Child Modeling

Luckily cj, those names are known by noone in this house hold.

We dont have regular tv and only rent movies when we are bored.
She doesnt listen to popular radio ... well none of us do for that matter..

and we dont read /subscribe to or own any trendy magazines.
We really are secluded .. and it is kind of nice.

So no.. those people are of no issue thank GOOOOODNESSS!!

She's only 4. I doubt she'd care about her yet.

Her Royal Bitchiness from hence forth

right now she could care less about popular teens.
I hope it stays that way

Just wait - at some point she is gonna leave for college. Par-tay!

Only if you have an older sibling. My daughter is 5 and she loves Hannah Montana - just said the other day she is the best singer. Other children in her Pre-school class also love her - they are 4 and 5.

Yep...once your older kids are in school, your babies get exposed. Just one of those things. We limit TV time greatly and watch with them. I'd say they are pretty balanced all things considered. It was much easier to stay away from the mainstream stuff with the twins.

wait..wait..wait..

I can homeschool right? :wink:

I confess I'm a bit suspicious about children modeling so I poked around a bit.

My question to your friend is..

Why would a HUGE company based in Boston, who uses a MEGOLITHIC ad agency whose US operations are based in NYC, use a casting agent in Austin for their ads?

There might be a really logicical explaination but if you don't want Bean to have travel and such this should be your first question.

she is.. REALLY famous. She is part of a company that has scouts in almost all major cities..


let me find her website.

hold on..

So I've posted on this before, that I was in a documentary and a couple of Hallmark commercials and a Toni Home Permanent commercial when I was eight and nine. It was either rampant nepotism or budgetary consideration, and not my darlingness - early in the history of tv commercials. I still have the stills with me getting the makeup routine. Snort. I even had a teacher on the set... (That whole one hour with the teacher thing was humorous to me then, and now charming. I might have questions about all that for long term child actors.)

So, a short and not bad experience.. I remember it and remember enjoying it. I also had no interest in acting as something to do; no interest, in negative numbers.

I did, though, consider being a film editor off and on over the years and I'm not so sure I shouldn't have gone there. Not many women in the field then, although there were some, and I well knew the potential long droughts in employment.

Oy.

So I only have a few years before the mania begins? Good grief. I was hoping for a little longer.

It starts when they begin school - one child has an older sibling and then they all start talking about it and it spreads like wildfire.

Really not a big deal as long as you keep it under control - on the positive side Walmart is now selling Hannah Montana stuff so the shirts and stuff aren't that expensive.

Also, it is cute to hear them sing the songs. They could be singing worse.

Well, I've been thinking about this nonstop for two days.

Here's what I think.

You KNOW I'm enthusiastic about you starting your photography business. And you KNOW I think Jillian is absolutely adorable. And I have absolutely nothing against child modeling or earning a few bucks.

BUT...

I don't think this is right.

The money that Jillian earns is HER money. It should be set aside and saved for HER, not you. It could start a college fund or pay for a car when she turns 16, or any number of things she will need. She'll be the one doing the work and getting paid. It will be her money.

Bottom line: the reason you're considering this is because you need income. Not because it would be a great experience for Jillian, or because it would be a lot of fun, or any of a hundred other reasons. It's because you want the money she could earn for you. And that, my friend, sounds dangerously close to pimping your daughter.

So...when she turns 16 and sees printed photos of her adorable child-self in the baby book, and you tell her she modeled when she was little (or some friend or relative brags about it, and they will)...and she asks how much she made, and where it went (she's sharp, she'll ask)...what are you gonna say then? "Mama spent your money on her photography business..."???

Huh uh. There has to be another way to raise some cash. Don't use Jillian to further your career.




(Don't shoot.)

I debated about posting that for a whole day before I decided to do it. Yes, I feel that strongly about it. I hope you'll forgive me if you disagree, shewolf.

BTW, I'm leaving on a family vacation in the a.m....back June 7. Talk to you all then............................

It's pretty much what the Jackie Coogan laws Phoenix referenced are about, Eva. To protect the money for the kids.

I don't think they go far enough, but they're a start.

I respectfully totally disagree. I am from a very poor family. Things are different in a poor family (i'm not saying shewolf is poor).

But if we could put little Octavio in front of a camera and get money for the family you better bet little Octavio is going to be in front of the camera.

It's what you spend the money on. If there is love and concern for the kids health and well being then there will be no problem and this love and concern will extend to every member of the family like one whole unit.

Money to a family struggling is very different then to a family that does not need the money doing the same thing.

Also, I think we know (my then we should) that due to shewolfs past that she would become violently protective of a young girl being exploited especially her own daughter.

The possibility is there but that is something only shewolf can confront. But as for the money.........it is a must and there is no reason it can't be done correctly.

I used to hire and art direct children for retailing advertising many years ago. And I do have stories. We'll talk later...

Don't know if things have changed but I believe it was 60 percent of the child's earnings that, by law, had to be deposited in a bank. That leaves 40 percent for incidentals like travel, wardrobe and whatever else the lil' darling needs to work professionally. And then whatever's left out of that, the parents can fool around with.

Well said, Amigo.

I respect your opinion, Amigo.

For the record, I have been both poor and...uh, well...comfortable, anyway. I know what it's like to be hungry and have very few options for support. And of course I trust shewolf to keep Jillian's welfare at heart. I think we all do.

However, this isn't about a desperate family needing the money to feed themselves. It's about wanting to start a business. Shewolf is considering putting her child to work and using the child's earnings for herself. That feels wrong to me.

I have no doubt that this debate will continue, but it is 11 p.m. my time, and I still have to pack my suitcase for a flight in the morning. So you guys will have to settle this without me. See you in 10 days or so!

Eva, I agree and disagree at the same time.