51-year-old Sarah Burge, also known as the human Barbie, gave her seven-year-old daughter, Poppy, a £7,000 voucher for liposuction as a Christmas present. What mother does that? Apparently, Sarah finds the voucher to be a very commonplace gift. She said: “I put the voucher in her stocking. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
She added: “She asks for surgery all the time. She wants to look good and lipo’s one of those procedures that will always come in handy.”
If that is not bad enough she pushes her non-conventional ideals to her offspring. She revealed: “I see these vouchers as investing in her future — like saving money for her education. It’s good kids worry about their looks. If they don’t learn how to look good they’ll all be walking around later in life looking minging.”
Are you sending your kids the right message?
We have all encountered mothers that are too extreme in their parenting styles—the above case being a very obvious example. Some mothers tend spoil their “under-10-daughters” with nail polish and other make-up products. But that is still far from giving them the license to enter the very dangerous and addictive world of plastic surgery. Aren’t we born the way we are for a reason? Aren’t we beautiful enough, just the way we are?
Let’s not look as far as plastic surgery and liposuction; let’s just look at allowing our kids to use cosmetic products at an early age. There are two schools of thought here. Some parents don’t want to restrict their kids too much because once kids find their freedom, they might go crazy trying everything they were once forbidden to do. Other parents prefer to protect their angels for as long as they can from the possibly harming and addictive (not to mention expensive) world of cosmetics.
What some parents think…
Here are several Asian parents on how they feel about introducing or allowing their kids to wear make-up and nail polish before they are old enough to do so. We won’t state an appropriate age to start your kid on cosmetics, because that varies, depending on your parenting style and beliefs.
Rebecca Ann says: “I know of parents who do it. And they do sell stuff like this for kids with Barbie pictures on them—made especially for kids. Personally I would not allow my daughter to wear makeup at that young age but I suppose when the time comes I may have to swallow my words if she asks for a little bit of lipstick while I’m putting mine on. Hope I can resist her pleas.”
Andii Patel: “Personally, mothers who do introduce beauty products to girls at such a young age are ultimately responsible for taking away their confidence. By the time, these girls reach adulthood, not only would they experience numerous health and skin problems, they would most likely be reliant on these products to the extent of wearing makeup to sleep. It is alright to pamper them at the children’s spa once a while but why would you want a child to age faster than she should?”
Syazana Abdul: “I don’t think it’s a big issue, every person has their own preference. And make up is a common thing, you’d wear it eventually when you’re a grown up. It is not like you’re telling your kids to watch porn or something. [Laughs]”
What are your sentiments on your child using cosmetic surgery at an early age?