"How Young Is Too Young To Be A Professional?"

Looking back on one’s own youth, if professional work had been involved at as young as nine or ten years old, things would have been way different.

And the fact of the matter is, when she’s out of the outfit that got Thylane onto the media’s radar, she’s still obviously a young girl (and other pictures in her portfolio which aren’t nearly as suggestive can prove this). Though all we see is her physical appearance, what the pictures don’t tell is how grown up she has become in her mind. If her biggest concern at that age is the next move she’ll be making in her career, that’s where the problem starts.

The clothes can be changed, the makeup can come off, and the resulting opportunity to bring attention to the issue of oversexed kids will be talked about until the next big news story comes along. But unlike an outfit switch, a mind state doesn’t just go away. The stresses of working a legitimate job are no playful or youthful matter, and when you’re the face of the latest issue vilifying the fashion scene, that stress can’t be easy to bear. At any age.

-Amanda Bassa