Kylin Kalani is an up and becoming teen model, singer, and actress who has modeled for esteemed fashion labels including Chick, Prom Girl XO, Boutine LA, and Joans Bridal.
In pursuing her professional career, the fourteen-year-old has been modeling in racy outfits for her social media handles, which has raised concerns for some parents.
Important Notice:
According to a recent NBCNews article, "child abuse images and online exploitation" have increased during the pandemic. With that, the author and the HollywoodMask team want to emphasize that the article's aim is not to undermine anyone's freedom of speech and expression. The article aims to add to the important conversation surrounding child abuse cases.
Kalani Has Graced Popular Runways
Don't let her appearance and confidence delude you, Kalani is just fifteen years old. Already at a young age, she has been the face of big modeling brands with the support of her parents - especially her Korean mother, Jane.
The beautiful teenager graced the runway at the New York Fashion Week and the Los Angeles Fashion week. She is also the STAR model for Rising Fashion Show.
And to top that off, she released her single 'Malibu' on April 29, 2021. She wrote the song herself while music producer Andrew Lane financed the production.
Parents' Concern: How Young is too Young to Wear a Bikini?
Success, name, and fame came early for the young model. But she continues to draw flak for posting pictures of herself in racy or revealing swimsuits.
Parents — who think that underage children shouldn't wear revealing dresses, let alone model on them — turn out to be her major critics. There are also parents who believe that their underage children should be able to wear clothes of their choice.
The latter segments of parents argue children should be able to wear anything that makes them comfortable. They believe people are objectifying others, not clothes.
Israeli model Sofia Mechetner drew controversy when she modeled for Christian Dior at the young age of 14
Wendy Thomas Russell of PBS News Hour even made a headline out of this issue back in 2015. The headline of the said article read, 'How young is too young for a bikini?' Her conclusion was that everyone has the right to wear what is comfortable and what makes them feel good.
However, she clearly stated that kids should be educated, with excruciating detail if necessary. She pointed that the more skin children show in public, the more they are likely to be subjected to objectification.
Objectification at Young Age Can Hamper Mental Health
In an article by Very Well Mind, the outlet explores the mental and societal problems that might be triggered by the objectification of women at a young age.
The article states the girls that are exposed to the unrealistic portrayals of women in mainstream media can have a lasting impact on their mental health.
When girls are exposed to numerous unrealistic media portrayals of girls their age, this can easily lead to internal conflict, confusion, and/or self-loathing.
During an interview with The New York Times, Julia Geier, a veteran model, confessed that the images they portray in front of the lens resulted from years spent on perfecting various aspects of their body, hours and hours of hard work poured by makeup artists, hairstylists, and wardrobe stylists.
She also stated the pictures were taken by a professional photographer, which were then edited and photoshopped.
She further discussed how popular media and brands are hellbent on setting unrealistic expectations for women.
As a model herself, Julia's experience goes to show how the perfect image of a woman is distorted from reality. This further suggests how the mindsets of young adults can be affected and how they would lead to mental health issues.
Dangerous People Online Might Worry Parents
Besides the alarming psychological effects, one must also know there are just as many, if not more, threats from predators.
Even if the models and celebrities are not aware, the youngsters that look up to their lifestyle, in this case, donning revealing or racy outfits, are susceptible to attract attention from such predators.
Although in an ideal world, the actions of such criminals should not affect the choices that the public has to make, we live in a world where those criminals hide behind their screens promoting this illicit behavior.
NBC News recently reported that the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than twice as many complaints regarding content that depicts child abuse in 2020 as compared to the same time last year. This alarming statistic showed the urgency of this ongoing crisis.
In a nutshell, artists by the likes of Kylin Kalani are making a name for themselves out of their personal interests and skills.
While they cannot always be held accountable for the repercussions of their careers, parents and guardians must acknowledge the reality behind these celebrities and educate their children accordingly.
To report child abuse or if you are a child abuse victim, you can visit Childwelfare.gov.
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