Is signing your baby up to a modelling agency ethical?

[MinnieMouse32]

Hi everyone

Is signing your baby up to a modelling agency ethical or not?

I guess it depends on your reasoning. I considered it for a bit as I thought the money made could be invested for DC future and they'd thank me later. But then I was also a bit worried about the amount of sickos out there

My view: Depends on what you do with any earnings. Using them for family expenses or saving it in their name for later no problems. Pocketing the money for you or someone else less so.

It depends on the parents ethics in the first place! It is incompatible with mine, but so is putting pictures on SM without their consent.

Depends on your own views. I personally wouldn't as the child has no say. But I also strongly disagree with social media pics of babies.

Unethical and awful. Don't do it.

I'd be wary of scams too.

I was a baby model, I was in TV and magazines! No internet in the 80s! I think my mum did it for a bit of extra money. I never felt negatively about it. Now I have my own daughter who gets lots of compliments about her looks it did cross my mind. However I do feel it is exploiting her. What’s in it for her? My mum described very long days when we were in London at a shoot! I don’t think I’d want to put my baby through that however “good” she is.

Our oldest child was in Argos catalogues when she was a baby/toddler. Mainly because it all took place near where we lived and the money came in handy. We didn't save much because we couldn't but it did make our lives, including hers, much nicer and easier. It was never seen as a big deal or the start of something and as soon as she went to nursery we stopped it.

I think it depends on a few things.

Only using reputable photographer
If you save the money for the child
If the child enjoys it
If it doesn't have a negative on anyone else in the family, like siblings being dragged around to shoots
If it doesn't takes away too much time away from the child being a child and it not taking up lots of its weekend and free time
It can opt out at any time.

On the whole I don't think it's a really bad thing, but we opted out when asked.

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