School make-up restriction is 'ridiculous' - parents

Parents have described a make-up restriction at their children's school as "ridiculous".

They said some pupils at Haygrove School in Bridgwater, Somerset, have been inspected and separated from their peers for wearing fake eyelashes and false nails.

The school has said it is enforcing an existing restriction, which also states older children may wear make-up providing it is unnoticeable, for the benefit of pupils' mental health.

One mother, Jordan, whose 15-year-old daughter was reprimanded for wearing mascara, said: "It's ridiculous. Too much make-up isn't great but a bit of mascara to make her feel a bit more positive about going to school, I don't think there's anything wrong with that."

The school policy states wearing make-up is banned for those in year seven, eight and nine and false eyelashes or false nails are not acceptable for any pupil. Make-up is permitted for year 10 and 11, providing it is unnoticeable.

The school said it is "committed to creating an environment where every child feels valued for who they are, not for how they look".

Staff went on to say they were re-enforcing the ban after research showed "appearance-based concerns can emerge early and, if unaddressed, may lead to anxiety, poor mental health, and disengagement from learning".

Another mother, Siobhan, also has a daughter at the school who was reprimanded for wearing make-up.

She said her daughter had been wearing the same make-up to school for two years, and girls did so to combat bullying.

Siobhan said: "She needs to feel confident that she looks OK and that there aren't going to be pictures of her sent around with a big red face or with spots, because they all get bullied for having skin issues or having uneven eyebrows or whatever."

She continued: "Let's educate our boys not to bully or pick on girls.

"The school could run classes for all students and explain about why girls might want to use make-up, why it might make them feel more self-confident and why there's an issue in the first place."

Siobhan said she had spoken to her daughter's head of year and with the school's headteacher.

The mother said she supported the teachers but the restriction was "deeply personal" and was "criticising students for the way they look".

"This is not something they should feel ashamed of and they are feeling ashamed," she said.

"For some children, the school was their safe place and some of them are now scared to go home because they're going to get told off by their parents."

The school said it was "gathering student and parent feedback and will consider all feedback carefully before determining the next steps".

It added experts have warned early exposure to beauty products can also "reinforce unrealistic beauty standards, which may contribute to body image issues and even anxiety or depression later in life".

*An earlier version of this story described the make-up restriction as a ban, which we have since corrected.

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