Kids’ make-up boom in China driven by parents’ ambition to make their children stars online and on stage
- From modelling to stage shows to vlogging, middle-class parents increasingly involve their children in activities that promote the wearing of make-up
- Some parents worry about drawing the line between creativity and narcissism in their children
At eight years old, Mengmeng is as familiar with eyeshadow and lipstick as she is with textbooks and toys.
The primary school student in Shanghai is a part-time child model and has appeared in various advertisements and kids’ fashion shows since starting kindergarten. The shoots or events often require Mengmeng to wear make-up.
Her mother, Candice Yang, said she likes to cultivate a sense of aesthetics in her daughter. “Girls should definitely learn to appreciate beauty during childhood,” she said.
Families like Mengmeng and her mother have contributed to a dramatic rise in the consumption of kids’ cosmetics products in China. The trend contrasts sharply with other parts of society, such as schools that enforce strict appearance guidelines, including standardising the students’ hairstyles.
According to Kaola, a retailer of imported goods, sales of kids’ make-up on its platform were up by more than 1,200 per cent in May 2020 from the same period in 2019, while total sales as of July last year were triple those a year earlier.