It’s not child’s play, on and off the ramp

Costume fitting sessions, fake eye lashes, thick layers of make up, high heels, lights, cameras and smiles. The young stars amidst us have been stealing the limelight as children are becoming frequent on television shows, ramps and fashion shoots. However, even as young talent is realising their full potential in India, French government banned fashion shows for kids as they tend to sexualise children. Back home we do a reality check if we also need to draw the line and let kids be kids. “Thanks to the shows like India Kids Fashion Week and television shows like Dance India Dance L’il Masters and Junion Masterchef India, children are becoming very conscious about their looks, weight, hair and personality. Recently, I have come across kids as young as 10 years suffering from depression because they do not feel attractive enough and face discrimination from their peers. In last two years there has been about 25-30 percent increase in such cases,” says Sheena Aggarwal, an image consultant. Fashion designer Sunita Shankar says we are just imitating Hollywood and glamorising our kids a little more than necessary. “They are everywhere, from news pap-ers, magazines to TV shows. In Hollywood, little kids become brand ambassadors and celebrities. They become a tool to generate money. I believe there is nothing wrong with kids’ fashion and shows but we should not ape Hollywood blindly,” she says. Adman Prahlad Kakkar says while children are becoming regular in commercials it’s our responsibility as a society to make sure that they are not sexualised in the process. “Even in commercials and print shoots it’s necessary not to dress up kids like adults. In fact all this can be fun activity if we let children remain children. It should be talent-based. If a kid has acting talents then there is nothing wrong with tapping that talent without destroying their innocence,” says Prahlad. Talent is what got Zain Khan his first commercial break back in 2005. He has now since then done 140 ads and seven films and shot to fame as a lead in Hari Puttar. But he insists that he is enjoying his journey so far and never felt the pressure of work and limelight thanks to his parents who make sure that he stays grounded no matter what. “I still go to school in a regular school bus and am never allowed to throw tantrums on sets. My parents have always taught me to enjoy myself while working and focus on my talent rather than my appearances,” says Zain. His father Zaki Khan adds that they make sure their son remains unaffected by constant glare of paparazzi and success or failures of his films and commercials. “I believe it’s also parents’ duty to check that their children never do anything they feel uncomfortable with. Some parents want to fulfill their own aspirations through kids and may subject them to the kind of exposure that may destroy their innocence,” adds Zaki. Dipti Gupta, a counsellor points out the negative effects of proxy queen’s status that beauty contests force on young girls. “We have seen young girls parading on ramps and posing like adults for cameras. Without understanding real meaning of beauty these girls may develop false notions that could result in low self-esteem,” says Gupta.