Thrust into the spotlight at a mere three-years-old, the red carpet of modelling was rolled out in her childhood – but Thylane Blondeau has struggled with the high-pressured fashion world
Thylane Blondeau was scouted when she was three-years-old(Image: Instagram/ @thylaneblondeau)
At just six years old she was branded the “most beautiful girl in the world” – but behind the glistening career as a high-flying model lies a heartbreaking reality.
Now 24, Thylane Blondeau has opened up about the tough expectations placed on her shoulders after being thrust into the global spotlight as a child. While other kids were playing in the park, Thylane was modelling for Jean Paul Gaultier and says she was robbed of a normal upbringing.
From the backlash over a controversial Vogue cover that saw her sexualised at just 10 years old, to her brave refusal to conform to “skinny” industry standards, the French model is finally reclaiming her life.
READ MORE: Timothée Chalamet’s ex says actor blindsided her with Kylie Jenner romance
Before turning 16, Thylane had modelled for Vogue Paris, walked the red carpet at Cannes Film Festival and landed a prestigious role of a brand ambassador for L’Oréal Paris. But now the model has revealed how the dizzying accolades mean very little to her, as she struggles to make people remember she a “human being”.
Admitting she had no idea of the pressures that would come with her career, Thylane says she has tried to not let it define her as she got older.
She told The Telegraph: “When you’re small, you don’t really pay attention. ‘People are like, ‘You know, you’re the most beautiful girl in the world’, and you’re like, ‘I’m not, I’m just playing with my iPad’. Even today, people are like, ‘You are the most beautiful girl’, and I’m like, ‘No, I’m still not, I’m just a human being, a teenager’.
Thylane – who announced her engagement to French DJ Ben Attal last week – has previously spoken about her desire to refusal to conform to the industry’s physical standards.
She said: “I don’t want to be skinny. Even if people are like, ‘She’s not that skinny, she can’t do this show’, I’m just like, ‘Ok fine, I’m not going to do that show’. I’m not going to be skinny and not eat for them. If I want to eat, I can eat. I eat burgers. I’m not going to change this ever.”
The French model is the daughter of TV presenter Véronika Loubry and retired footballer Patrick Blondeau, and growing up moved to Kensington High Street, living next to her ‘good friend’ Brooklyn Beckham while she also had a place in St Tropez. However she has now moved back to France, living with her fiancé.
On whether she could see herself continuing as a model, she said: “I just want to be happy and do what I like. If I still want to be a model, I [will] model, and [do] acting. But I want to be happy first.”
Since she started modelling, she has amassed a staggering 7 million followers on Instagram and has worked for some of the biggest couture brands in the world including Miu Miu, Dolce & Gabbana, L’Oréal Paris, Versace, Ralph Lauren and Hugo Boss. Outside of work, her social circle is filled with nepo babies and supermodels, including Jourdan Dunn and Gigi Hadid.
Her first modelling job offer came when she was just three-years-old, and an agent for Gaultier said she “must” model for the label the next day. While her mum initially declined as she didn’t have an agent, she eventually gave in – and this was the start of her glistening career.
Aged 10, the model, who had already started making a name for herself, appeared in French Vogue as part of a controversial 2010 fashion spread titled ‘Quel Maquillage à Quel Âge?’ or, in English, ‘What Makeup at What Age?’
She was dressed in a gold dress and heels, but it sparked backlash for ‘sexualising’ the pre-teen. Her mother Veronika defended the cover at the time, saying the only thing that was shocking was her wearing a 3 million euro necklace.
She told a French newspaper: “The only thing that shocks me about the photo is the necklace that she’s wearing, which is worth 3 million Euros (about $4.3 million).”
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
