A school has been criticised for misguided posters calling makeup ‘a harmful drug’

A school in Worcester has faced criticism on social media and IRL for displaying posters with disempowering slogans discouraging young girls from wearing makeup. 

The slogans at Christopher Whitehead Language College suggested that if the female students wore comfortable clothes and no makeup, “guys would have no choice but to fall for girls because of natural beauty”, and that “makeup is a harmful drug that once you start using you’ll feel ugly without”.

Parents have called this move – which occurred when mirrors had to be removed from the walls, with the posters proposed as a “provocative” replacement – misguided, “controlling behaviour” around what young women should and shouldn’t be doing with their appearance and their self-expression choices.

Apparently, the posters were meant to provide “an opportunity to provide some argumentative discursive letter writing”, when really it’s yet another normalisation of complex, unhealthy beauty standards for young women.

Headteacher of the school Neil Morris has insisted that the posters have “produced some frenzied, powerful writing and debate”. Yet, we can think of better, less sexist ways to provoke conversation.

“Clearly this strategy has already backfired, so just proves you cannot simply decide to remove mirrors and ban makeup without any consultation or discussions,” Jane Kenyon, founder of female empowerment charity and social enterprise Girls Out Loud, tells GLAMOUR.

“Teen girls are already under so much pressure to look a certain way,  this approach simply compounds the issue around conformity and perfectionism,” she adds. 

Jane is concerned that this attempt to be provocative has stood in the way of progress, in terms of helping young women with issues around body image and beauty standards.

“Personally, I am often concerned about the amount of makeup and the obsession some girls have with looking filter perfect in school, but this is not the way to open the debate.” she says. “Low self-esteem needs a far more nurturing and gentle approach.”  

She adds that it is important that staff lead by example, and don’t try to worsen insecurities: “I wonder how many teachers arrive in school wearing no makeup?”

GLAMOUR has contacted Christopher Whitehead Language College and is awaiting comment.