With Sephora becoming a place where younger consumers flock to, more and more older customers are wondering how tween interests became so conflated with the interests of adults. One woman revealed that in a recent encounter with a tween at Sephora, she felt she was being bullied after the girl rudely attempted to cut her in line.
TikTok creator Kat (@nemu.jo) shared in a recent video, which has amassed more than 4 million views, that a recent encounter with a young girl at Sephora left her stunned.
“I had so much beef with a 10-year-old at Sephora today,” Kat started off her video.
Kat described the girl as “probably 10 or 11 at most.” Kat said she went to Sephora to use a $25 gift card she received, and there was a really long line at the checkout. By the time she got in line, a young girl stood behind her, but then cut her in line.
“And she’s like ‘Oh, are you in line?’” Kat recounted.
The young girl then asked if she could cut, and Kat said no.
“It’s a b****-ass long line back here, and she rolls her eyes at me and gets behind me,” Kat said.
When they got closer to the cash register, the young girl took the big bag she was holding and walked past Kat, hitting her, Kat recalled.
“I turn around and I’m like what the f***? And she’s like ‘Oh I’m so sorry.’ I was like ‘You can at least say excuse me.’ And she [said] ‘Well I tried to, but apparently you’re deaf.’”
Kat said she tried to brush off the interaction after the girl got back behind her in line. However, the girl continued to invade Kat’s personal space.
“I turned back around trying to not punch this 10-year-old but I kept my cool,” Kat said. “I got out of line paid for my stuff and left.”
@nemu.jo how am i getting bullied by a 10 year old???? #sephora #storytime #sephorakids #girlhood #makeup #rant #sephorashoppinghaul ♬ original sound – kat
Commenters remarked just how much certain stores’ clientele has changed now that younger people have become more aware of them.
“No [because] like why is Sephora turning into like a daycare,” user Daisy (@daisyholland18) said. “Like it’s so difficult to shop.”
“Sephora should have a policy for this like no guardian no entry,” user @its_yagirrllll2 said.
“They need to check IDs at this point. I’ve had ENOUGH,” user Phoebe (@motherofminnow) said. “I can barely think of any reasons why some kid that age would even be shopping at Sephora??”
The Daily Dot reached out to Kat via Instagram direct message and to Sephora via email.
Many Sephora customers recently have had similar experiences to Kat, with some going as far as to ask for a 21 and up version of the store. Millennials and older Gen Zers have taken notice that the tween demographic seems to have largely been ignored by major companies these days. Teen Vogue reported in June 2023 that “social media has revolutionized how nine to 15-year-olds shop.” Shops known in their heyday as a destination for tweens like Delia’s, Justice, and Aeropostale have filed for bankruptcy. Many tweens now are floating to stores that carry young adult apparel, or something that is catered to consumers of an older demographic like 17-year-olds and up.
