News :Sasha Bennington - Teen Model
WALKING through the door the fog of hairspray hits the back of your throat and the air is hot from the heat of the curling irons.
The mirrors are crowded with models trying to get a good view of themselves and you would be forgiven for thinking you were behind the scenes of a fashion show.
But this isn't a catwalk; this is baby beauty pageant Britain.
So far these events, with kids parading in teeny hot pants and stilettos, have been rare in Britain.
But the Northern town of Burnley, Lancashire is holding Miss Koko 2009 for girls as young as nine.
Fledgling teen model, Sasha Bennington, with the help of her mum Jayne Harris, 32, has arranged this pageant as "the best 13th birthday present ever".
The Burnley schoolgirl is organising, presenting and judging the pageant hersel! f and charges each parent £120 per child.
The competition is split into two tiers: Miss Baby Koko's which is open to nine to 12-year-olds and Miss Teen Koko's, open to 13 - 16 year-olds.
Arriving at the unassuming nightclub on a Sunday lunchtime on a back street of Burnley I am met with a scene of preening perfection.
The 'backstage' room is filled with girls having huge hairpieces tucked into their already gorgeous, glossy manes and huge fake eyelashes glued while teetering around on high heels in tiny hot pants.
A professional make-up artist is delicately covering the young contestants in blusher and glittery eye make-up and the girl's beaming faces show they are enjoying their grown-up transformations.
One over-zealous mum applies huge feathery eyelashes to her nine-year-old daughter's watering eyes as the little girl squirms uncomfortably: "It hurts," she moans crinkling up her face.
But if I was expectin! g a sea of pushy parents willing their little princesses to be! the nex t celebrtiy Kate Moss, I was wrong.
These girls need no encouragement, they have their own agendas - they are going to be famous.
Contestant Leah-Brooklyn Wren-Campbell is a prime example: "The pageant is fun for me because I like to be in the spotlight."
Leah's mum, Moya Wren, 40, is a make-up artist and has driven Leah, 15, and her nine-year-old sister Maddison hundreds of miles from their home in Glasgow, Larnarkshire especially for the pageant.
Moya's youngest daughter Madison appeared in The Sun about her life on the scene.
At the tender age of nine Madison has landed the job of a judge on the Miss Koko competition.
Speaking to Leah it is clear she hopes to use the kids beauty pageants as a springboard into celebrity.
The chatty schoolgirl lists the things she wants to be when she is older: "I want to be a singer , dancer... and Playboy Bunny."
' When I grow up, I want to be a singer, dancer... and Playboy Bunny '
Her mum rolls her eyes and quips: "Don't tell your dad that!"
Leah gushes: "My idol is Beyonce, I think she is the most perfect person."
A lot of the girls have already had a taste of modelling and are here to raise their profiles.
When asked what they have enjoyed about the day they all reply that they've enjoyed making new friends.
But when talk turns to what they want to be when they grow-up, actress, dancer or model are the standard answers.
Lucie-Jaye Whitehead from Burnley is experienced in modelling.
The 11-year-old schoolgirl chirps: "This is a way to get noticed, I want to be a model.
"Cheryl Cole is my role model, as she is so perfect and good at everything. I want to be like her and I'll carry on ! until I get there," she says with fierce determination.
Mum s and dads sit around, some looking bored, as the girls take centre stage, practising their dance moves and taking pictures of themselves using their jewel encrusted mobile phones.
The mums do understand this is a controversial business, but deny it is tasteless.
Organiser Jayne Harris says: "I like the pageants because you know where your kids are, you know they are not off doing drugs somewhere."
Shirley Johns, 38, confides she thinks these competitions are good for her little girl, nine-year-old Harley.
The hair stylist from Kirkintilloch, Glasgow says: "She wears glasses at school, what harm can it do to dress up like a princess for a day?"
Valerie Garvery, from Sheffield, Yorkshire, who is here with her 14-year-old daughter Tavarna, quickly brushes off the suggestion that giving a young girl a very adult makeover is inappropriate.
She says: "I don't want her to grow up quickly, she's a sensible girl and I! will always go to these things with her."
Sasha's mum, Jayne, ushers everyone outside in plenty of time to see Sasha, the star of the show, make an entrance in a pale pink Playboy Bunny Hummer-Limousine.
The crown "oohs" and "ahs" as the 12-year-old hops out wearing a Cinderella-style ball gown with a group of her VIP friends, all caked in lashings of fake tan and foundation.
