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Abstract

Adolescence is a time when an individual enters a new chapter of life, marked by physical and emotional changes, new lifestyle, and consumption needs. For instance, adolescent girls begin to take care of their facial skin, resulting in teenagers becoming consumers of skincare products. Easy access to many over-the-counter (OTC) skincare products, available without a doctor’s prescription, makes many teenage girls less wise in determining which skincare products they truly need. The present study examines consumptive behavior and the formation of a lifestyle for adolescent girls in Jakarta, Indonesia in consuming facial care products. Using qualitative research methods, researchers conducted in-depth interviews with high school girls who use facial skin care products. The study found that adolescent girls’ satisfaction with skin care products varies depending on their background. Girls tended to buy facial skin care products because they were influenced by what people in their surroundings say, rather than because they needed to. The use of these products could enhance prestige, indicating certain social values such as status or class. Jean Baudrillard’s (1991) theories about the hyperreal and postmodern consumer society were used to analyze the results. The research concluded that: 1) The number of new skin care products made adolescent girls increasingly likely to consume these products, and their desires were recast as “needs” due to their expectations; 2) Information technology and social media, mass media, ease of access to products, and the influence of the adolescent community in the city of Jakarta made adolescent girls consume skin care products excessively in pursuit of being beautiful; and 3) Adolescent girls who used skin care products were categorized into three groups regarding their choices, namely irrational teenagers, potentially rational teenagers, and rational teenagers.

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