Charlie Denton took to daytime television with her young daughter Nevaeh, who started developing breasts at just two-years-old.
The mother and daughter appeared on Good Morning Britain to raise awareness for precocious puberty, a rare condition that affects 1 in 5000 children.
Many viewers have taken to Twitter to point out that Nevaeh was clearly uncomfortable, curling into her mother’s arms and refusing to engage with the camera.
Nevaeh has been through a lot since her diagnosis, her mother explained. The understandably camera shy toddler has an injection every 12 weeks to suppress the hormones which trigger puberty. If she sticks to the treatment, doctors are confident Nevaeh will experience a normal puberty.
Denton added:
Just after her second birthday, she developed breast buds. At first, the doctor reassured us she was fine but then she developed second buds and so we took her back.
It was a huge shock.
The mother has been accused of parading her daughter’s suffering on TV for five minutes of fame.
@GMB poor girl being paraded on TV for rare embarrassing illness.
— Caz (@MadgeCiccone) September 15, 2016
@GMB poor girl being paraded on TV for rare embarrassing illness.
— Caz (@MadgeCiccone) September 15, 2016
@GMB Your daughter clearly doesn’t want to be on television. Why are you making her? Poor girl. pic.twitter.com/seoUfLPRhG
— Joe Audritt (@JoeAudritt) September 15, 2016
Others asked the perfectly valid question; why couldn’t the girl remain anonymous?
Surely you can interview the mum on the subject without parading the little girl in front of the camera who is clearly uncomfortable @GMB
— Taivi Toommagi (@TaiviT) September 15, 2016
Although Ms. Denton can’t be blamed for trying to raise awareness of this problem suffered by thousands of children in Britain, it was clearly an upsetting experience for her daughter.
A parent is ultimately responsible for their child. But perhaps this will force us to re-evaluate questionable television formats that throw a spotlight on vulnerable people.
A former emo kid who talks too much about 8Chan meme culture, the Kardashian Klan, and how her smartphone is probably killing her. Francesca is a Cardiff University Journalism Masters grad who has done words for BBC, ELLE, The Debrief, DAZED, an art magazine you’ve never heard of and a feminist zine which never went to print.