Face of the future

Thylane Blondeau - 'the most beautiful girl in the world' - is becoming an influential person of her generation. Bethan Holt reports in London.

It would be reasonable to expect that the pinnacle of your career might come at some point in midlife. Spare a thought, then, for Thylane Blondeau, who was labeled "the most beautiful girl in the world" at the age of just 6.

While most little girls her age were playing with their dolls, the world was mesmerized by Blondeau's gorgeous blue eyes, plump lips and caramel blonde hair. And when she appeared on the cover of a Vogue Paris supplement, at 10 years old, she attracted global attention.

Now, six years on, little Thylane is all grown-up. Well, she's 16 and recently took her place on the front row at Michael Kors' New York fashion week show, alongside A-listers.

Already a catwalk veteran, she offered up her best pout for the photographers, subscribing to the Victoria Beckham "fashion stole my smile" school-of-thought, whereby you decline to appear happy, because it looks "daft".

Anyway, given that Blondeau is a nonchalant French teen with 1.5 million Instagram followers, we can assume that the seeming lack of enthusiasm is an exercise in personal branding.

Not content to rest on her laurels, Blondeau is busy carving out a name for herself - not only as a model, but as an "influencer". On her 16th birthday in April, cosmetics company L'Oreal announced her as their youngest global spokesperson, calling her an "icon-inthe-making".

Blondeau has tapped into her early fame to develop a profile which is about much more than being a great beauty.

Blondeau is the daughter of French soccer player Patrick Blondeau and his former wife Veronika Loubry, a TV presenter.

Loubry was sanguine in the wake of that 2011 photo shoot in Vogue Paris that saw her little girl, and two fellow models of a similar age, sprawled across leopard pelts, wearing glittering mini dresses and dripping in jewels - red lipstick and manicures included.

A few months later, Loubry closed the Facebook page that had been set up for her daughter, apparently in reaction to the unwanted attention. She explained that "something's going wrong at the moment with Thylane", adding that she wanted to "protect" her daughter, who "doesn't know about the buzz".

It doesn't seem to have done her any long-term damage, however. Indeed, it won't have escaped the notice of eagle-eyed fashion followers that, earlier this summer, Blondeau became the face of Lolita Lempicka perfume. An ironic choice, perhaps, for a young model once embroiled in a row about the sexualization of children.

So why was Blondeau deemed so beautiful, so young?

Cosmetic doctor Michael Prager says that "it all boils down to proportions. I think what is most striking about the images of Blondeau when she was young is that she doesn't look like a 'normal' 6-year-old. She adheres much more to adult beauty proportions, with her strong chin and downturned mouth. It is confusing to the adult brain when you see these features on a young child."

"She was no Barbie, her face had interesting quirks that add intrigue. Her large blue eyes were quite widely spaced and she had a natural 'sulky' pout," agrees Dr Tatiana Lapa, who specializes in facial aesthetics. "At the age of 16, Thylane's face is very close to the 'ideal' Golden Ratio, a mathematical calculation of beauty. And she has a feminine heart-shaped face that will continue to mature, as the facial structure doesn't fully stabilize until you are in your 20s. Thylane still has some time to grow."

So "the most beautiful girl in the world" could yet become the most beautiful woman in the world. Prepare to see plenty more of her.

Daily Telegraph