Couple weeks ago I wrote in relation to Chloe Moretz that she’s always in a hurry. That she can’t wait. It’s a teenage compulsion, right? You’re never old enough to do and be x,y,z. Being young and rushing will never go away. To me it’s how the people around them manage their impatience and desires that can make the difference.  

You know how Cindy Crawford is managing her daughter’s desires?

Kaia Gerber, 10, is now the face of Versace Kids. (And WHY DO KIDS HAVE TO WEAR VERSACE???) The child, no doubt, is beautiful. She won’t be any less beautiful in 6 or 7 years. But, you know, it has to be NOW. It always has to be now. It can’t be later, when Kaia has had the opportunity to discover other experiences, outside her family’s immediate experience. It amazes me how often being a good parent these days is demonstrated through Wish Fulfillment.

An 8 year old wants to be an actor. Because this has been what she has ALWAYS wanted. How much weight does the wanting of an 8 year old carry? How do you tell the difference between an 8 year old’s wanting of macaroni and cheese for dinner and her wanting of super-fame and stardom?

Duana wrote a great piece last year about denying children their dreams - click here to read. The flipside of that, of course, is that awesome sketch from Saturday Night Live last week that I wrote about in the Daniel Radcliffe article from the other day - You Can Do Anything! They called it the YouTube generation, a generation that has never known failure, and therefore, I will argue, will never know the meaning of hustle.

Here’s what Cindy had to say about Kaia’s new job. I’ve bolded my favourite part:

“I'm so thrilled that Kaia was chosen to be part of the first Young Versace Campaign. I have so many fond memories of the times I spent with Gianni and Donatella. There is something so very special about the House of Versace. I am so proud of her.”

PROUD OF WHAT?

Of being born with her genes???

Well that’s the ultimate self compliment, isn’t it?

There’s a 10 year old walking around now being told every day that she is beautiful and important. And somehow, one day, she’ll have to try and justify it.  What happens when she spends her life searching for that answer and comes up with...nothing?

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