The GOOPster, who recently confessed to smoking a single American Spirit cigarette each week and shooting up Botox at some point in her life, is selling a collection of child-size bikinis on her website. Designed by Melissa Odabash, whose suits have been dubbed the "Ferraris of swimwear" by Vogue, according to the Daily Mail, the ruffled tops and bottoms are available on GOOP.com for 4- to 8-year-olds and cost $45. Never mind the un-Paltrow-esque price point: Claude Knights, director of London-based charity Kidscape, accused the actress of sexualizing children, and added, "The dangers have been discussed at length, so it is a great pity that such trends continue and that they carry celebrity endorsement."
Knights has an ally in columnist Matilda Reid. Writing for the Telegraph, Reid remarks, "I would never allow my [four-year-old] daughter to wear a bikini at her young, delicate age." She claims bikinis are "designed to show off adult curves, and attract male interest." But Reid seems most peeved about the idea that the Paltrow-endorsed swimsuit was created for daughters who want to match their moms: "This is projecting entirely the wrong message — children are not mini versions of their mother, nor should they aspire to be." That's the sound of my mama's heart breaking.
Reid also mentions the child model's "adult-like" poses on the website: standing on a beach; peering over a deck; and sitting on the floor with a magazine, hair unkempt, tummy rolls at ease. I'll give Reid that one. It's my Sunday mien.
Anyway, a spokesperson for Paltrow said the criticism was "absurd ... two-piece bathing suits have been worn by young girls for decades."
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