Monday, September 17, 2007

We Were Innocent Once...And Young

“Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.” That’s a bit of homespun wisdom the Gold Coast Fashion Week might have benefited from hearing before choosing Maddison Gabriel, a twelve year old model to represent the Australian fashion event. Job requirements include a willingness to don some skimpy gowns, which has sent child protection advocates in uproar. The Prime Minister himself responded in indignation, stating “There should be age limits, I mean there has to be, we do have to preserve some notion of innocence in our society.”

The girl-model insists otherwise. "I believe that I can fit into women's clothes, I can model women's clothes, so I should be able to do it.” Maddison declared adamantly, "I'm not going to change my dreams. I know I want to be an international model. All this fuss is just silly."

Her mother, Michelle Gabriel, shared her daughter’s opinion. "I believe the Prime Minister is getting very doddery.” She elaborated, "He does not know exactly what 13 and 14-year-old girls are like. I used to vote for him. We're trying to get our teenage daughters to act older. I am so happy that I've got a daughter who has got a good head on her shoulders."

  • Do you think there’s a difference between acting older and losing one’s innocence? Where is the line drawn between the two? (Parents, it would be wonderful to hear your perspective as well.)

Quotations and photograph of Ms. Gabriel courtesy of The Daily Mail and The Herald Sun.

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