Girl, 13, on catwalk for Miss Italia Mascotte.
Controversy has broken out in Italy after a 13-year-old girl appeared on a catwalk, wearing a bikini and high heels, during a Miss Italia Mascotte beauty pageant.
The event took place a few weeks ago in the southern Campania region but the case of the underage girl was brought to light on Monday by Italian journalist and television personality Selvaggia Lucarelli.
“Good evening everyone, good evening jury, I’m 13 years old and I’m competing as a Mascotte” – the girl says into the microphone in the video – “I’m a very determined girl, full of dreams. I’d like to be a model, and social media is already giving me an extra push to believe in myself.”
Lucarelli interviewed Antonio Contaldo, the Miss Italy representative for Campania, who allowed the child on stage despite being underage.
“The girl wanted to play, and we let her play,” he explained.
Reaction
The Miss Italia patron, Patrizia Mirigliani, was quick to react to the case which has sparked a major debate on social media in Italy.
In a statement, she announced the “immediate revocation of Antonio Contaldo’s role as regional exclusive representative for Campania”, describing the girl’s participation as “absolutely morally unacceptable, a very serious violation of the regulations”.
In order to parade in the Miss Mascotte event, participants must be aged at least 18. The last underage Miss Italia was 17-year-old Daniela Ferolla in 2001.
Mirigliani said she raised the age limit years ago, “precisely to avoid the presence of minors, a rule that must be respected even more so among mascots.”
Social media
In an Instagram post highlighting the case, Lucarelli wrote:
“Behind the story is a mother who has been pushing the girl on the catwalk since she was 7, a cousin who has been promoting her on social media with questionable videos, and a world in which young girls are increasingly sexualized at an early age to make them famous on social media.”
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