- 11-year-old Lavinia makes her debut in the ideal Miss California & West Coast pageant
- Petra Ecclestone, 35, declared herself a “very proud mummy” on Instagram.
- One follower suggested the beauty pageant was a “paedo paradise”
Petra Ecclestone has been criticized for encouraging her eldest daughter to enter a beauty pageant.
Eleven-year-old Lavinia made her debut in the Ideal Miss California and West Coast pageant last Sunday with the blessing of her mother, who is the daughter of F1 billionaire Bernie Ecclestone.
Wearing a crown, a Disney princess-inspired ballgown, heels, and a Miss West Coast sash, Lavinia twirled on stage at the Downey Theater in Los Angeles and posed for the cameras and judges in full makeup. I took it.
Petra, 35, doted on her pageant parents with every fiber of her being and declared herself a “very proud mummy”.
“I am so honored to be your mom. I will always support you as you pursue your dreams. I will never judge you and I will always love you,” she wrote to her 77,000 Instagram followers.
But the verdict was soon passed in large numbers. “This is insane. She’s still a child,” one of Petra’s followers responded. Another wrote: “Why would you do this to your child?” Sam Palmer, Lavinia’s stepfather, fired back: “That’s what she wanted and we support her.” She thinks that’s what it means to be a parent. ”
One follower suggested that the beauty pageant was a “paedo paradise” and warned Petra to stay away from Lavinia.
The next stage of the competition will be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in June. The Ideal Miss pageant costs £371 and aims to “celebrate girls by showing their strengths, maximizing their potential and preparing them for life ahead”.
But while industry defenders argue that beauty pageants give young girls confidence, critics say they are exploitative and force a message that good looks are all that matters. It is claimed that there is.
Claude Knights, former director of the child protection charity Kidscape, says contests “give young girls a signal that it’s okay to judge themselves along certain superficial dimensions.” It’s not about the whole person. ”
But Lavinia may be trying to boost her confidence after enduring a rocky start to life. She was diagnosed with a learning disability due to language delay when she was 20 months old, and she subsequently became a nonverbal toddler who did not speak until she was nearly 4 years old.
She no longer sees her father, James Stunt. He is a playboy businessman who will soon go on trial for a second time on money laundering charges. When they married, James forbade Petra to publish herself or her children on social media. However, since her remarriage two years ago, Petra has become known to the public again.
She is currently preparing to launch Clickle Daisy, an online beauty and fashion boutique for pre-teens, with Lavinia as the face of the brand.