Children as young as TWO are to paraded on the catwalk at a mini “Miss World” contest.
Nursery-age toddlers and primary school girls will be judged on their looks and personality in the pageant, which has been condemned by child welfare campaigners as “damaging, harmful and unwelcome”.The Mini Miss International competition will see girls modelling outfits in formal, sportswear and fashion categories.News of the pageant, to be held in London in October, comes amid mounting concern over the sexualisation and commercial- isation of young children.
Lucie Russell, of children’s mental health charity Young Minds, said: “This contest may well have a detrimental effect on the young girls involved. “But on a wider level it also sends out a dangerous message to other children that appearance is all that matters.”And Michael Connellan, of the Family and Parenting Institute, added: “Childhood must be defended. Parents don’t want their children experiencing too much too young.”Girls will model outfits in formal, sportswear and fashion categories during the contest.Toddlers under five in the “baby beautiful” section will be dressed up in party frocks and carried or walked down the catwalk by their mums.A boys’ contest called Little Man International is to be held alongside the girls’ show.
Organiser Pam Boon insisted: “This is a hobby, it’s having fun. It’s about children enjoying themselves.”
Contestants pay up to £100 to enter the contest, and prizes include a Nintendo Wii games console and shopping vouchers.
LOL- Drunk bareback 'Romeo' facing jail for riding horse into house to impress girl
Lovestruck Pole Jan Rudnicki, 40, came up with his fool-proof idea while in a bar in the town of Jarnoltowka while chatting to friends about the best way to impress eligible divorcee Gosia Domoslawska, 36. Friends said when Jan first suggested his bizarre plot they thought he was joking. 'But then he went outside, climbed onto this horse - which he'd ridden to the pub - and set off bare-breasted and bare-backed,' Mirek Nowak explained.'The next thing we knew, he'd been arrested.'
Not quite Pretty Woman. Anyway, unfortunately the old romantic's attempts appeared to fall on deaf ears when Gosia called the police - and called him 'a loon' - after he'd ripped off her front door.
