It may come as a surprise, but child beauty pageants are regularly organised in Malta and are open to babies as young as six months.
And while the Children's Commissioner believes such activities should be disallowed, the organisers claim that child modelling is a great way of building confidence.
Pink magazine, which is distributed with The Times, today delved into the world where five-year-olds strut their stuff in bikinis to make their parents proud.
With permed hair, polished nails and glossed lips, a number of young girls cavort along a catwalk, sporting big smiles as their parents cheer them on in the audience. Wiggling their tiny bodies in short skirts, swimwear, or cute dresses, the children seem to love the spotlight, even though some find it difficult to handle the attention and need an extra push from backstage.
“When I was younger, I used to be very shy,” says a poised Sara Fenech, who, despite being only five, already seems to possess a full understanding of the importance of overcoming shyness. She says modelling helped her to do just that and she is now the proud winner of three tiaras and a sash.
So how does it feel when she doesn’t win? “Umm... It’s OK,” she says, pointing out that she cannot be a winner every time.
Like Sara, her friend Mariah Attard, nine, got involved in modelling after some encouragement from her family, particularly her cousins, who started before her. She says she loves to compete and she’s now so into it that she aspires to turn this into her career and become “one of the big models”. Asked what it takes to be a good model, she pauses, and then innocently says it’s about “confidence and modelling skills”.
Her younger brother Joseph, who is also a child model, has no shortage of charisma. He says he likes to practise at home in front of the mirror and feels very comfortable on the runway. But what really thrills him when he takes part in the shows is the fact that he makes a lot of friends his age.
Although he says he has placed first around five times, he is humble about his achievements and feels it does not mean he is better than anyone else.
So what makes him one of the best of his age group? “Maybe it’s the personality,” the well-groomed seven-year-old says as he stands tall, with no qualms about talking in front of a camera.
Seeing young girls and boys strutting their stuff down a catwalk is not everyone’s cup of tea. But while many laugh it off as being an American thing, or something of the past, the truth is that the industry is growing in Malta.
Ivan Gaffiero, who describes himself as a modelling agent and the only one who organises children’s shows, has become a household name in some circles.
“When I was young, I was very shy. But I strongly believe that in life you must make the first step. You cannot just give up. The worst thing is to be shy and think that you cannot be as good as anyone else.”
For Mr Gaffiero, everyone is beautiful. In fact, his contests are even open to babies as young as six months, who are rolled down the catwalk in a pram by their proud parents.
Mr Gaffiero admits that parents who go for this sort of thing are usually trying to fulfil their own childhood dreams, generally because they would have wanted to model when they were younger, but were not given the opportunity. He also concedes that it is very hard to pick a winner when it comes to babies.
“But today, children grow up very fast and you’d be surprised how even a simple hand gesture can set some babies apart in terms of charisma. It’s all about how much sympathy they garner.”
Mr Gaffiero insists his shows do not place an emphasis on physical appearance, or encourage children to act in a ‘sexy’ manner. “For instance, I do not let the children wear make-up,” he says adamantly, with more than just a little contempt towards American-style beauty pageants. In fact, he never accepts offers from abroad to send children to participate in international contests. “I feel they abuse of the children. They dress them up like porcelain dolls. They don’t dress them like kids.”
But if it’s a beauty contest, aren’t the children being judged on how they look? “No... During every show, I make sure to tell the judges it is not a beauty but a confidence contest. You can be a beautiful girl, but once on stage, you start crying because you’re too shy... We look at how they speak and their character.
“And although we have first, second and third place, everyone gets a medal, or a small trophy, and I always say that if you didn’t place in the top three you came fourth. No one deserves to be last and I don’t like to see children cry.”
Mr Gaffiero believes modelling can help shy people come out of their shells and also gives them the opportunity to make new friends. It can also be the first step to any future stage career, and many of the children who started off modelling in his shows have grown to be dancers, singers, or actors. “It even helps them in school because it gives them the confidence to ask questions and speak more openly with their teachers,” he maintains.
One of the most contentious aspects of the industry is the fact that it can be highly competitive – especially when overbearing parents make it their aim in life to see their children crowned winners. But although Ivan admits this can sometimes happen, he says he does not tolerate overly competitive parents and has often ordered some not to come back.
“Sixteen years ago, that’s what it used to be like in Malta too, and some parents used to drive me mad because they would be obsessed with making sure their children won. Since I took over, however, I have changed everything.”
One of the measures, Ivan introduced is doing away with the backstage aspect of the shows that causes so much controversy in the US. “We make sure the children are in the audience until it is their time to go on stage so that we don’t have all the backstage tension.”
