Born in 2005 in Moscow, Russia,
Pimenova started modeling at the age of
three, scoring contracts with Armani,
Benetton, Fendi, and Roberto Cavalli’s
children’s lines. She landed the cover of
Vogue Bambini , her Facebook fan page
has more than 2 million likes , and her
Instagram handle , which is managed by
her mother, has 416,000 followers.
Underage girls working in the fashion
industry isn’t new. But after years of
consciously discouraging the sexualization
of young girls and promoting fair
treatment and healthy lifestyles for
minors, it comes as a bit of a shock that
Kristina Pimenova is being dubbed the
“most beautiful girl in the world ” at just
eight years old.
Of course, children have always worked
as models, but Pimenova’s case is
especially disconcerting thanks to her
massive social media following, which
opens her up to trolling on an
international scale. Many commenters
have called her a “babe,” “flawless,” and
are even making remarks on her long legs
and other body parts. Not even old enough
to walk down the aisle, Pimenova has
even received marriage proposals.
But Pimenova, and more specifically her
mother, Glikeriya Shirokova, who is also a
model, has come under fire following
recent media attention. “My child would
never ever ever ever ever wear shorts
this tight and small—ever,”one Instagram
user wrote. Another said, “Parents like
you are the reason why girls grow up to
have many issues… also there are so
many sick people out [there] that look at
these in sexual ways.” One even called
the provocative photos a “pedophile’s
dream.”
But for some reason the same criticism
doesn’t come down on boys. Hudson
Kroenig has appeared in Chanel
campaigns and walked in multiple
runway shows and he just started
kindergarten. Romeo Beckham is the face
of Burberry and the commentary
surrounding his appointment was met
with giddiness and plaudits for the cute
choice. Just one more double standard
that starts at an impossibly young age.
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