The Beauty We Inherit

Before we ever held a mascara wand or curling iron ourselves, we watched. Girlhood for many of us started at our mom’s vanity, watching as she perfectly applied her red lipstick. After she leaves, you try to do the same, but it just doesn’t turn out the same. Now that we’re older, and we’ve gotten our hair and makeup routines down to a tee, we have to thank the female figures in our lives who have helped us get here.

Watch and Learn

Whether it was your older sister doing her makeup for a date or your grandma taking her curlers out of her hair, we silently watched and learned. Even without formal lessons, we silently observed and memorized these rituals and techniques we grew up with. We can thank the YouTube tutorials we watched growing up, but it started first with our moms.

We learn by watching. The times that your sister would quickly pull her hair up to get it out of her face, we were watching. The way your cousin perfectly executed her winged eyeliner on the first try, we watched. Over time, these small, repeated actions have left a lasting impression on us. Now, as we move on to adulthood, we will always remember the lasting impact these simple routines will have on us.

Carrying it Forward

Makeup and beauty trends have since evolved from when we were watching our moms get ready in the early 2000s. We’re not wearing the same blue eyeshadow that our mom wore, but we will always remember how she taught us how to blend it. The techniques may have changed, but the idea that beauty is something passed down, practiced and personalized stays the same.

Maybe we never realized why our moms would always keep a compact mirror in her purse or an extra hairbrush in the car, but it was normalized growing up, and is something that we will continue to do. This kind of inherited knowledge is part of how beauty becomes both personal and cultural. It links generations.

These beauty lessons aren’t found in trends, products or influencers. They’re passed down from the older female figures in our lives and through the quiet eyes of a girl who’s paying close attention.

Don’t forget to thank the female figure in your life who taught you everything you know now. Tag us on X or Instagram @VALLEYmag and let us know what beauty tips you learned growing up.

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