Haha! Brilliant, Georgina. Your Just Seventeen references remind me that when I was Features Editor there in the mid-1980s we actually asked Robert Smith of The Cure for his beauty tips, as @fionagibson will remember. She was Beauty Ed and swiftly pivoted into feature-writing after that brilliant interview!
My 19-year-old daughter complains about the pre-teens in Sephora. It's encouraging to see Gen Z shaking their fists and demanding that those annoying kids get off their lawns...er, makeup counters.
This is all so true. Isn't it strange that in an era of "Just be true to yourself" we've created a generation of supine sheep?
I'm pro Capitalist, or at least its ability to lift people out of poverty and, to some degree, keep authoritarians at bay, but even I find the sexualisation of children sick. No 12 year old should be wearing a crop top and leggings that have an intimate relation with the sphincter.
I'm also not anti-capitalist, but I am in favour of some societal protections, especially for children. The trouble is that things get so skewed that the "new normal" starts to seem normal. Like, of course kids need to stare at a phone for seven hours a day - or they'll feel left out! Of course girls need to wear massive false eyelashes or they won't look like the girls on their phones... Then again, if they don't want false eyelashes they're probably boys, and we can get them on puberty blockers and make customers of them that way... And it's evil how corporations profit off of these things.
Absolutely, the energy of capitalism needs to be harnessed, not drown us. But this seems, in this case, to be a breakdown of responsibility. Not of children but the supposed adults in the room.
I don’t have kids, they’re very annoying, but if I did I’d fiercely protect their childhood, especially if I had a daughter.
The only thing more all-consuming than greed is male sexuality. I don’t think that it makes me, perhaps us, Victorian to highlight it.
I am cracking up with glee, Georgina. What a nice gem for me to read this morning. As a "true elder" (read: wise crone) I have memories of my 1960's middle school self setting my hair in huge curlers every night-- and sleeping with them!- and sneaking pink lipstick and also stockings (which were held up with a garter) into my purse to put on the the girls' bathroom. How things change, and how they stay the same. However, nothing compares to the absurdity of sea slug lips...
Oh man. Having a flashback now to those awful peel-off face masks, which sometimes hurt coming off and how did the fact that my face was all red and irritated afterwards NOT clue me in to the fact that maybe this wasn't doing wonderful things for my skin? (I remember that, among other things, it promised to "close your pores" which frankly sounds alarming now that I think of it.)
I count myself lucky on this topic. Last Christmas my 13-year-old niece asked for Space NK vouchers. I had no clue, so I asked my sister what exactly they were. She replied: "A fairly high-end beauty shop that I aspire to shop in as a middle-aged woman, but is now overrun by teens with more disposable income than me." Ouch!
I would love to collaborate if you write a song called “In my Day”. Maybe even a whole musical entitled “When I Was Your Age”. I already got a lot of material packed away!
Georgina, that was hilarious! I will take umbrage with the Oil of Olay comment, however - I've been wearing Oil of Olay with SPF 15 since I was 17 (4 decades, baby!), which is why I have amazing skin. Or, it could be that I never had kids...I'm sure that's it.
I guffawed at your Seven Signs of Aging - you could totally expand that alone into an article! I would read it!
Have you been using it since it was Oil of Ulay? I'm also scared of Sephora. Well, I'm scared of tweenage girls and that's more or less the same thing! Thanks for the article idea, I may write it. Was thinking of writing about Vampire Facials next... 🦇
"And my lips remain entirely the size and shape that nature intended, rather than ballooning out of my face like a couple of mating sea slugs." So good.
You've captured something I've been thinking about for a while Georgina - especially the toast vs microneedling knowledge. How is it so sophisticated and how can that ever be sated?!
I have no answers, I'm afraid! Except to ban social media for under-16s - I feel like that would be a good place to start. But I know it's a complicated problem.
I completely agree. I'm so happy I'm not a child in this Era. It sucks. I feel sorry for them. Social media is too much pressure as is the cruel marketing to deceive young people. I read an article tho that Gen z is eschewing social media more and more. Which is awesome.
Yes, I hope Gen Z will continue the trend of giving up social media. Personally I think I would erase the Internet altogether. Bring back telephones and letters and getting lost...
Haha! Brilliant, Georgina. Your Just Seventeen references remind me that when I was Features Editor there in the mid-1980s we actually asked Robert Smith of The Cure for his beauty tips, as @fionagibson will remember. She was Beauty Ed and swiftly pivoted into feature-writing after that brilliant interview!
Haha that's brilliant! Clearly I have a residual memory of that article. I definitely followed the Robert Smith school of beauty!
My 19-year-old daughter complains about the pre-teens in Sephora. It's encouraging to see Gen Z shaking their fists and demanding that those annoying kids get off their lawns...er, makeup counters.
Wonder what gen Alpha's lawns will look like...
This is all so true. Isn't it strange that in an era of "Just be true to yourself" we've created a generation of supine sheep?
