Thoughts On- The Child Model Thylane Loubry Blondeau Controversy

8 months after the French Vogue editorial featuring three super young (10 year old) models posing in adult clothes/hair/makeup, rumblings have started about whether its ethical to pose kids in what could be perceived as provocative looks. I had forgotten all about it but looking through the pictures again its clear to anyone that they are meant as a high fashion pun to draw attention to the jewelry and clothing they are wearing, obviously children don’t usually wear chignons, dark lipstick and 5 inch heels. Out of the three girls in the editorial one has been signaled out because “she has the most provocative poses.”

Her name is Thylane Loubry Blondeau and she is the 10 year old daughter of Patrick Blondeau, a former soccer player, and Véronika Loubry, who used to present a celebrity news show on French television and now designs a mother-daughter clothing line.

I find it hard to take offense at these pictures for several reasons. This is one editorial among many other modeling that this kid has done, whatever is seen in here is the vision of some photographer/stylist/editor and should not be taken as a statement on the merits of child models in general. Here are some pictures of her modeling elsewhere.

This has been featured as a story on Good Morning America and written about all over the web But It’s difficult to take this “outrage” seriously when there are television shows like “Toddlers & Tiaras” and hundreds of beauty pageants all over the country with age groups as young as 0-6 months. The so called “glitz” pageants doll up children with spray tans, wigs, fake eyelashes, fake teeth and more makeup that any child should have to endure continuously. All for the glory of winning an elusive plastic tiara and some money- if they are lucky.

If you have ever watched an episode of this show you would see that the training leading up to the child walking tentatively on stage rivals that of college preparation with coaches galore training them to walk, smile and in some cases come up with a dance routine that more often than not includes way too many hip shaking moves to stand out for the judges.

So you see I just cant come down hard on one editorial in a magazine when the hypocrisy of a swimsuit category in child beauty pageants is so easily ignored and displayed for folks sitting at home on a weekly basis.