Teens Need Protecting From Far More Than Make-Up

If “rizz” is the word of the year, then “slay” must be a close second. Adults use it, but they picked it up from children – girls in particular, for whom it’s shorthand for a slew of positives. “Slay!” is my own teenaged daughters’ response to almost everything, from a new pair of jeans to a nicely decorated Christmas tree. 

When Rimmel London decided to run an ad for its concealer containing the caption “Get ready to slay this back to school season,” it clearly wanted to appeal to teenagers – most of whom are still at school, studying for qualifications that will garner them jobs that will, if they work hard enough, allow them to buy all the concealer their hearts desire, or maybe even launch their own makeup brand. The ASA received two complaints about the ad, and decided to ban it because it “had the effect of playing on young girls’ insecurities about their appearance”, and implied that the girls were more likely to succeed if they wore makeup. 

The truth is, they probably are. The idea that young girls aren’t wearing makeup to school is as naïve as the idea that it doesn’t give them extra confidence. For those with acne or low self esteem, it can be a life-saver. No, this isn’t ideal, but nor is the fact that vape companies are selling them bubble-gum flavoured carcinogens that can lead to addiction.

Ban the Rimmel ad by all means, but stop turning a blind eye to those darker forces whose misuse is so much more concerning. Teens need protecting from far more than makeup. 

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This is our final RoxStars of the year, we’ll be back in January for more musings from our fantastic contributors and a brilliant line up of events with top journalists. Thanks for reading and joining us at our sessions this year, have a wonderful festive break!