Young girls are constantly being judged on their appearance on a day-to-day basis. It seems that a majority of women turn to cosmetics to feel beautiful and confident.  Researchers spoke to girls between the ages of 15 and 22 in England and Wales. Only one of the five girls surveyed was personally happy with her appearance, according to the research done by the youth charity Rathbone. It is astonishing how much media can affect the way young women view themselves. A 2008 study commissioned by the Dove Self-esteem Fund studied girls of which 62 percent feel either insecure or unsure of themselves. Our insecurities drive us to immeasurable distances just to have a sense of acceptance in our society today.

I decided to interview two students and a teacher at Stamford High School: Italian teacher Patricia Ruffo and Juniors Samantha Velez and Valery Huamani. These ladies answered a couple of explicit questions on their personal views on the use of cosmetics and appearance.

The Round Table:  Do you wear makeup and do you feel the need to?

Ruffo : “I do not wear makeup; I do not feel like you have to wear makeup in order to look good.”

Velez: “Yes, I don’t feel the need to but I like to. I actually want to go to cosmetology school.”

Huamani: “Yeah, I do feel the need to because it hides my imperfections and I want to feel good.”

TRT: Do you feel judged in this school, including teachers or students?

Ruffo:  ” No, but if I were I would not really care.”

Velez: “No I don’t.”

Huamani: “No.”

TRT: Why do you think young girls wear makeup?

Ruffo: “They see famous people as role models. They feel the only way they’re going to be pretty is if they wear makeup or dress a certain way.”

Velez: “I think girls wear makeup to try to fit in and do not think they feel good enough, even though that is not how I feel.”

Huamani: “[They wear makeup] to feel pretty, [and] to boost their self-confidence.”

TRT: Do you think there is an “ok” age to wear makeup?

Ruffo: “I would definitely say in high school, starting freshman year is ok. If they start at a younger age I don’t think it’s good for their skin and they might feel like they are not pretty enough. They will feel like they’re missing something without makeup on, like they’re not complete.”

Velez: “Yeah I do. I do not think girls in middle school should wear makeup and would encourage them not start in high school because once you start wearing it you feel like you have to, because people are so judgmental in our society.”

Huamani: “Middle school is fine to wear a little mascara and lip-gloss, but high school is more appropriate to start wearing it.”

TRT: Have you personally seen a girl being made fun of based on her appearance?

Ruffo: “No I have not.”

Velez: “Yes I have.  A friend of mine changed her hair color and got a lot of negative criticism.”

Huamani: “Yes, in middle school there was this girl that wore too much makeup and kids started to make fun of her, telling her to take it off and that she looked bad. Also, I’ve seen this one kid who had really bad acne and people would say mean things to him and bully him. ”

Although these three ladies do not feel judged, they do believe that girls often wear makeup to feel confident and secure.