WATCH: 10-Year-Old Model Dubbed ‘Too Sexy’ For Morning Television

by Verena von Pfetten | 11:06 am, August 4th, 2011

It’s official: 10-year-old model Thylane Blondeau has made it stateside. The genetically blessed child was the subject of a segment on this morning’s “Good Morning America” which asked the somewhat obvious question, “How young is too young?” While we asked the same thing ourselves, there are a few things GMA seems to be confused about — including the age of the average model you see every single day in magazines.

Thylane was introduced via a series of images, all of which were pulled from the same spread: that controversial editorial from the Tom Ford issue of Vogue Paris featuring a trio of little girls modeling grown up clothing, jewels, and makeup. While we found the images somewhat creepy, it’s safe to assume Carine Roitfeld was trying to provoke and, more importantly, make a point: that most models working today are in their early teens — they’re as much children as, well, actual children. And that’s the angle that GMA missed. George Stephanopoulos admits that most models are young, but we’re not sure he realizes how young, especially when he compares Thylane’s poses to “the sultry stares of much older models.” We’d hardly call 14 — the average age at which most models get discovered and start working — “much” older.

Also, using only the Vogue Paris spread gives a one-sided story of what Thylane’s career actually looks like. Thylane certainly has a robust portfolio, but the rest of her images are nowhere near as adult, though a few do teeter on the edge of questionable.

None of this is meant to be a defense of Thylane’s incredibly early introduction to an industry known for tossing models by the wayside once they’re old enough to grow hips. Yes, she’s beautiful, eerily so, but she’s been modeling since she was four which means she’s had a solid six years of being told that her worth is measured by the symmetry of her face. And that’s a lot to live up to.

Take a look and tell us what you think. And more photos of Thylane can be found here.

WATCH:

Earlier: Is It Creepy That The Industry Is Obsessed With A 10-Year-Old?

Child Models good morning america Thylane Blondeau Video

joyce a

This is “creepy” and inappropriate but there is nothing wrong with 4 and 5 year olds on Toddlers and Tiaras shaking and gyrating in skimpy clothing and fingering “come here” or the one dancing in a cone bra? Double standard.
Anonymous

she is gorgeous!! she is fully clothed, and shes just giving her “blue steel” pose. it takes years for models to get that look down, shes a natural high fashion model that has a long career in front of her!
Anonymous

Eye candy for pedophiles………………
Shame on the parents.
Hanabunda

yes-this truth….
Katied2308

There is no question this little girl is gorgeous and talented, but at ten years old she should not be in these pictures posing seductively. Sure let her model, but for clothing lines for her own age. Let her and all the rest be children. Childhood goes to fast as it is, and we as society are just speeding it up and producing more pedophiles. I fear for my children and everyones. There should be a law for children who model and what they can and can not model.
http://www.facebook.com/abe.gurko Abe Gurko

I, for one, am so desensitized by the images of this little girl, Thylane Lena-Rose Blondeau, to the point where, “of course she is modeling that dress, it is designed for her age group”. It’s not like she is modeling a foofy party dress http://bit.ly/ot49Kn
Anonymous

I’m amazed at how Thylane Loubry Blondeau, a young French citizen is being crucified here. And it seems, by Americans especially if you read all the tsk tsks online.

   I don’t get it.

Why is it acceptable for young American girls to parade around pagent stages wearing manditory make-up to make them look older & sexy, but it’s not acceptable for Ms Blondeau to wear manditory make up to make her look older & sexy for a fashion shoot?

Why is it okay for American girls as young as 2, to wear even less clothing than Ms Blondeau wears while they prance around pagent stages once again, gyrating & smacking thier butts, showing the judges and audience how sexy they can act, but its not okay for Ms Blondeau to pose in a mature sexy way for her fashion shoot?

Nice to see there’s two standards for young girls in some American people minds..

If it’s a US girl,  it’s okay to wear the excessive make up & skimpy clothing, & make suggestive movements, because this is America, the land of the free.. Freedom of expression, blah blah blah..

If it’s a young French girl or any other countries young girl.  It’s not okay to wear excessive make up, or sexy clothing as they’d be setting a bad example for young girls the world over..

