Makeup: a dilema

My last post has thrown me into a dilemma. Yes, the whorish painted face of a doll's head has wreaked havoc on my brain.

You see, I can't stand little girls in makeup. I HATE it. My girls dance and I've been really turned off by the parents who paint their little girls up for the dance show. True, a certain amount of blush can be a good thing so they're not washed out by the lights, but heck, my kids are cute. I'll know they're cute regardless of whether the lights are bright.

I own bunches and bunches of makeup, but I very rarely wear it. I like it that way. I hope my girls feel the same way when they grow up.

But then I have to wonder about the styling heads. The dolls didn't come with makeup (well, Girl2's did, but we took it away right away). I only let the girls play with mine as a special treat. I repeatedly tell them that makeup doesn't make someone pretty. They know they don't own any Bratz dolls because those blasted things have WAY too much makeup.

I remember fighting my mother tooth and nail when I was about 5 because I wanted eye shadow, but she wouldn't let me have it. So what did I do? I used my Strawberry Shortcake lipstick on my eyelids. My mother was PISSED. She refused to leave the house with me looking like that. I refused to back down. I don't remember how it ended, but I vividly remember how important that eye shadow was. Then again, I watched my mother put her makeup on every single morning. She had this ritual--where she put it on, how she put it on, what she put on. She had it down to a science and that always fascinated me. I even remember when I was 6 asking her if she would leave me her makeup bag in her will.

She did let me have some kid makeup. When I was 8, I had this horrible looking peach lipstick and green and blue eyeshadow that came in these clip-on doll-looking cases. In every single one of our pictures from Disney that year, I wore that horrible eyeshadow. Now I'm pissed about it (although I am impressed with the the application). The pictures are ruined.

How do I strike a balance? That experimenting, made makeup not so new and fabulous. I got it out of my system and moved on. I remember how I longed for eyeshadow when I wasn't allowed to have it. How do I let my children play without violating my morals? Is letting them put makeup on a doll a good compromise? I just don't know.

Most importantly, I want them to know that they are beautiful, but know that #1. the most important thing is that THEY recognize their beauty and #2 beauty is not only in appearance.