Thylane Blondeau’s Vogue controversy
A debate was sparked in 2011 when a then-10-year-old Blondeau posed for a Vogue fashion shoot while wearing heavy makeup and gold stilettos, reports MailOnline.
Many questioned whether it was an appropriate photo shoot for a child to be involved in.
Dr Emma Gray of the British CBT & Counselling Service said at the time: “This picture is the antithesis of what childhood in our society should be; a child being exposed to a world she is not yet equipped to deal with solely to serve the needs of the adults around her.”
Blondeau’s mum addressed the backlash: “I understand that this could seem shocking. I admit I myself was shocked during the photo shoot.
“But let me be precise: the only thing that shocked me is that the necklace she wore was worth €3 million!”
Years later, in an interview with The Telegraph, Blondeau said she didn’t register the global attention she received when she was younger.
“People are like, ‘You know, you’re the most beautiful girl in the world’, and you’re like, ‘I’m not, I’m just playing with my iPad’,” she told the publication.
“Even today, people are like, ‘You are the most beautiful girl’, and I’m like, ‘No, I’m still not, I’m just a human being, a teenager’.”
The tragic backstory of the most beautiful girl in the world
As she grew older, she also faced pressure to meet strict beauty standards within the industry, the Mirror reports.
However, she has firmly pushed back against those expectations. “I don’t want to be skinny,” she said. “Even if people are like, ‘She’s not that skinny, she can’t do this show,’ I’m just like, ‘OK fine, I’m not going to do that show.’”
She also made it clear she refuses to compromise her wellbeing: “I’m not going to be skinny and not eat for them. If I want to eat, I can eat. I eat burgers. I’m not going to change this ever.”
Despite building a hugely successful career—working with major fashion houses and gaining millions of followers—she says those achievements are not what matter most. Instead, her focus now is on living authentically and finding happiness.
Looking ahead, she remains open about her future: “I just want to be happy and do what I like. If I still want to be a model, I will model… but I want to be happy first.”
