FROM THE FRONT | Kaia Gerber (Cindy Crawford's kid) starts modeling...

image cred

Kaia Gerber is 10.

She looks older.

She reminds me of Brooks Shields in those Calvin Klein ads in the '80s (Google it if you're so young you think the '80s are just a fashion trend from 2009) in terms of how sophisticated her beauty is for someone who only a decade ago was in her mom's belly! Whoa...

Which leads me to sort of thinking that 10 is still very young to start modeling.

Most models you meet will reflect on their early days of modelling as a young teenager and regale with horror stories of lecherous photographers, degrading casting calls, starving, lecherous men at clubs, lecherous men, well, everywhere, etc.

But something in me thinks that Cindy surely won't just let her daughter go into it with blinders on. That would be reckless and I'd bet that Cindy's not a 'roll the dice with my daughter's sanity and well-being' kinda lady. Not even for a few bucks from Versace... you know, because she's hurting so bad for the cash, right?

Kaia is wearing flats and sensible (ish) clothing. And she is the daughter of the first real supermodel (Slurring something into a camera lens enough times doesn't make it true, Janice Dickinson)... and a smokin' hot man so she can't really help that, even at 10, she's quite beautiful.

And, let's be honest, the poor lamb's been photographed her whole life by the smarmy paparazzi. 

And don't you think the above shot is better than dressing up your underage spawn as jailbait:

Noah Cyrus, younger sibbling of Miley Cyrusimage cred

Jesus... costume or not, I'd vomit a little in my mouth if I saw a grown woman wearing this out on Slutoween, let alone a child. CHILD.

There seems to be a bit of discontent on the interwebs about the Kaia thing. I don't think I see any huge problem of judgement on Cindy's behalf, considering where and who her daughter comes from (supermodel+hot dude in SoCal already in the spot light thanks to the telephoto lens) and, realistically, what trajectory her professional life was going to take.

Probably wasn't going to be a barista after a 6-year stint at ASU, was she?

What do you think?

FROM THE FRONT | Maybelline NYC365

WHADDYA THINK of Maybelline's new street style micro-site? Pretty bold move for a corporate beauty brand, in my book. I think I'm a fan.

Check out Maybelline NYC365 yourself.

EXPERT SECRETS | How to take a smokin' picture

via freshness mag

WE LIVE in an era where it’s no longer possible to squirrel away bad photos of yourself. Instead they’re uploaded and tagged across online social platforms for all the world to see.

Forever.

Models and actresses know how to give good photo, but us laypeople are prone to looking smug, drunk, slow or pudgier than we are in real life. Or a horrifying melange of all such things.

Here are our tips on how to take good photos, purloined from years of talking to and reading about photographers, models and magazine editors:

1. Learn Italian: Mainly learn the word Contrapposto, defined on Wikipedia as a stance with “most of the weight on one foot so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs”. Do it and look instantly slimmer.

2. Armed and dangerous: Press arms against against the body and they appear twice as large. Shoulders back and away from your ears, and create a sliver (or more) of air between your body and arms. The hand on hip is also seriously slimming to the arms.

3. Chinny chin chin: Tilt the chin slightly downwards (half an inch) but don’t retract it like a turtle into the neck. Tilt down and pull it forward and away from the body to avoid the double chin and make your face look slimmer.

READ THE FULL LIST OF TIPS on how to LOOK GOOD IN A PICTURE here.