I want to say right off the bat this story has me super weirded out, so I don’t even know where to start. Nine-year-old Kristina Pimenova of Moscow, Russia, has been modeling since the age of three and is said to be “the most beautiful girl in the world.” Pimenova, who is also a youth gymnast, has already modeled for Vogue Bambini at age seven, and has appeared in ads for Roberto Cavalli, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, and Benetton. Some are calling her the youngest supermodel.
And that’s fine! There’s nothing wrong with a child modeling. She is a beautiful child who in all likelihood will grow up to be a beautiful woman. The part that makes me feel squicky about this is that Pimenova’s mother, who manages her career, also maintains her daughter’s social media accounts including a Facebook fan page and Instragram, which she posts photos of her daughter — sometimes in borderline inappropriate poses like this one that displays the girl’s bare legs. The Facebook page alone has over two million likes.
Not to sound all Judgey McJudgerson, but I don’t know what the hell putting photos of your child online to be ogled at by grown adults has anything to do with your kid’s modeling career. Pimenova’s mother claims that she removes any inappropriate comments on her daughter’s images, but should they even there to be commented in the first place? As Mark Shrayber over at Jezebel notes, the attention — both positive and negative — is likely to wreak havoc on a child’s psyche.
Here’s just a few of the photos to be found on her Instagram:
(The Daily Mail via Jezebel)