The debate on the right age to wear makeup is one I know all too well. During my early middle school years, my mother urged me to keep my makeup natural, and I rarely listened. Quite a few fights were started because of this, but eventually died down when I learned the art of Less is More. Nonetheless, after my little sister was found venturing into my stash of lipstick earlier this year, the great makeup debate in my house has been resparked.

While there is no set age where young women should start wearing makeup, any age is too young to be told that they need to start wearing makeup. The decision to start wearing makeup should be purely in the hands of the person who wears it. Any girl, whether 8 or 28 years old has the power to decide that she feels better in her skin with some lipstick, as long as she came to that conclusion on her own accord. There is no age that a girl will reach when she should be expected to wear makeup to fit society’s standard.

This view may disappointment parents who just want to stop their children from growing up, but it’s best for one’s child to decide on their own whether or not to wear  makeup, regardless of age.

The tween years when most young girls do start wearing makeup is also a time when they are beginning to find themselves, and aspire to be like the older teens around them, according to the website SheKnows. It can be detrimental to this time of growth if they feel like they can’t express themselves. Likewise, if a girl is told that she needs to be wearing makeup to fit in, she can feel just as uncomfortable in her natural skin.

Makeup is made as a fun way to highlight one’s features and show off one’s personality. We should let young girls choose when they’re ready to introduce it into their lives as such and not as a way to hide themselves.