Thylane Blondeau scandal

[Jengerbread88]

Okay, seriously. This makes me sick. Anyone seen these photos of this model?







She's 10.

TEN!

That's just sickening. How young is too young? I mean, I knew that designers were fighting over 13 year olds like Elle Fanning and such... but a TEN year old? Posed THAT seductively? Um, no thanks.

Ugh. What's your opinion? Is she posed too seductively? Or am I just freaking out over nothing?

[AmberK]

um yeah....this is ridiculous. What is she posing for?

[Kjersti]

Look at her shirt in the last photo!!! HOLY COW. Not okay.

[newfiemountiewife]

I guess all of the anorexic models weren't skinny enough, so they had to pull from the children's ranks. It's not my kid, so if her parents think it's ok...that's up to them to decide, isn't it? I mean, the photogs wouldn't take her picture that way without their permission. I wouldn't do it with my kids, I tell you that! Kids grow too fast as it is! But it's all about the money for some people!

[Jengerbread88]

It was a photoshoot for French Vogue.

Yes, it is her parents' decision, not mine, but I feel like there should be something regulating it!

Think about it: If these photos showed up on some 40 year old guy's computer in America, we'd think of it as him having a creepy fetish, being some sort of offender, etc etc. But because they're in French Vogue instead, suddenly it's okay!

: shudders :

[emmasmommy]

Originally Posted by newfiemountiewife

I guess all of the anorexic models weren't skinny enough, so they had to pull from the children's ranks. It's not my kid, so if her parents think it's ok...that's up to them to decide, isn't it? I mean, the photogs wouldn't take her picture that way without their permission. I wouldn't do it with my kids, I tell you that! Kids grow too fast as it is! But it's all about the money for some people!

wss

dirty old men find porn on the internet regardless if someone lets their kids do a racy photoshoot or not. *my* kid won't ever do anything like that while she's under my roof.

[crecia27]

makes me incredibly sad!!

[Traci Reed]

They actually don't bother me. It is said that the photoshoot was a tongue in cheek commentary on the fashion industry. For example, she's wearing a kiddie white undershirt under the couture in the first pic.

Also, from what I understand, European countries are much more open about nudity than we are (i.e. b00bs on billboards) so it would make sense that this wouldn't be pushing as many envelopes there as here.

[Traci Reed]

Here are some good articles:

Vogue Spread (click through the pics to read the articles)

Thylane

[newfiemountiewife]

Originally Posted by emmasmommy

dirty old men find porn on the internet regardless if someone lets their kids do a racy photoshoot or not.

Yep. They do. That's why my DH had to do a tech crime course. *shudders*

[adrianka]

It's disgusting. Actually, with kids this age I find much less provocative ones as disturbing (I don't like when some photographs put mascara on kids or paint / oversaturate their lips in PS etc.), but THIS is child abuse.

[adrianka]

Originally Posted by newfiemountiewife

I guess all of the anorexic models weren't skinny enough, so they had to pull from the children's ranks. It's not my kid, so if her parents think it's ok...that's up to them to decide, isn't it? I mean, the photogs wouldn't take her picture that way without their permission. I wouldn't do it with my kids, I tell you that! Kids grow too fast as it is! But it's all about the money for some people!

And if her parents thought it OK to prostitute herself, it would be OK? There is a limit to what parents can be allowed to make with their kid. I imagine they could get into trouble with social services and their child might be taken away. This is child abuse. Period.

[adrianka]

Originally Posted by Traci Reed

They actually don't bother me. It is said that the photoshoot was a tongue in cheek commentary on the fashion industry. For example, she's wearing a kiddie white undershirt under the couture in the first pic.

Also, from what I understand, European countries are much more open about nudity than we are (i.e. b00bs on billboards) so it would make sense that this wouldn't be pushing as many envelopes there as here.

I'm from Europe, I don't have problem with ADULT nudity whatsoever, and with kiddo nudity if it's just kiddos running around naked and playing (and I'm sometimes highly amused at the prudery in the US), but I find these disgusting. Even if it's sarcasm. But OK, if it's sarcasm, then my previous words were too harsh. Still, blah. But that's what they wanted to achieve I guess.

[Traci Reed]

I guess I don't understand what's abusive and disgusting about them. In almost every photo, you see less skin than if they had on shorts and a T-shirt. None of the posing in the whole article is sexually suggestive except maybe slightly one or two. Yes. Thylane has that sexy look down and yes, it's inappropriate to photograph a child as sexy but I think that's the most inappropriate thing about the spread, truly.

To me, most of the photos aren't any different than a lot of the "dress up" photos that we see in scrapbooking galleries of little girls wearing mommy's clothes and makeup. The difference being the quality of the hair/makeup/clothes/photography and the medium in which it's presented. To be honest, any pedophile can browse a scrapbooking gallery in the summer and find much better fodder than these photos. To me, it's a "scandal" that's been blown up in the media to be more than it truly is.

