bittersweet

A recent getaway to the neighboring country had got me lusting after a cute blonde girl with straight bangs (the kind you think only exist in paperdoll world), donning a shocking pink shift dress with matching stockings, arm to arm with her ‘BFF’. I did want the exact same stockings, I did try to gage if they were long enough. Embarrassing result aside, that got me wandering what is it with kids and their magic. We adore their lovely white tutus; we mimic their cute pout; we are dying to get their soft as silk hair – kids still impact our adulthood beyond admittance.

Fashion world seems to be tickling our senses with little charms lately. We witnessed Hailee Steinfeld’s Miu Miu campaign in awe after the brand announced her as the new face. The film-noir inspired photoshoot was a big fuss even before it hit the glossies last July. Her mature being helped her in delivering the understated glam message. Nothing seemed wrong with this; she was all-covered with sheer makeup suitable for a 15-year-old. No big puffed hair, or sexy French tousled..

..unlike the 10-year-old sexy photoshoot in Vogue. We were left with dropped jaws seeing how suggestive Thylane Blondeau appeared in French Vogue. Her heavy makeup, her adult poise, and her high heels gained global condemnation. Objectification, we simply thought in despair. The poor kid barely has any idea of what this dressing up game is all about, some other complains.

Is there any chance that the kids really know what they actually want in life, hence the justification of being in the adult fashion world so early on? Thylane modeled for Jean Paul Gaultier when she was 5 while we need no reminder that Steinfeld was an extraordinary young actress that took our hearts away in True Grit. After all, Tavi Gevinson is 15 and is manning 40 employees in running her fantastic Rookie Magazine. We might not know what we wanted to do in life when we were a highschooler, maybe we still don’t, up to today. But these kids could as well be the superwomen of their generation – being born to smack us in our butts and take baby steps towards our rainbows and ponies.

We tell ourselves we only want to keep kids’ cuteness. But more often than not, we want their courage to go ahead and their angelic blindfold towards what people say of how scary the ‘real’ world is. Yes Thylane may be the perfect example of how media corrupt young girls’ minds, but French Vogue should not be blamed for putting into prints what we sigh about in leisure gatherings. One fine day the tough criticism could slowly turn into standing ovation of her rare modeling qualities. Steinfeld and Fanning the ageless sisters have proven how they manage to stay sane and rocking the fashion world at the same time. And Tavi, well, the wonderkid has long stolen our hearts with her honest writing and fashion musing. At the end of the day, if we raise glasses for young winners of Science olympics, should not we cheer for young girls in high fashion, too?

Photo credit: lifeisreallybeautiful.com