Forever Young

All above Thylane Loubry Blondeau

Brigitte Bardot

Brigitte Bardot

Hailee Steinfeld

Hailee Steinfeld

Elle Fanning

Elle Fanning

Kendall Kardashian

Kendall Kardashian

Plastic surgeons on speed dial and overflowing beauty bags full of endless anti-aging and quick fix products promising to turn back the cruel effects of time. Time is precious and youth is our God.
A global obsession, a human desire, everybody has Peter Pan syndrome.

Top fashion magazines taunt us with images of size zero models airbrushed to perfection and are thus blamed for encouraging unrealistic ideals of ourselves that lead, in some cases, to self-loathing and even worse disorders such as Bulimia and Anorexia.

So there is no way the models can get any smaller right? Wrong!
Not only are they getting smaller but they are getting younger. The latest supermodel sensation is only 10 years old.

Thylane Loubry Blondeau was featured in the January 2011 French Vogue, which was co-edited by Tom Ford. Likened to a young Brigitte Bardot, who modeled for Elle at only 15, Blondeau's pouty lips, seductive blue eyes and waist length locks offers us a modern day Lolita. Draped on a leopard fur, dripping in diamonds and couture some may say she is only playing dress up like other little girls of her age would do. But her come to bedroom eyes suggest Blondeau isn't just another little girl.

On further inspection I found a lot more photos of Blondeau, perhaps even some more risque.But she is not the first little girl to be dragged  brought up in the fashion industry. Designers such as Marc Jacobs and Miu Miu are using teenage girls to promote their brands. Elle Fanning, 13 and Hailee Steinfeld are the faces of Marc by Marc Jacobs and Miu Miu.

Last year photographs of 14 year old Kendall Kardashian in a bikini on a beach were critcised for being too racy and an exploitation of childrens rights.

Oh so who do we blame (because you know we love to do that). The fashion industry ?? In part, yes. In a desperate attempt to keep things fresh they outrage us with their edgy and outlandish views of the world, which as bloggers is the reason we blog. But as with all things there is a line. In this instance the concept is great but at what cost? Yes it maybe art yet it may also just be another way to get our attention.

I am instead going to go with classic blame route of the parents! Blondeau's mother was quoted as saying "The only thing that shocks me about the photo is the necklace that she's wearing, which is worth 3 million Euros." Classic case of pushy show mother? It seems so. But in an attempt to offer some advice to Blondeau's mother I would say learn from history. Brooke Shields. Famous child star. Exploited for her fame and beauty. Known for her provocative Calvin Klein campaigns and her role as a child prostitute in the movie Pretty Baby. It all worked out in the end right? Well not if you inlcude the nude pictures of Brooke at 10 years of age taken by photographer Garry Cross. The photo was comissioned by her mother in an attempt to further her career.

Let me know what you think? Child beauty? A celebration by the fashion industry or exploitation??