Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

Has anyone watched this? A family from Burnley who are 'encouraging' their daughter to be a model. I'm 20 minutes through and the mother just told her daughter she'd be grounded if she didn't get the job at the model agency, and also to 'smile at an effing traffic light' if she has to but with the real swear word.

I think it is great that parents encourage their children to aim for a career,but why do it in such an aggressive way and way force them into particular careers? The father of her makes her feel like a 'dumb blonde' and her mum is so aggressive with her that it's just horrible to watch. I hope it gets better as I watch it because it's actually making me quite sad!

BBC iPlayer - Sasha: Beauty Queen at 11

I really feel for the little girl, mainly because it is clear that it is a case of her mother living through her rather than being directed on all the different kinds of opportunities she could have when she is older and being allowed to make up her own mind.

What do other people think about it?

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

I think it is very wrong to push a child into a career like that.
At 11 years old she shouldn't have any pressure on her whatsoever in any shape or form,she should be playing with her friends and having a laugh.
There is plenty of time for careers of any kind when she is older and can make her own mind up about it.
I think it is outrageous to have a young girl in makeup and dresses like that,where has the innocence of youth gone?
I think the parents are out of order doing this and don't think that modelling is a particulary high aim for a career at any age.

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

OK well I got to the end of the programme, and call me a wimp but it made me cry.

The end bit from Sasha was the most strikingly sad for me. She was asked a few questions and eventually she said 'not a clue' to why her ambition was to be on TV and why she enjoys it. It reminded me to last summer when a girl was found to have plagiarised her work. The way the tutors found out was the fact that she had read lots of information off cards in her presentation but when she was asked questions on what she had said she couldn't answer. Why couldn't she answer? Because it was someone else saying those things of course.

People that follow what other people want them to be don't tend to do well in that thing unfortunately, and I hope for Sasha that she does do well in whatever she ends up doing, but I hope she does it because she truly wants to and not because her mum wants her to.

I don't have a problem with pageants, I think they're a bit strange but at the same time I think they actually look pretty impressive too and I'm sure every little girl wants to look like 'prom barbie' or whatever in those huge beautiful dresses. If a child wants to honestly do that then why not, but brainwashing them into wanting to doing it and threatening them with punishment when they don't put their absolute all to it is just awful.

I'm going to bed now, and I think I'm going to feel extra grateful that I got to make my own choice about what I did even if it was a bit bumpier than it could have been. At least I am happy and content!

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

Yes, we watched it on monday night, the mother ws disgusting and wanted a `reet good slap`...............SHE was fame mad not the daughter, i remembered the family from when they appeared on wife swap...the mum was obsessed with pink and they had a pink limo...appauling, the poor kid

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

thats been on telly 5 times this week, the child didnt want to do it, it was the mother who wanted the fame and the glory

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

NO.....all the the mother wanted was a good SLAP!!!!;)

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

i wonder how many dingles went looking for her this week?

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

disagree i reckon the cow should be prosecuted fer child cruelty.:mad: then jailed n let the cons take care of her.

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

I started to watch it but gave up when the young girl herself, seemed to be proud of being dumb.

I would say though that there is a very fine line between encouraging your children and pushing them and sometimes children need a little bit more than encouragement, they need a real push.

It is obvious that there are some careers where the children need to be starting really early if they stand any chance of being the best - ballet, football, gymnastics etc. Some children have the talent but don't push themselves but in later years would actually appreciate being pushed a bit by their parents. For instance, so far, my two have had a go at (daughter) ballet, gym, horseriding and now drama and karate, (son) football and now drama and karate.

My daughter did ballet for about a year when she was four - who knows how good she would be now after another four years but she gave it up. I could have kept dragging her down there but I accepted it when she said she didn't want to go.

Already Maddie is miffed that I didn't push her more with ballet but she won't go back because she'd be too old to be in the starter classes.

I guess my point is that most children are lazy to a degree and every activity requires the commitment of the parent to keep encouraging them to get out of bed and go and do it. It's knowing that limit I suppose and there are obviously some parents who cross the line.

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

Unfortunately this is not an isolated case, there are lots of parents who live their own fantasise through their kids, especially blokes and football. Kids should be aloud grow up and have a childhood, not forced into someting just to justify their parent dreams:(

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

I used to work with someone who knows this family through their children, and if I'm not mistaken, the mother gave one of her daughters breast implants for her 17th birthday!!!!:eek:

I don't agree with either this or pushing your children into something so much that they have no idea why they are doing it. I do however agree with Gayle in the fact that some kids need more pushing than others, I'll use myself as case in point, my parents always gave me every opportunity to try new activities, especially sports and music, over the years I've tried playing tennis, netball, football, basketball, cricket and karate amongst others, while I have also learnt how to play various instruments including guitar keyboards, bass, drums and mandolin!!!! Out of all these I'm only probably above average at one, football goalkeeping, although I hold qualifications in music and was a gigging musician for a couple of years.

If my parents had perhaps pushed me a little harder towards the goalkeeping I could be a professional coach with international prospects now, however I should have had more drive to do it myself. Just out of interest I'm hoping to go to college in september to do a foundation sports degree, I'm 27!!! Better late than never!!!!

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

It's alot like the Phil Mitchel and Ben storyline right now in Eastenders I guess, except that didn't really upset me like this programme did.

I haven't had telly for a week so I am a bit behind and I'm catching up on everything on Iplayer just in case anyone wondered why I was so behind!

I went to ballet when I was little too and hated it, my mum made me stay until my first show but then I didn't have to go again. I sort of wish I had stuck with it but for some things you just need to have a passion for it at an early age and ballet is certainly one of those things in my opinion, and I certainly didn't have it. Still, I have tried a few different things and I am quite happy now with where I am.

