For some teens, the fight — the skin-care regimens, the product purchases, the “baby Botox” — against aging skin is already underway. But what exactly are they fighting for? The Cut spoke to several young women to find out.
Every weekday, Carson Bradley wakes up to the sound of her alarm at 4 a.m. to squeeze in enough time for her “basic”, which usually takes around 25 minutes, before her day begins. She begins by setting the mood, putting on a silk pink robe, lighting a scented candle, and playing music, usually something like Lana Del Rey, in her brightly lit bathroom.
While Bradley’s TikTok might have shocked some corners of the internet, it’s hardly surprising. “Beauty products sell best when they create a feeling of fear and vulnerability,” says Renee Engeln, a psychology professor at Northwestern University and the author of. Cosmetics companies used to market skin care to teens based on eliminating zits; now, fine lines and wrinkles have also become the enemy.
Lorna has since made some adjustments to her skin care , but her fear of developing wrinkles has persisted. She says that there is a certain pressure to keep up with her friends. “If I have good skin, that’s great — but so does everyone else,” she says. “It’s like a form we all have to fit into.” If her skin-care routine fails to stave off wrinkles, Lorna says she would probably consider Botox when she’s old enough.
, has also seen “plenty of young patients who come in, and I don’t even think they’re really concerned about any particular wrinkle,” she says, “they just think it’s something they’re supposed to do.” Which becomes obvious when Frey says she educates young clients on the realities of the procedure, and they change their minds. “The overwhelming majority of people who come to me because they want toHeather Bowling, 19, says that getting Botox has made her an “anomaly” in her friendship group.
Part of the concern for Bennis has always been about smiling or raising her eyebrows too much. “I have a very expressive face, so it’s just something that I know that’s going to affect me in the future if I don’t get now,” she says. “My friends are like, ‘Oh, now that you have Botox, you look like a baby bunny’ … my expression is on the gentler side.”
Engeln makes a similar point. “I don’t doubt that some people do enjoy skin care,” she says. “But if your self-care is driven by fear of becoming ugly, because you show visible signs of aging — is that self-care?”
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