' I like the pageants because you know where your kids are, you know they are not off doing drugs somewhere. '
"Hey b***h", Sasha yells sounding like someone out of an American soap rather than a Lancashire schoolgirl.
As the competition draws closer there is an air of tension, but not from pushy parents, it is the girls who are stressed, practising their provocative dance moves over and over.
The girls all head upstairs for the casual round, dressed in their hot pants, Miss Koko vests and high heels.
And as the first strains! of the Pussycat Dolls hit When I Grow Up fills the air, the g! irls par ade to the dance floor.
They shake their hips to the words "When I grow up, I wanna be famous, I wanna be a star, I wanna be in movies."
Advertisement
I can't help but feel a little bit uncomfortable as their skimpy vests reveal brightly coloured and animal print bra straps.
The competition gets under way and it's clear that child beauty pageants aren't always pretty.
As the girls sashay past the judges, 15-year-old Leah takes a tumble on her heels and falls flat on her face.
But with all of the confidence of her idol Beyonce she jumps straight to her feet, finishes strutting her stuff and even manages to blow a cheeky kiss to the judges, before bursting into tears in her mum's arms
"She has such teeny heels," her Mum insists brandishing her little girl's kitten heels.
Then it is time for eveningwear. The girls strut out in pink or cream gowns, each one wider than the next.
The! competition is now in full swing and Sasha has gone into Miss World mode, asking each girl why she thinks that she should be 'Miss Koko'.
One girl says that she wants to do it to raise the awareness of lung cancer before bursting into floods of tears.
The questions that follow become more bizarre: "If you had a red crayon what would you draw?"
The parents seem aware that the outside world is judging these baby beauty pageants.
Moya wells up as she says: "My worries are that as a single parent I'm going to get pulled apart for doing this.
"I'm worried that people will think it is cruelty to children. But I disagree. I just want my little girls to look perfect, but I know that it's just for fun."
And as the winners take their crowns the evening finishes on a theatrical note as the victors, Sophie Brown, 15, and Lucie-Jaye wipe away a glistening tear as they proudly hold their crowns and smile widely at the app! lause.
Source: thesun.co.uk
Related Hot News :
beauty bikini model, forest lawn hollywood,
The mirrors are crowded with models trying to get a good view of themselves and you would be forgiven for thinking you were behind the scenes of a fashion show.
But this isn't a catwalk; this is baby beauty pageant Britain.
So far these events, with kids parading in teeny hot pants and stilettos, have been rare in Britain.
But the Northern town of Burnley, Lancashire is holding Miss Koko 2009 for girls as young as nine.
Fledgling teen model, Sasha Bennington, with the help of her mum Jayne Harris, 32, has arranged this pageant as "the best 13th birthday present ever".
The Burnley schoolgirl is organising, presenting and judging the pageant hersel! f and charges each parent £120 per child.
The competition is split into two tiers: Miss Baby Koko's which is open to nine to 12-year-olds and Miss Teen Koko's, open to 13 - 16 year-olds.
Arriving at the unassuming nightclub on a Sunday lunchtime on a back street of Burnley I am met with a scene of preening perfection.
The 'backstage' room is filled with girls having huge hairpieces tucked into their already gorgeous, glossy manes and huge fake eyelashes glued while teetering around on high heels in tiny hot pants.
A professional make-up artist is delicately covering the young contestants in blusher and glittery eye make-up and the girl's beaming faces show they are enjoying their grown-up transformations.
One over-zealous mum applies huge feathery eyelashes to her nine-year-old daughter's watering eyes as the little girl squirms uncomfortably: "It hurts," she moans crinkling up her face.
But if I was expectin! g a sea of pushy parents willing their little princesses to be! the nex t celebrtiy Kate Moss, I was wrong.
These girls need no encouragement, they have their own agendas - they are going to be famous.
Contestant Leah-Brooklyn Wren-Campbell is a prime example: "The pageant is fun for me because I like to be in the spotlight."
Leah's mum, Moya Wren, 40, is a make-up artist and has driven Leah, 15, and her nine-year-old sister Maddison hundreds of miles from their home in Glasgow, Larnarkshire especially for the pageant.
Moya's youngest daughter Madison appeared in The Sun about her life on the scene.
At the tender age of nine Madison has landed the job of a judge on the Miss Koko competition.