I actually really appreciate the message of the spread, how, as a society, we expect women to be both sexy and childlike at the same time. How the fashion industry uses and abuses girls not much older than this (there are 14 year olds in American Apparel ads!)

But that's just me and I'm not the norm most of the time, LOL

[newfiemountiewife]

Pedophiles can and will get pictures from ANYWHERE. They might be on the beach with YOUR kids right now. That crap worries me more than anything else! They can go on any scrapbooking site as Traci mentioned and get more provocative pictures than that, that show more skin than those do!

[emmasmommy]

those photos, imo, are no worse than those kids who do beauty pageants. THAT makes me sick.

[AmberK]

I totally agree!

Originally Posted by emmasmommy

those photos, imo, are no worse than those kids who do beauty pageants. THAT makes me sick.

[marlathrall]

I once posted on my facebook status that I would rather be on "Sister Wives" than "Toddlers and Tiaras." I'm no sister wife, but I think they are way better than those crazy moms. Lol.

[mummytothree]

Originally Posted by emmasmommy

those photos, imo, are no worse than those kids who do beauty pageants. THAT makes me sick.

I've never heard about this before this thread but this was the first thing that came to my mind reading this thread, the show Toddlers & Tiaras on TLC. Some of those kids can't even talk to voice their own opinion!!

[Darcy Baldwin]

To me, sexualizing a child is wrong, whether in photographs (and some of those photos are sexually provocative), in jest, in contest, etc. Playing dress up is one thing, this is not dress up.

Looking at the full spread, it did mostly look like a dress-up party..there were a few photos that I found to be a little more aggressive that I'm comfortable with (the lipstick one, the tree one), but the rest were not really that bad to me.

I'm uber-sensitive to the plight of sexual abuse in children, and tend to lean to the cover them all up and keep them 6 approach, this isn't terribly awful to me...but worrisome, yes.

Toddlers & Tiaras on the other hand..that's a whole 'nother can of worms.

[Jengerbread88]

This is why I really like this website. There are differing opinions. Even though I still think the photo shoot was WRONG, overall, I like reading other opinions about it, and I like knowing that perhaps it was meant to shed light on the issue and mock it, rather than encourage/promote it. I like that other people have other information about the article than I might have had.

[MamaBee]

ugh... I'm always shocked by what goes as fashion for the tween's and juniors these days... Is it really appropriate for a 8-10 year old to be in daisy dukes and skimpy top? Yet... this is what is on the racks at my local discount center...

[Davita]

I find the whole thing kind of disturbing. I don't object to all of the pictures but some of them seem inappropriate to me. Not a fan of Toddlers and Tiaras either.

[adrianka]

I don't care whether she is dressed or naked, suggestiveness is not about the lack of clothes. There are naked photos out there that are perfectly innocent, and sometimes a model is fully dressed and the photo is borderline porny in character.

It's all about sexy posing. She is definitely posing sexy. Children should not be put in such a position IMHO. Yes, there are sites out there where creeps can find more suggestive photos, but that doesn't mean that I'm OK with this or that kids should be posing like that because of that. This kind of thing doesn't create pedophiles (they are out there), it just kind of makes pedophile thinking more acceptable (because it's not some dirty illegal thing, but an official "normal" mag) - which is the part that is unacceptable to me. It shouldn't be encouraged, should it?

And yes, I agree beauty pageants are more disturbing than this, and have always found them disgusting and never got why they were actually allowed, because that's child abuse as well (those kids are too young to really know what's going on, so they can't really make a decision and the parents are just totally irresponsible).

Actually, while I'm very much tolerant when it comes to nakedness in general (you're all right Europeans have a different approach here), sometimes I'm truly disgusted by some US kid photographers (and I'm sure not just US, it's just that I had the chance of finding those) who make children pose as adults - some of them make Photoshop actions that I bought, and I'm pretty sure you'd be surprised I found some of the pics slightly disturbing (judging from FB comments where people go aaaaaaw how gorgeous that is), but each time I show some of those to my friends they find them over-the-top as well - must be a different way how we see things, those cultural differences DO exist. :-)

P.S. Abuse, in my view, is not just being violent to kids. Parents are adults and should be responsible for their children. If they allow / make them do suggestive photos, they are abusing their position as the responsible person, because the child of that age can NOT see what's OK and what's not - they basically think in terms of their parent's way of thinking. So that's why I was talking about abuse.

[adrianka]

Originally Posted by newfiemountiewife

Pedophiles can and will get pictures from ANYWHERE. They might be on the beach with YOUR kids right now. That crap worries me more than anything else! They can go on any scrapbooking site as Traci mentioned and get more provocative pictures than that, that show more skin than those do!

Provocative is not about the amount of skin shown.

[Freckles]

Originally Posted by adrianka

I don't care whether she is dressed or naked, suggestiveness is not about the lack of clothes. There are naked photos out there that are perfectly innocent, and sometimes a model is fully dressed and the photo is borderline porny in character.

It's all about sexy posing. She is definitely posing sexy. Children should not be put in such a position IMHO. Yes, there are sites out there where creeps can find more suggestive photos, but that doesn't mean that I'm OK with this or that kids should be posing like that because of that. This kind of thing doesn't create pedophiles (they are out there), it just kind of makes pedophile thinking more acceptable (because it's not some dirty illegal thing, but an official "normal" mag) - which is the part that is unacceptable to me. It shouldn't be encouraged, should it?

I was going to give my opinion on this, but Adrianka has worded my thoughts exactly. I'm European and pretty open minded, but to me, these photos cross a line. This is different than little girls playing dress up, exactly because of the sexual suggestion.
This girl doesn't fully understand the impact of these photos.

[adrianka]

Just in case - I'm not trying to persuade anything about my "truth". I'm just trying to explain what bothers me about kids posing suggestively (for whatever reasons). I'm aware of the fact that people view things differently, and the cultural differences between US and Europe are sometimes quite huge. I sometimes truly don't get the US way of thinking when it comes to sexuality (and some other things as well), but I'm careful not to think that different is wrong. This particular subject (what's tolerable in children's photography and where's the limit to parent's freedom when it comes to their kids) is a very sensitive one for me, so that's why I'm getting kind of too involved. But I'm not arguing or anything. So. I have spoken. :-)

[Leontine78]

I agree with Adrianka. It's not like we have nakedness all over. But we are a little more open for this kinda stuff.

Allthough my personal opinion about these photos is that it's wrong to put a 10 year old in front of camera that way. I just don't understand the parents in this story. This child is obviously posing sexually.

We are all on the back of our feet when it comes to child pornography....but why is this any different. There are adults who are kicking on this too.

Sorry if my English isn't that good when it comes to explaining my view on this.

[Jengerbread88]

Originally Posted by adrianka

I don't care whether she is dressed or naked, suggestiveness is not about the lack of clothes. There are naked photos out there that are perfectly innocent, and sometimes a model is fully dressed and the photo is borderline porny in character.

...

P.S. Abuse, in my view, is not just being violent to kids. Parents are adults and should be responsible for their children. If they allow / make them do suggestive photos, they are abusing their position as the responsible person, because the child of that age can NOT see what's OK and what's not - they basically think in terms of their parent's way of thinking. So that's why I was talking about abuse.

Everything Adrianka said.

[Nettio]

The photos in this article Traci linked to bother me a lot more than the Vogue spread photos.

I can see how the Vogue shoot could be a play on dress-up with the overdone make-up and the clothing (too big shoes and such), but some of the other photos she's done seem rather inappropriate for her age. Is it really necessary to pose a ten-year old kneeling suggestively on a bed or in an "implied nude" photo? Is she even old enough to understand the connotation behind those photos?

This is what I find ridiculous about the fashion industry. They are so obsessed with youthfulness and thinness that somehow ten year old girls are seen as appropriate models for adult brands. Not only does it set this impossible standard for all women, but it sends a message to young girls that this is somehow appropriate behavior, clothing and make up for their age group, long before they understand what being sexy even means. It's sad really.

[Penny Springmann]

This is how I feel as well!

Originally Posted by adrianka

I don't care whether she is dressed or naked, suggestiveness is not about the lack of clothes. There are naked photos out there that are perfectly innocent, and sometimes a model is fully dressed and the photo is borderline porny in character.

It's all about sexy posing. She is definitely posing sexy. Children should not be put in such a position IMHO. Yes, there are sites out there where creeps can find more suggestive photos, but that doesn't mean that I'm OK with this or that kids should be posing like that because of that. This kind of thing doesn't create pedophiles (they are out there), it just kind of makes pedophile thinking more acceptable (because it's not some dirty illegal thing, but an official "normal" mag) - which is the part that is unacceptable to me. It shouldn't be encouraged, should it?


P.S. Abuse, in my view, is not just being violent to kids. Parents are adults and should be responsible for their children. If they allow / make them do suggestive photos, they are abusing their position as the responsible person, because the child of that age can NOT see what's OK and what's not - they basically think in terms of their parent's way of thinking. So that's why I was talking about abuse.

[Jengerbread88]

Originally Posted by Nettio

The photos in this article Traci linked to bother me a lot more than the Vogue spread photos.

