Teenage girls frequently work in the fashion industry. But it’s somewhat surprising that Kristina Pimenova, who is only eight years old, is being hailed as the “most beautiful girl in the world” after years of actively opposing the sexualization of young girls and promoting fair treatment and healthy lifestyles for children.
Pimenova, a Russian model who was born in Moscow in 2005, signed contracts when she was just three years old with the children’s lines of Armani, Benetton, Fendi, and Roberto Cavalli. She has more than 2 million Facebook fans, 416,000 Instagram followers, and was on the Vogue Bambini cover.
Children have historically been used as models, but Pimenova’s circumstance is especially concerning because she has a sizable social media following and is therefore susceptible to international trolling. Many readers have remarked on her long legs and other body parts, calling her a “babe” and “flawless.”. Despite not being old enough to walk down the aisle, Pimenova has even received marriage proposals.
Pimenova, and especially her model mother Glikeriya Shirokova, have been attacked as a result of recent media coverage. My child would never—ever—wear shorts this small and cinch-tight, according to an Instagram user. ”.
Another person remarked, “Parents like you are why girls grow up with many issues… Also, there are so many sick people out [there] who sexually view these. One individual even described the ominous images as a “pedophile’s dream. ”.
You must think like a pedophile to see something sexual in these pictures, so it is time for you to see a doctor, Shirkova told MailOnline in response to the complaints. ”.
She insists that each and every picture is innocently created. Her daughter’s attractiveness has been accused of being exploited, but she insists that those with psychological issues are the problem. I do not accept those claims that my child was sexualized, she retorted. ”.
There is always debate over how young is too young. The 1980 Calvin Kleins advertisement featuring a 13-year-old Brooke Shields may have spurred the debate.
You want to know what stands in the way of me and my Calvins? Nothing, she enquired at the time. Cameron Diaz and Charlize Theron started modeling at age 16, while Angelina Jolie and Liv Tyler did so at 14.
Despite regulations put in place by groups like the Council of Fashion Designers of America to stop the industry from using younger models, children have continued to appear in recent years in overly seductive poses. Dannielynn Birkhead made her debut as the Guess Kids Girl when she was six years old.
After leaving Dance Moms, Maddie Ziegler, a dance prodigy who appeared in Sia’s most recent smash hit music video “Chandelier,” has started to pursue a modeling career. Kaia Gerber, the daughter of Cindy Crawford, was selected as the face of Versace’s children’s line at the age of 11. Beauty pageants, which have existed forever and are still held today, exist solely to judge the appearances of young girls, and each of these young girls has experienced backlash because of their appearance.
To quote Gwen Dewar, Ph. D. According to Dr., on her website Parenting Science, “the most common concerns are that girls will learn to view themselves as sex objects, or that girls will develop anxieties when they do not meet popular beauty standards. The psychologist wonders if media representations of sexualized girls change how society views children and if viewers are more likely to believe that young girls are willing participants in sexual behavior when they see children in vulnerable situations.
Boys are not scrutinized to the same extent for some reason. Hudson Kroenig, who just began kindergarten, has participated in a number of runway shows and been featured in Chanel advertisements. Romeo Beckham is the face of Burberry, and the news of his choice was met with jubilation and adulation for the sweet choice. Another illustration of the absurdly early emergence of double standards.