Is modeling a good job for kids?

The Wall Street Journal reports that more kids than ever are going after modeling careers. Citing a slow economy, the rise of models-turned-TV-personalities like Tyra Banks, and the influence of reality shows  like “Toddlers and Tiaras” and “Little Miss Perfect”, top agencies like Wilhelmina, Funnyface Today and Peak Models & Talent say they have seen the numbers of child applicants grow–in one case as much as 50%–in the past few years.

So what’s the problem?

Apparently, the record numbers are setting kids up for record rejections. And while kids can experience rejection in all sorts of ways–at the hands of friends, or being picked last for a team sport–rejection that is based solely on physical appearance has its unique problems.

One mother of a young girl who has yet to land a job (despite both of her older siblings making it into catalogs) says that her daughter is “a little sad,” adding, “We’ve explained to her the best way that we can that for different reasons they are looking for different looks.”

Syd Brown, clinical and neuropsychologist in Bethesda, MD, says, “Children at a really young age have no idea of what is conceptually involved in this. They don’t know that if your body changes in the wrong way, you may not be wanted anymore.”

Some parents, like Natacha Andrews, whose 4-year-old daughter  would like to be the next Tyra, acknowledges the inherent contradiction in “teaching her that how people look is not supposed to be the most important thing, and then saying, ‘Oh put on your pretty clothes and smile.’ “

Jill Ormond, a mother whose two youngest children model, disagrees. “It’s something that I think is fun, and it doesn’t hurt the child,” she says. “It’s a way that they can have a little money set aside, and if it’s not touched for 18 years, I think that’s a good chunk of change.”

What do you think? Is experiencing job rejection based on looks a good way for kids to develop coping mechanisms, or just another roadblock on the path toward loving themselves for who they are? Would you–or do you–let your kids model?