Interestingly, Mr Gaffiero never urged his two young daughters to hit the runway. “It used to be one of my dreams to see my daughters modelling with me. But first of all, if they got involved in competitions, it would be difficult because they would expect to win, and if they did well, others would complain.”
But more importantly, he says, his daughters have not yet shown an interest in the competitions and are more focused on things like dancing and presenting TV shows. “I think the worst thing parents can do is force their children to do something they do not want to do.”
Mr Gaffiero, who televises most of his modelling events, does not understand why the shows involving children cannot be broadcast. He says it was accepted in the past and attracted a large audience. “I don’t see why children today cannot be given that opportunity.”
But the Broadcasting Authority says it must take its decisions based on existing legislation about children and vulnerable persons: “For starters, our legislation states that children under the age of three should not be screened on TV, let alone featured in a child modelling show.
“Secondly, the Authority had expressed its concern that such a programme would instil unhealthy rivalry among children and parents alike, which would surely not benefit any of the contestants. It is a known fact that more often than not, children in such competitions experience a lot of stress due to demands placed on them by their parents.”
Children’s Commissioner Helen D’Amato agrees and says children should be granted the opportunity to enjoy their childhood “as children” and any activities that encourage precocious behaviour should be disallowed.
Replying to questions from Pink magazine, she says she is concerned about any events and initiatives aimed at promoting and encouraging “the precocious and overly mature” behaviour of children.
“Any initiatives and events that require such behaviour to be forthcoming from children should be disallowed in favour of participation within activities that are age appropriate and beneficial to their holistic well-being,” Ms D’Amato maintains.
Appealing to broadcasters, event organisers and parents, she has urged an increased sense of responsibility and conscientiousness, citing the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which calls for children to participate in “age appropriate activities”.
But most parents who enrol their children in these modelling shows claim it is all just about having fun. Arys Fenech, Sara’s father, says he got his daughter involved after one of his friends said she had what it takes. “I said we would try once. And then I saw her having lots of fun. She became much more confident. It even helped her at school.”
Although he admits he does not know much about child modelling abroad, he says the shows organised in Malta do not place too much emphasis on how the children look. “The judges are told to judge the children as children. And we are told to dress them like children, not fill them with accessories and make-up. It’s mostly about how they walk onto the stage, not what they look like.”
He also denies any rivalry between parents. In fact, various activities are organised for the families to meet up even outside of the modelling world.
Mr Fenech says it’s particularly rewarding when his daughter wins. But what if she doesn’t?
“Obviously, she would have wanted to win, so there would be some disappointment. But after two minutes, she’ll be fine and she’ll go to play with the winners.”
SO WHAT ARE THE PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS ON CHILDREN PARTICIPATING IN THESE SHOWS?
Child psychologist Luisa Eminyan says that while there is not enough research on the matter, some studies show that these kids are more prone to body dissatisfaction.
“When making decisions about involving children in activities, one must also consider how the child perceives this. Pre-school children are unlikely to fully understand symbolic representations. In this sense, they are unlikely to grasp the meaning behind a fashion show and photo shoot, and the concept of modelling. Thus, the activity becomes solely about exposing themselves and eliciting positive or negative evaluation from others, with all the repercussions that brings.
From a developmental perspective, children as young as three and four are at a stage when their self-awareness is growing, together with the awareness of their objective body image – the representation of one’s own specific characteristics such as size and shape. This includes the ability to imagine oneself from a third-person perspective and the emerging idea that their body can provide a means to personal expression via dance, posture, as well as adornment, or intentional modification of one’s size, shape, or appearance.
Children experience feelings of shame when they suffer social rejection, when they feel defeated in any competitive encounter, or when they seek acceptance, or approval from adults, and instead, are faced with criticism. On the other hand, a sense of achievement can result in feeling pride and this raises aspirations of future success.
Children’s anticipation of feeling pride and shame plays a critical role in development, and self-evaluative processes [what they feel good and not good at], which are continually present throughout life, become part of our conscious self-esteem. Consideration must, therefore, be given to whether it is beneficial for young children’s developing self-esteem to be tied to their physical appearance, rather than their abilities and talents.
The anxiety and stress that such competitive activities raises in young children, who are still not psychologically equipped to deal with the pressure of performance, must also be considered. To make a comparison, the general consensus is that children are not psychologically ready to participate in competitive sports before the age of six. There is no doubt that sport is healthy because it provides children with an opportunity to develop their physical and social skills and gives them a sense of mastery, whereas modelling and beauty contests may not benefit children in the same way.
Currently, there is not enough research into the long-term implications of children’s participation in such activities at a young age, but some recent studies suggest that childhood beauty pageant participation may influence adult body dissatisfaction, interpersonal distrust and impulse control."