social media and AI advancements which stitch the narrative and reality for us now,바카라� she adds.

In reference to access to data online, Kaur wants to probe into the sources and the extent of the 바카라�research바카라�, including the bias that may overshadow a child바카라�s judgment.

Meenu Malik, a consultant dermatologist, shares similar opinion and says: 바카라�There is such a widespread access to data today, including paid journals. In such cases, the authenticity of the research hinders.바카라�

Referring to the initial days of her journey, she recollects an instance where due to her vulnerability to misinformation, she ended up using 바카라�essential oils바카라� which, in turn, caused a great deal of harm to the skin, leading to huge boils on her face.

In reference to such incidences, Simran Kaur, a counselling psychologist and the founder of Serene Lives, points towards potential underlying reasonings for some things that go beyond the need for self-care.

She says: 바카라�While one cannot point to a singular cause without thorough examination, there are certain possibilities to explain such a case. One reason might be underlying social anxiety, which puts extreme focus on looks, where skin becomes non-negotiable. Another reason might be inclined towards a gradually developed obsessive behaviour where one needs to ask, what if the access to that self-care practice is taken away from the child.바카라�

Furthermore, she also goes on to highlight the importance of tracing the narrative which goes around amongst the peers, in person as well as on social media platforms.

She continues: 바카라�Not every product works for everyone, in children as well as in adults. Despite being clinically proven, some products do not work on certain people. Such generalisation based on a particular product or ingredient is not appropriate. This is where the role of customisation or an expert plays an important role.바카라�

Vidhi, nevertheless, has a different approach to the subject. While on one hand, she says: 바카라�I know actives are bad for my skin,바카라� on the other, she adds: 바카라�but I think it바카라�s kind of normal for kids to be interested in skin care.바카라� Her 바카라�normal바카라� in this case seems to be pointing to a fabricated reality which is a likely product of the intersection between capitalism and social media platforms.

Confessing her lack of knowledge around the subject, Vidhi바카라�s mother shared how internet serves as an impetus to confusion rather than clarity on the subject. 바카라�Parents like myself are super confused,바카라� she notes.

Taking advantage of this void, the brands are able to grow on the fertile ground provided by social media, where influencers bring in trust and 바카라�community,바카라� one of the reasons cited by Vidhi when asked about the pulling factors contributing towards her keen interest in skincare. Her mother echoed concerns regarding such a merger of commercial with 바카라�so-called바카라� education.

In an attempt to navigate through the situation and 바카라�to channel her boundless energy into something,바카라� the parents encouraged their daughter to translate her interest into something 바카라�productive,바카라� which in this case was starting her own skincare brand. The mother perceives it as an attempt to 바카라�pull the child out from being a consumer and putting her into creating something out of the research.바카라�

While Vidhi treads that path, her mother expresses uncertainty in the execution or end result of the same.

When asked about the scariest thing with regards to this journey as a mother, she says: 바카라�It doesn't scare me till she is communicating. What scares me is at some point she will stop communicating and then I바카라�ll have a problem. Today I know what she is thinking about and as a parent it바카라�s important to try and be close to her바카라�for skincare, along with school, how friends are treating her, and her emotions in general. It is when that communication stops that I바카라�ll be the most worried."