4-Year-Old Brenna Cross Wears Make-Up In Public, Too Young For Cosmetics?

Lindsay Cross wrote on Mommyish.com about how her daughter Brenna Cross, 4, became interested in cosmetics after watching her apply make-up prior to attending events. What Lindsay seemed to think was a special bonding routine between the two, the online community reacted intensely as one commenter wrote:

“As someone whose mom couldn’t leave the house without being done-up, and subsequently infused this into her daughters’ psyches, I say watch out. Please don’t help your daughters fall into the ‘pretty’ trap so young.”

Henry Paul, an adolescent psychiatrist, agrees with the commenter that the 4-years-old is simply too young for a girl to be wearing make-up. Paul was quoted having said:

“The use of make-up in some way can be addictive, and what these children would be addicted to is the pursuit of perfection — the superficial, skin-deep, I’m only as good as I look [attitude].”

Cross claims that her daughter’s make-up is just a children’s game, as she was quoted having said:

“I think that with make-up, for her, it’s a way for her to be like her mom. I don’t think she puts two and two together, where you have to wear make-up so that you can present yourself to the world.”

Brenna was asked why she enjoys wearing make-up and she replied:

“Because it makes me pretty.”

While her daughter has stated that the application of cosmetics makes her “pretty,” Cross maintains that it’s just a game and that her daughter is pretending to be older. Lindsay was quoted having said:

“Now it’s dress-up and playing pretend. It’s playing that she’s older. And I think that as she gets to be a bit older, she’ll look at it differently, and we’ll talk about it differently.”

Is 4-years-old too young for make-up?

Source: Y! News