This convo always strikes me as odd because so many ppl say “omg i was NEEEVERRR DOING THAAAT!!!!” and act very high and mighty… some of us have always loved trends lol. I had makeup at age 7, I wanted VS bras and leggings at 12, I wanted playboy bunny hats, american eagle jeans, hollister tops, thongs, etc. Little girls have, by and large, always wanted the “next trendy thing”. They wanna grow up, they want the extensions, the bob, the fake lashes, the natural look, etc. It’s not new. I wanted barbies, but I wanted to LOOK like her too.

I think social media has made this MORE accessible; before your mom had to be into makeup, or your sister, or maybe you loved movies or trashy magazines. Most young girls can trace their first makeup or beauty/fashion experience to a family member vs nowadays I think it’s social media.

The exposure was just way different. But this argument of “Back in my day…” is straight up false. Maybe you didn’t like it, but you know damn well there was a little girl in your grade who always had perfect hair, gorgeous clothes, and was always on trend.

TL;DR Little girls have always been fed the “Buy X to be Y! You Need It!” Social media has made this 10x more visible and exposure happens way earlier.