kids

Six-year-old Anna has been called 'the world's most beautiful girl'. But there's a creepy side.

Anna Knyazeva has more than half a million followers on Instagram who tell her how beautiful she is and how much they love her. There’s no doubt that she’s an extraordinary-looking girl.

But… she’s six. And as a mother, I’m scrolling through her Instagram account, silently screaming, “Nooooo!!!!!!!”

Knyazeva, who lives in Russia, has been dubbed “the most beautiful girl in the world” by her many fans. Her mother set up her Instagram account two years ago, and has so far posted more than 800 photos of her.

My Quenn ???? ???????????? Dress ????by @kisabiano ???? @korona_mari

A post shared by Anna Knyazeva (@anna_knyazeva_official) on

She’s already had success as a model, scoring jobs with big Russian brands. No doubt the money she’s bringing in is appreciated by her family.

ADVERTISEMENT

But I am SO CREEPED OUT.

I’m reading the comments that people have posted next to the photos of her. These aren’t overly sexualised photos, just professional-looking photos of a little girl dressed in pretty clothes.

LISTEN: Year 6 formals are a big thing now, but why do they have to include fancy dresses and limos? Post continues after audio.

“Hi, my beautiful, beautiful, blue-eyed angel princess.”

“My heart. I love you, babe.”

“You are sooo pretty, baby doll.”

“My girlfriend, I kiss you.”

“Somewhere in the world a boy will also be growing to f**k her.”

Whoa. Stop.

????????????

A post shared by Anna Knyazeva (@anna_knyazeva_official) on

ADVERTISEMENT

There are adult males making these comments. Can you imagine strange men saying those kinds of things about your daughter? Can you imagine encouraging that?

As parents, we’re constantly being told about the dangers of online predators. We’re careful when it comes to photos of our kids. We question what, if anything, we should post online. We check our privacy settings.

This Instagram account just feels wrong. So very wrong.

Thylane Loubry's controversial Vogue Paris debut at just 10. Image credit: Vogue Paris.

Of course, this isn’t the first time a young child has been dubbed “the most beautiful girl in the world”. Back in 2011, it was Thylane Blondeau, aged just 10, fully made up, wearing stilettos, sprawled on animal print bed coverings, in the pages of French Vogue. The images caused huge controversy at the time.

The title of “the most beautiful girl in the world” was later taken by Russian model Kristina Pimenova. In 2014, when she was nine, her mother Glikeriya posted photos of her on social media wearing very short shorts. Her mother came under attack, but claimed anyone who saw something sexual in the pictures “must think like a paedophile”.

#kristinapimenova

A post shared by Kristina Pimenova (@kristinapimenova2005) on

ADVERTISEMENT

Inappropriate sexual thoughts aside, what must it be like to be dubbed “the most beautiful girl in the world” when you’re six? How would it feel, at that age, to be so highly valued for your looks? Would you playfight, ride bikes and climb trees, or would you be too worried about scratching your face or knocking out a tooth?

And what’s going to happen when you hit puberty? What if you need braces, or you break out in pimples, or you suddenly put on weight? How would it feel to have your half a million followers drop away or start commenting that you’re not as pretty as you used to be?

Мои котятки ????

A post shared by Anna Knyazeva (@anna_knyazeva_official) on

ADVERTISEMENT

To get through those awkward teenage years without body image or mental health issues would take some kind of miracle.

I don’t know much about little Anna Knyazeva. I know she has a brother who is a bit older than her, who is also a model. Occasionally their mother has posted a photo of the two of them together. (One person commented, “He looks hot already.” Uh, no.)

I wish her all the very best. I hope she has no troubles as she grows into adulthood. I hope she has other talents that are appreciated by the people around her.

Most of all, I hope her mother closes her Instagram account, dresses her in some old clothes, and tells her to just run outside and play with her brother.

LISTEN: Holly and Andrew Daddo look at 2017 in review, and particularly... Youtube.