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

JonBenet Ramsey comes to mind:(

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

That was so sad,that poor little girl,murdered.
Only six years old too.

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

Exactly, Eric. :(

I can't stand to see these children who are made up like women.

In the case we are discussing it appears that the mother of the child in question had done a bit of modelling when she was younger and always wanted to be a top model.

She did not achieve this so it appears she is trying to acheive it now through her daughter.....very sad.

I predict serious problems for that child in the next 10 years.

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

I think the mother who I believe used to do a bit of modelling is living through her daughter. I think encouraging them in certain areas does no harm but I completely disagree with the false tans, nails, eyebrow plucking and make up (to that extent), now she's 11 maybe all those things would start to become routine but this family have been on and off the tv with this little girl for several years, its not normal, I feel sorry for her, she's too young to fully realise the benefit of a good education and if she's pretty enough naturally and wants to go into glamour modelling then she'd be able to anyway.

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

do you remember this little girl ..lena zavaroni
YouTube - Lena Zavaroni Sings "What a Wonderful World"
her mum pushed her a bit too hard

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

Kids should just be kids,no pressure,there is enough of that when you are older.
At that age she should be having fun with her friends.
Childhood is a special time and it seems to me like she is missing out somewhat and may resent it later in life.

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

Can't agree more Lilly, let kids be kids. The one thing that got my attention was the fact that its been muted children as youngs as four are to be given SEX EDUCATION LESSONS, what the hell is going on, four years old for Gods sake, its crazey

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

I predict that this prediction will sadly be true.........:(

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

I think a lot of child stars end up a little weird or messed up in some way or another. My favourite is Macaulay Culkin by far though! He's fantastic.

I just find them hard to deal with when they clearly don't want to be doing it. It just seems so unfair. God knows what I would've ended up being if my parents had decided to live through me... probably not a heartless lawyer though ;)

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

You heartless blazey, never;)

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

I loved the quote from the young girl in tonight's episode... "In the past people worried about having careers and getting a good education. Now they just want to look good."

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

...and asked what she wanted to be when she's grown up, she replied famous.

Asked why that would be good, she answered because she'd be on television.

When questioned why being on television would be so good, she replied 'Dunno.'

A little less time spent on caking her in makeup, and a little more time expanding her mind, might be a smarter course of action for her parents.

She is a pretty child, and I don't want to burst her parent's bubble, but as for being a top model, glamour maybe, but as a fashion model, not a chance.

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

You're spot on! But I wonder how common these 'aspirations' are in children (and older people) today? "I want to be famous" is probably a phrase used more often today than ever before. A sad indictment of our celebrity/fame obsessed culture.

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

Think your stop on TM, I actually watched the program last night, I admit by accident, but to me it was he lasses mother that wanted the fame more than the kid, as was said earlie in this thread, parents fullfilling their dreams through their kids, as for the young lad that was just a farce. They actually say everyone wants there 15 minutes of fame, which is highlighted on shows like Big Brother, where these no marks actually think we give a damn about their stupid childish existance:(

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

tonights episode TM? there's only ever been ONE programme about these people, i'm sick of the site of it now, the same programme must have been on at least 15 times in the last 3 weeks, its pathetic that they feel the need to keep repeating the same crap over and over again

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

I have no idea how often it's been on. Like jaysay I stumbled across it by accident, but found it interesting, if rather sad.

Last year I had two 16 year old girls tell me that their ambition was to be famous. When I asked them how they would achieve that, they had no idea.

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

it reminds me of a programme i watched the other week called painted babies

it was awful !!

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

I think it shows just what a sad world we live in when all these kid want to do is be famous:(

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

What happened to doing well at school maybe going to college and uni and getting good grades or working hard,paying your way and having a successful career?
Wanting to be famous is a pipe dream for many people who are seriously going to regret not getting a good education etc... in years to come.
Reality t.v has a lot to answer for imo.
Fair enough if you have a natural talent for something and you work hard but try and follow your dream at the same time but when your ambition is to go on big brother to get famous then you are seriously deluded!

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

well said.....

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

To be fair, students get so much criticism in this area that it is no wonder why people just go straight into rubbish jobs for the rest of their lives instead. I can't even count on both of my hands the amount of times someone has criticised me on here for being a student, and it isn't just me either but also Andrewb and even Shakermaker at times. It seems that the moment you show passion for learning on this forum you are mocked and told to enter 'the real world', and clearly the opposite of our world is in fact clinging on to dreams of being on reality tv shows or winning the lottery.

The individuals aren't to blame, it is the attitudes of society that create these people, and the only reason people like andrew and I do go to university and care about the subjects we study is because we're basically sticking to fingers up to society.

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

Wrong...again.

People face criticism on this forum for saying foolish things, regardless of who they are.

I suspect lots of people on here are actually graduates, not undergraduates, who have yet to gain their degree.

Still more people were probably never in an ivory tower, from which they could pontificate their meaningless diatribes.;)

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

oh well , we have had a quiet week or so , looks like she's back :eek: :eek:

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

Thats exactly what crossed my mind SJ:(

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

yep, its worse than a case of crabs/lice , then you can get a bottle of 'Rid' from the chemists or take a Gillette to shut of them ...in the case of "B'" there is no cure , just more irritation ;) ;)

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

iiyahh, i actually saw sasha in burnley in fusion (under 18s) and it might off just been me, but she looked quite shy :/ i wasnt sure if it was her at first, but then i ended up standing next to her, and had a closer look and it was actually her. i was going to say something but i ended up not doing, dont know why haha <3

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

A strange place, Burnley.

Re: Sasha:Beauty Queen at 11
 

Better not comment really;)