Come get to knowGeneration Beauty.
Okay, pick up your calculators, I say.
Im a middle school math teacher, and today were covering exponents.
Courtesy of subject
I hear the familiar shuffle of students reaching into their backpacks.
She reapplied it with the precision of a makeup artistand I would know.
I live a double life as a special education math teacher by day and a beauty editor by night.
This is math class, not beauty class!
The student quickly tucked away her lip oilbut Im sure itll make a reappearance.
In the past year, Ive watched the tween beauty boom unfold right before my eyes.
The answer to the question of how I got here isnt a straightforward one.
(Yes, I have many interests.)
But though the hallways are the same, times have changed.
While my two worlds had been separate for some time, this past school year, they unexpectedly collided.
A student interrupted to tell me that my skin was glowing.
Itsgiving, she said.
You should start a beauty club, she said.
The kids would love it, andyouwould love it.
So I took her advice and started an after-school beauty and wellness club for my tween students.
For instance, they all know that using retinol would do more harm than good at their age.
We had more in common than I ever imagined.
You have the Summer Fridays lip balm?
one asked as she held up the same product I was reapplying during one of our after school meetings.
Can you take us on a trip to Sephora?
It wasnt a bad idea; we happen to have one within walking distance of the school.
Comparing brands and reviewing ingredients together could make for a teachable moment.
Thats not to say I dont learn from the students, too.
Theyve taught me so much about how tweens think about beauty and where they get their informationTikTok and Instagram.
Thats also where theyve learned what PR packages are.
During our weekly meetings, I shared age-appropriate beauty and skin-care products from my own PR packages.
Gen Alphas understanding of makeup and skin care is so much more sophisticated than my own at that age.
Gen Alphas understanding of makeup and skin care is so much more sophisticated than my own at that age.
The Beauty and Wellness Club helped me to see the tween beauty boom in a positive light.
Dont get me wrongIm not saying math class is the right place to apply Dior lip oil.
And dont mind me while I reapply mine, too.
Read more about how tweens are interacting with beauty products:
Watch Alix Earle’s 10-minute makeup routine:
