PA
Cindy Crawford, whatever were you thinking? Your daughter is nine, not 19. No little girl needs to be going out with heavy eye make-up, blusher and lip gloss on.
The picture above was taken last night at the launch of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark in New York, and Cindy, it seems, had duplicated her own make-up look for her little daughter for the event. And yes, of course little girls want to copy their mums, but should their mums really be encouraging it in this way?
Kaia Jordan (who is NINE, remember) could not have possible applied the cosmetics herself - her eye make-up has been done with professional precision - her eyes have been expertly lined, several shades of shadow applied, and her brows neatly groomed, whilst her her blush is in just the right place on her cheeks. Any little girls of my acquaintance let loose with a make up bag end up looking like a cross between Boy George and a circus clown - Kaia's make-up is magazine-cover perfect. Sadly.
And it's the grown-up 'look' of this make-over that is particularly disturbing: it's something a woman in her 20s, 30s, 40s would wear - muted taupes and beiges and browns, apricot hued cheeks, rose pink lips. A teen wouldn't go out looking like this. It is an ADULT make up look.
If Kaia had stepped out with some glittery eye-shadow daubed on her lids, and glutinous glossy lipstick smeared on her mouth, we'd have no doubt tutted and rolled our eyes, but it would have obviously been the work of a little girl trying to ape the grown ups. It would have looked innocent.
And of course most little girls will trowel on the slap and try to look older given half the chance, but shouldn't we as parents (and at this point I mean YOU Cindy Crawford) being doing all we can to discourage it?
It is a very scary thought that Kaia feels the need to have a face full of make up on to attend an event where the press are present. It is even more scary that her mother - who is better placed than most to understand the pressure girls and young women feel from the images the media barrages them with - allows it, and, if the pictures are anything to go by, had a hand in it.
Why can't we just let children be children?
PA