Exactly. The last one especially. And I think the way she is posed comes off a more sexual than a girl, covered less, by a bathing suit top... because one implies nudity, the other doesn't. I even think that this image is more sexualized than something like say, a girl playing in the bathtub, equally covered.

It's just... different.

[adrianka]

Originally Posted by Nettio

The photos in this article Traci linked to bother me a lot more than the Vogue spread photos.

I can see how the Vogue shoot could be a play on dress-up with the overdone make-up and the clothing (too big shoes and such), but some of the other photos she's done seem rather inappropriate for her age. Is it really necessary to pose a ten-year old kneeling suggestively on a bed or in an "implied nude" photo? Is she even old enough to understand the connotation behind those photos?

This is what I find ridiculous about the fashion industry. They are so obsessed with youthfulness and thinness that somehow ten year old girls are seen as appropriate models for adult brands. Not only does it set this impossible standard for all women, but it sends a message to young girls that this is somehow appropriate behavior, clothing and make up for their age group, long before they understand what being sexy even means. It's sad really.

I agree on this. The other ones are way more disturbing because they're the real thing - the Vogue ones are, after all, meant to be "ironic", but these ones are real ones...

But they do make the Vogue ones (which are IMHO also not OK) make look disturbing, because they criticise something that the kiddo normally does - which weakens the critical part. And let's say that even if Vogue aims at criticism, it is itself guilty of the very "crime" it tries to try attention to, so the criticism itself is dubious. Selling the mag by shocking people is by no means a new method of raising sales, so I kind of doubt the honesty behind it. But I don't deny it's effective.

[Megan Turnidge]

I totally agree, Adrianka! I am soooo protective of my daughter and there is no way I'd ever take, post, or even keep, a photo of her that may seem suggestive in any way (even if the pose was completely unintentional).

I am very conservative in my views of what's appropriate and modest for little girls (and even adults), but it bothers me the kind of clothing that is marketed to little girls and how it seems adult type fashions (that I feel are too revealing for a child) are being viewed as appropriate for girls.

A few years back, my friend's niece asked us, "am I sexy?" She was 9 years old. It completely horrified me that she even might think she should be sexy. Even if she had no idea what "sexy" means, she has been receiving messages from the media, from our culture, that girls need to be sexy, and that really bothers me.

Originally Posted by adrianka

I don't care whether she is dressed or naked, suggestiveness is not about the lack of clothes. There are naked photos out there that are perfectly innocent, and sometimes a model is fully dressed and the photo is borderline porny in character.

It's all about sexy posing. She is definitely posing sexy. Children should not be put in such a position IMHO. Yes, there are sites out there where creeps can find more suggestive photos, but that doesn't mean that I'm OK with this or that kids should be posing like that because of that. This kind of thing doesn't create pedophiles (they are out there), it just kind of makes pedophile thinking more acceptable (because it's not some dirty illegal thing, but an official "normal" mag) - which is the part that is unacceptable to me. It shouldn't be encouraged, should it?

And yes, I agree beauty pageants are more disturbing than this, and have always found them disgusting and never got why they were actually allowed, because that's child abuse as well (those kids are too young to really know what's going on, so they can't really make a decision and the parents are just totally irresponsible).

Actually, while I'm very much tolerant when it comes to nakedness in general (you're all right Europeans have a different approach here), sometimes I'm truly disgusted by some US kid photographers (and I'm sure not just US, it's just that I had the chance of finding those) who make children pose as adults - some of them make Photoshop actions that I bought, and I'm pretty sure you'd be surprised I found some of the pics slightly disturbing (judging from FB comments where people go aaaaaaw how gorgeous that is), but each time I show some of those to my friends they find them over-the-top as well - must be a different way how we see things, those cultural differences DO exist. :-)

P.S. Abuse, in my view, is not just being violent to kids. Parents are adults and should be responsible for their children. If they allow / make them do suggestive photos, they are abusing their position as the responsible person, because the child of that age can NOT see what's OK and what's not - they basically think in terms of their parent's way of thinking. So that's why I was talking about abuse.

[adrianka]

Originally Posted by mturnidge

I am very conservative in my views of what's appropriate and modest for little girls (and even adults), but it bothers me the kind of clothing that is marketed to little girls and how it seems adult type fashions (that I feel are too revealing for a child) are being viewed as appropriate for girls.

I'm totally not conservative when it comes to adult clothing (I think you already know that :-), but I very much agree with you that adult fashion thrown at kids is weird... Our culture is too much concerned with looks anyway (and there's very little we can do to change that, it's so ingrained in our subconscious), so it's sad if kids are not allowed to be kids and are pushed into the "sexy" area of life before they can even grasp the concept... Kids should be kids. They will grow up fast enough, why force it pre-maturely?