"Children should not be preoccupied with skincare. Their skin is already biologically excellent. Our job is just to protect it."
Said Dr Anjali Mahto, a dermatologist, quoted in
"Actress faces criticism over ‘dystopian’ skincare brand for children/Shay Mitchell’s line sells products for youngsters aged three and older, which dermatologists say reflects a wider and concerning trend" (London Times).
Interesting phrase: "too early" (as if it's fine to have that body dysmorphia-style messaging and unnecessary ‘fixing’ culture later).
Another doctor, Amy Perkins, said:
"This is not childhood. This is not cute. It’s the beauty industry expanding its reach from teens to toddlers. If you’re worried about your child’s skin barrier, take them to a doctor because this is a medical problem. Do not buy your child a face mask. This isn’t about skincare or ‘safe ingredients’. It’s about teaching children that their perfect skin already needs improving. It’s implying that self-care means buying an overpriced product with no evidence basis. It’s suggesting that beauty starts at three years old. Kids don’t need beauty routines. They need play, imagination, dirt under their nails and sunscreen when they’re outside."
Sunscreen! Well, then I guess their skin isn't "perfect" and it does need sludge slathered on.
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9 comments:
Now, now! I was with you until you dissed sunscreen. Sunscreen, especially for those of us from 'down south,' is a fully justifiable preventative for later skin cancer risks. It is not a beauty product, it's a temporary umbrella they can't lose or forget to use.
Childrens' tender skin needs protection from that burning British sun.
So we shouldn't make kids feel they need to "fix" their skin, but we should promote them feeling the need to "fix" their gender?
Did I diss sunscreen? I only disagreed with the doctors' assertion that children's skin is perfect. Perfect skin would give protection from the sun. I peeled my own childish skin off in sheets every summer. It was not performing up to snuff. Blatantly imperfect!
Yes, he left the door open for later, but I give him kudos for having the courage to say something early on, before it became something like a runaway trend, I hadn't heard about until this very post. Thanks.
Cancellation is very much still with us. Just because Trump has survived, doesn't mean it has gone away as a tool of fear and repression.
I do think that calling sunscreen "sludge" qualifies as "dissing."
Point to Robert Marshall.
Kids should learn to manage risk in moderation. Aesthetics is mostly an elective choice. No tattoos for you.
Peeled mine off in sheets as well. My dermatologist is named Kristen. She doesn't miss anything.
Next subject - Mohs procedures! It gets far worse the longer you have to live with your skin. You'd be amazed how well a rebuilt nose can look and work, though. Like before, it isn't perfect but it will have to do.
Is "sludge" always pejorative? Almost. I do see in the OED, "An amorphous or undifferentiated mass." This meaning appeared first in a 1906 letter written by James Joyce: "This he learned I suppose from the stolidly one-languaged Sludge [of teachers]."
I don't know who "he" was or what he learned, but I like the sound of "the stolidly one-languaged Sludge [of teachers]."
"Sludge" is an excellent word. I could have said "goo" — "goo globbed on."
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