This Japanese race queen is really an elementary school student

The 13-year-old schoolgirl has fired up debate about young girls in the modelling industry.

Whether it’s a “once-in-a-millenium beauty” or a hot 43-year-old mom, Japanese netizens are adept at identifying beautiful women who eventually take the Internet by storm.

However, their gaze has now landed upon a more controversial model – a 13-year-old girl who modeled as a race queen in a superbike race called the 48th MFJ Grand Prix.

At the time when the photo was taken, 12-year-old Momoka Kurita was an elementary school student taking ballet, dance, singing, piano, guitar, gymnastics and modeling classes. While many might argue that Kurita should be spending more time at school rather than in the adult world of modeling, Kurita says she enjoys what she’s doing, and her mother is supportive of whatever she does.

本日のレッスンはアクロバット&シアターダンス‼️昨日のお仕事では、生形選手の奥様のあさみ先生にヘアメイクしてもらったよ💖ショートボブなのにアップできちゃうなんてホントあさみ先生スゴイ😍たくさんの人にかわいいって言ってもらえて写真も… http://twitter.com/i/web/status/7…

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栗田桃花 (@kurimomo330) November 07, 2016

Still, her appearance as a race queen at such a tender age sparked controversy online, with people leaving comments like:

“What’s so interesting about dressing up a child as an adult? Stop it already.”
“The parents are foolish. You shouldn’t dress up your children like dolls.”
“She’s cute, but dressing up an elementary student as a race queen is just wrong.”
“This is scary.”
“Don’t you dare steal her childhood.”

Despite the controversy, Kurita is still keen to pursue a career as a model, with the now 13-year-old middle school student juggling her academic duties while modeling for various brands. She is currently auditioning for the renowned Tokyo Girls Audition (TGA), which is a massive project held every year aimed at discovering the next top models and artists in Japan.

While chasing your dreams is good and all, one can’t help but wonder about the pressures of modern-day society and their effects on our next generation. Let your little ones frolic in playgrounds, let them have fun. After all, everyone has only one childhood. Let children be children.

Sources: Twitter/@kurimomo330, Instagram/kurimomo330, Ameba/kurimomo330 via Michaelsan
Featured image: Instagram/kurimomo330

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