Teens are often the driving force behind a lot of trends. And if they didn’t come up with the ideas themselves, they’re often early adopters. Younger girls will jump on makeup trends, from thin eyebrows to brown lipstick to body glitter, teens seem to be the least immune to ever-shifting fads.
Now, high school-aged girls in Japan are the main participants in a new makeup trend. They’re using hot glue to create 3D teardrops on their faces, and most adults are writing them off as “ridiculous.”
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The trend has recently taken hold.
The South China Morning Post reported that the Japanese show Ninosan first reported on the trend. The show claims that teens around secondary school age are creating looks that use the “3D teardrop makeup” trend. The “tears” are created using hot glue to mimic the way tears roll down the cheeks.
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It's a bit of a process to create the tears.
The trend starts with taking hot glue and creating a tear shape on a smooth surface, like plastic. Once it has cooled sufficiently and solidifies, it is then applied to the skin using eyelash glue. The hot glue itself is never adhered onto the skin.
Girls believe the look gives them a “delicate appearance that evokes sympathy” since it makes them look like they’re crying.
Trends are often fleeting with girls in Japan.
Rika Shiiki, leader of AMF, a Japanese firm specializing in promoting products to students, told SCMP that trends among girls in Japan don’t tend to last long. Usually, the teens are moving on to the next thing after two weeks or a month.
Because the hot glue is so easy to work with, teens are shaping the tears and then using other materials like makeup and glitter to add color or texture.
Warnings have been issued about hot glue use.
According to the Chinese outlet, manufacturers of hot glue are issuing warnings about using the material for makeup. Since its main function is for crafting, there are irritants in the materials that may be harmful to skin. There are also chemicals in the hot glue that can cause allergic reactions. Teens using the hot glue has become so popular that there are shortages of the materials in certain areas.
People are slamming the trend.
The outlet reported that many in both Japan and China are slamming the trend. They are calling the trend and the teens participating “ridiculous” and “bizarre.”
One Japanese commenter compared the tears to something else writing, “Wait, doesn’t this hot glue tear make-up look suspiciously like sperm?”
“Seriously?” another wondered. “Are secondary school girls really into this kind of inappropriate trend now?”
One Chinese person claimed: “This looks more like snot than tears. It’s disgusting, not cute at all.”