I'm pro Capitalist, or at least its ability to lift people out of poverty and, to some degree, keep authoritarians at bay, but even I find the sexualisation of children sick. No 12 year old should be wearing a crop top and leggings that have an intimate relation with the sphincter.
Ew. Even that sentence is upsetting.
Yeah, that might have been a little too descriptive, but felt appropriate for what I was describing.
I'm also not anti-capitalist, but I am in favour of some societal protections, especially for children. The trouble is that things get so skewed that the "new normal" starts to seem normal. Like, of course kids need to stare at a phone for seven hours a day - or they'll feel left out! Of course girls need to wear massive false eyelashes or they won't look like the girls on their phones... Then again, if they don't want false eyelashes they're probably boys, and we can get them on puberty blockers and make customers of them that way... And it's evil how corporations profit off of these things.
Absolutely, the energy of capitalism needs to be harnessed, not drown us. But this seems, in this case, to be a breakdown of responsibility. Not of children but the supposed adults in the room.
I don’t have kids, they’re very annoying, but if I did I’d fiercely protect their childhood, especially if I had a daughter.
The only thing more all-consuming than greed is male sexuality. I don’t think that it makes me, perhaps us, Victorian to highlight it.
I am cracking up with glee, Georgina. What a nice gem for me to read this morning. As a "true elder" (read: wise crone) I have memories of my 1960's middle school self setting my hair in huge curlers every night-- and sleeping with them!- and sneaking pink lipstick and also stockings (which were held up with a garter) into my purse to put on the the girls' bathroom. How things change, and how they stay the same. However, nothing compares to the absurdity of sea slug lips...
Ha, thanks for that, Karen! Sleeping in curlers sounds like a real pain, although much cheaper and safer than injecting filler into your face!
Oh man. Having a flashback now to those awful peel-off face masks, which sometimes hurt coming off and how did the fact that my face was all red and irritated afterwards NOT clue me in to the fact that maybe this wasn't doing wonderful things for my skin? (I remember that, among other things, it promised to "close your pores" which frankly sounds alarming now that I think of it.)
Haha those masks were probably made of pva glue 🤣
I count myself lucky on this topic. Last Christmas my 13-year-old niece asked for Space NK vouchers. I had no clue, so I asked my sister what exactly they were. She replied: "A fairly high-end beauty shop that I aspire to shop in as a middle-aged woman, but is now overrun by teens with more disposable income than me." Ouch!
Ouch indeed! Yep, just hand over the money 😎
I would love to collaborate if you write a song called “In my Day”. Maybe even a whole musical entitled “When I Was Your Age”. I already got a lot of material packed away!
Working title: Kids Today (they don't know they're born!)
Loved this!!!
Thanks Vince!
Georgina, that was hilarious! I will take umbrage with the Oil of Olay comment, however - I've been wearing Oil of Olay with SPF 15 since I was 17 (4 decades, baby!), which is why I have amazing skin. Or, it could be that I never had kids...I'm sure that's it.
I guffawed at your Seven Signs of Aging - you could totally expand that alone into an article! I would read it!
PS - I am scared of Sephora!
Have you been using it since it was Oil of Ulay? I'm also scared of Sephora. Well, I'm scared of tweenage girls and that's more or less the same thing! Thanks for the article idea, I may write it. Was thinking of writing about Vampire Facials next... 🦇
"And my lips remain entirely the size and shape that nature intended, rather than ballooning out of my face like a couple of mating sea slugs." So good.
You've captured something I've been thinking about for a while Georgina - especially the toast vs microneedling knowledge. How is it so sophisticated and how can that ever be sated?!
I have no answers, I'm afraid! Except to ban social media for under-16s - I feel like that would be a good place to start. But I know it's a complicated problem.
I completely agree. I'm so happy I'm not a child in this Era. It sucks. I feel sorry for them. Social media is too much pressure as is the cruel marketing to deceive young people. I read an article tho that Gen z is eschewing social media more and more. Which is awesome.
Yes, I hope Gen Z will continue the trend of giving up social media. Personally I think I would erase the Internet altogether. Bring back telephones and letters and getting lost...
True but if the internet didn't exist your story wouldn't either :) I think there's some benefits but I wish there was more balance!
I'm sure I'd have other stories! I agree, the internet isn't all bad - but imo the bad outweighs the good. I'd rather go back to the 80s!
Full disclosure: I use the Korean snail jizz on my face 🤣 🐌
Well I hope you got it on discount! Snail.jizz is wildly expensive. But careful you don't end up with knock off slug slime instead 🐌
That was fun. Thanks Georgina!
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it!
We were happy with Anne French cleansing milk.
Ha omg how could I forget?!
That is what Trump will try selling next!
I think that several cosmetics companies are already way ahead of him.
But he is the original ass.
I still say I'm putting my face on, on those days I can be bothered!
That's cute 😊