See the irony in that?
http://www.facebook.com/charmainhurst Charmaine Hurst

The pagent for little “baby girls is wrong too!It is a shame to put children thorugh these terrible things! I think the 10 year old model is too young for that type of modeling.You have to remember she is only a 10 year old girl.She will not have a childhood for children her age.She was modeling since 6? Why would the parents put her through this? Grant it she is very pretty but do not exploit her looks to make money off of her!!!
http://www.facebook.com/charmainhurst Charmaine Hurst

The pagent for little “baby girls is wrong too!It is a shame to put children thorugh these terrible things! I think the 10 year old model is too young for that type of modeling.You have to remember she is only a 10 year old girl.She will not have a childhood for children her age.She was modeling since 6? Why would the parents put her through this? Grant it she is very pretty but do not exploit her looks to make money off of her!!!
http://www.bdc-lancaster.net M. Dante

12 – 14 has been the average age for fashion models for at least twenty years. This is new to the public? That little girl – if marketed well – will pay for her college and own her own property while most American kids are figuring out the interest rate on their first credit cards or the cost of excess text messages on their parent’s wireless plans. Welcome to the global capitalistic play-land! It will be the have vs. have-nots from kindergarten…
Anonymous

So.. she’ll get money, so, really she should just do whatever, right? Great morals, at what age do you plan on pimping your own daughter?
Pamc

Jayson2 How did you reach the ridiculous conclusion that acceptable, for young American girls to participate in this sickness??? Your justification of this sick portrayal of young girls, is gross. Are you a pedophile yourself??? Mother’s of toddler’s in Tiara’s look at who’s watching your kids on TV…
CommonSense

Most Americans are pretty creeped out by toddlers and tiaras too.
Katequence

She is not posing “seductively”, she is posing as any child model would.
The only reason that you view the images as sexual is because of your perverted mind.
Is she revealing skin??
Is she posing in a sexually suggestive way???
Is a naked human body considered to be sexualized?? It is a person’s own perverted thoughts that are making this delicate and charming photo sexualized.
Even if she was exposing skin, it is art, and even then her private parts would not be revealed.
She is not even posing like an adult, she is posing like a child WOULD in adult clothes, but she is not being sexual.
You should also remember the cultural differences, what’s not acceptable in America may be acceptable in other countries, in Japan, everyone takes baths together, we all change together as a whole class, males and females, it is normal, and no one thinks of it pervertedly.
It is in your own mind.
Katequence

That is not “pimping”, it is modeling, and it is not seductive.
Katied2308

WOW! I never said anything awful about this little girl and you go and call me a pervert? I am a mother of two little ones and I would never ever let my children pose or dress in such a manner that would get this much attention. She does not have to show any type of skin of her privates to be seductive. It is the makeup, the clothing, the pose she is in that makes it not right. She is ten years old and is not an adult just a child and yes I feel that these pictures are making her older than what she is. I am sorry, I never saw any pictures of children posing in this manner in adult clothes. Why do we need child models for adult clothing? I do not understand that.
I am a huge fan of art. My mother was an art teacher, so I am familiar with many forms of art. I also have a BA in Fashion Marketing and love fashion and have worked for so many stores which includes adult and children clothing. I have traveled all over the world, and know that cultures are different, but to me having a child model adult clothing is not right. I guess I am old school and would like our children all over the world, not just in America, stay children and not be exposed to these awful predators that would want to harm them or hurt them. I know modeling is an art form in itself, but it should be age appropriate. As in adults model adult clothing and children model children clothing. I know it will not happen, but that is how my mind works now. I just want to protect our children and to call me a pervert I know is wrong on your part.
marisak

Child modeling has laws, and i doubt its explotation as the little girl appears turly happy and well taken care, AND a percentage of that money must be put aside in a trust maintained by a laywer, according to the laws for actors/models in her age range. From a photogropher stand point every single photo besides the ones for vogue and cadaux (where i admit the she is topless (so are little girls on the beach, she has no breast so i dont see why it matters) are JUST like the ones in a gap kids or channel ad campaign, they are classy, beautiful, striking, and controversial (makes people stop). shes never naked, or lewd, yeah she has on a lot of makeup on but kids play dress up, like thier momies, wear high heels take funny pictues, then they take it all of and play in the mud. kids arent as fragile as people think, they adapt to different situations (modeling and regular life) quite well. ten year olds know more than we care to admit. you cant really force a six year old to do something, and get beautfiul photos of it, they cant fake happiness, peacefullness and health the way an adult can.

All that said i would keep my kid out of the industry simply for the fact that there is too much emphasis put on beauty, the little girl is learning she can get what she wants, attention, money, love from just her looks, all of her value and worth to the world is in her face, and her thinness.

WATCH: 10-Year-Old Model Dubbed ‘Too Sexy’ For Morning Television

Most Popular Articles

Follow Us

Tips

Style Dish

Login

Style Sheets