Speaking to Leah it is clear she hopes to use the kids beauty pageants as a springboard into celebrity.
The chatty schoolgirl lists the things she wants to be when she is older: "I want to be a singer , dancer... and Playboy Bunny."
' When I grow up, I want to be a singer, dancer... and Playboy Bunny '
Her mum rolls her eyes and quips: "Don't tell your dad that!"
Leah gushes: "My idol is Beyonce, I think she is the most perfect person."
A lot of the girls have already had a taste of modelling and are here to raise their profiles.
When asked what they have enjoyed about the day they all reply that they've enjoyed making new friends.
But when talk turns to what they want to be when they grow-up, actress, dancer or model are the standard answers.
Lucie-Jaye Whitehead from Burnley is experienced in modelling.
The 11-year-old schoolgirl chirps: "This is a way to get noticed, I want to be a model.
"Cheryl Cole is my role model, as she is so perfect and good at everything. I want to be like her and I'll carry on ! until I get there," she says with fierce determination.
Mum s and dads sit around, some looking bored, as the girls take centre stage, practising their dance moves and taking pictures of themselves using their jewel encrusted mobile phones.
The mums do understand this is a controversial business, but deny it is tasteless.
Organiser Jayne Harris says: "I like the pageants because you know where your kids are, you know they are not off doing drugs somewhere."
Shirley Johns, 38, confides she thinks these competitions are good for her little girl, nine-year-old Harley.
The hair stylist from Kirkintilloch, Glasgow says: "She wears glasses at school, what harm can it do to dress up like a princess for a day?"
Valerie Garvery, from Sheffield, Yorkshire, who is here with her 14-year-old daughter Tavarna, quickly brushes off the suggestion that giving a young girl a very adult makeover is inappropriate.
She says: "I don't want her to grow up quickly, she's a sensible girl and I! will always go to these things with her."
Sasha's mum, Jayne, ushers everyone outside in plenty of time to see Sasha, the star of the show, make an entrance in a pale pink Playboy Bunny Hummer-Limousine.
The crown "oohs" and "ahs" as the 12-year-old hops out wearing a Cinderella-style ball gown with a group of her VIP friends, all caked in lashings of fake tan and foundation.
' I like the pageants because you know where your kids are, you know they are not off doing drugs somewhere. '
"Hey b***h", Sasha yells sounding like someone out of an American soap rather than a Lancashire schoolgirl.
As the competition draws closer there is an air of tension, but not from pushy parents, it is the girls who are stressed, practising their provocative dance moves over and over.
The girls all head upstairs for the casual round, dressed in their hot pants, Miss Koko vests and high heels.
And as the first strains! of the Pussycat Dolls hit When I Grow Up fills the air, the g! irls par ade to the dance floor.
They shake their hips to the words "When I grow up, I wanna be famous, I wanna be a star, I wanna be in movies."
Advertisement
I can't help but feel a little bit uncomfortable as their skimpy vests reveal brightly coloured and animal print bra straps.
The competition gets under way and it's clear that child beauty pageants aren't always pretty.
As the girls sashay past the judges, 15-year-old Leah takes a tumble on her heels and falls flat on her face.
But with all of the confidence of her idol Beyonce she jumps straight to her feet, finishes strutting her stuff and even manages to blow a cheeky kiss to the judges, before bursting into tears in her mum's arms
"She has such teeny heels," her Mum insists brandishing her little girl's kitten heels.
Then it is time for eveningwear. The girls strut out in pink or cream gowns, each one wider than the next.
The! competition is now in full swing and Sasha has gone into Miss World mode, asking each girl why she thinks that she should be 'Miss Koko'.
One girl says that she wants to do it to raise the awareness of lung cancer before bursting into floods of tears.
The questions that follow become more bizarre: "If you had a red crayon what would you draw?"
The parents seem aware that the outside world is judging these baby beauty pageants.
Moya wells up as she says: "My worries are that as a single parent I'm going to get pulled apart for doing this.
"I'm worried that people will think it is cruelty to children. But I disagree. I just want my little girls to look perfect, but I know that it's just for fun."
And as the winners take their crowns the evening finishes on a theatrical note as the victors, Sophie Brown, 15, and Lucie-Jaye wipe away a glistening tear as they proudly hold their crowns and smile widely at the app! lause.
Source: thesun.co.uk
Related Hot News :
beauty bikini model, forest lawn hollywood,
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