The employment of a 13-year old model in Australia is generating intense debate not only within fashion circles but in the political world.
The organizers of the Gold Coast Fashion Week, an Australian fashion event chose Maddison Gabriel, who turned 13 on Sunday as the face of the show.
But the decision has generated a critical reaction from Australian Prime Minister John Howard.
"Catapulting girls as young as 12 into something like that is quite outrageous and I am totally opposed to it and think most Australians would feel the same way," Howard told ABC Radio.
The organizers of the event have also been criticized by Australian opposition leader Federal Labor leader Kevin Rudd.
Michelle Gabriel, the mother of Maddison, has been criticized for allowing her daughter to model at a young age. Gabriel has contended that if her daughter is old enough to wear the clothes then she is old enough to model them. Michelle Gabriel also demanded an apology from the Australian prime minister.
Despite the criticism, Maddison Gabriel modelled a gown at the Gold Coast Fashion Week event earlier this week.
The use of the 13-year-old has also provoked reaction from members of the fashion world. Former supermodel Janice Dickenson told the Today show in the United States earlier this week that the girl is too young to model.
Canadian fashion expert Jeanne Beker does not feel that there is anything inherently wrong with posing for cameras and walking down runways, but she said that the lifestyle of the models in the industry is "very, very worrisome."
"If they're thinking of thrusting (Gabriel) into the international spotlight and a real working career for any length of time it's pretty absurd," Beker said.
Beker said that very young girls can be preyed on because of their naivete and that they are at risk of falling prey to drugs and alcohol.
But Beker did say she understood why Gabriel was chosen for the event.
"This young face is just emblematic of a newness, a freshness -- that's something the fashion world is addicted to," Beker said. "We always want to know what's new, what's next (and) what's coming in the future."
The controversy over Gabriel comes after London Fashion Week's recent announcement that models under the age of 16 will not be appearing on the runway at the event.
