A mother has defended coating her 10-year-old twins in make-up and fake tan, insisting the beauty pageants they compete in are harmless fun.
In the past, Roxanne Moss, 29, has faced criticism for the outfits her daughters Stella and Starr take to the stage in, which include cheerleader and showgirl costumes.
One look in particular – a take on Madonna's iconic cone-breasted outfit – earned her disapproval from pageant judges.
But, the carer, from Southampton, Hampshire, refuses to listen, saying her girls love competing in pageants, as it boosts their confidence.
'Once, I put Starr in a Madonna costume. People told me it was inappropriate, but you've got to be original to wow the judges,' she said. 'Everything's been done, so you've got to either find something new, or go bigger and better than before.
'Pageants have a bad reputation, but they're about way more than looks. I've got a brother with Down's syndrome who does them, and they've really brought him out of his shell.
'Pageants haven't done Stella and Starr any damage. I think I've got two lovely little girls.'
Roxanne first discovered pageants back in 2013, the trio caught an episode of Toddlers & Tiaras, a TV show following the lives of pint-sized American beauty queens.
Enthralled by what they'd seen, Stella and Starr asked how they, too, could compete.
To find out more about the glitzy world of beauty competitions, before agreeing to let the girls take part, Roxanne and her sister Anita, 31, jetted to Philadelphia to watch a pageant there.
'Some of the contestants were no older than two, but I couldn't get over how confident they were,' she recalled.
'By the time the show ended, I was hooked.'
Back home, Stella and Starr went to Essex to take part in their first ever pageant, with the support of Roxanne's family and friends.
Though they didn't take home the coveted crown, they loved every minute and since then, they've competed all over the world, even venturing to Paris and New York.
At one time, they were doing a different pageant every week – though they've slowed down more these days.
The twins follow an extensive beauty regime, and will take around three hours to get ready for each competition – not including the time taken to apply fake tan, which they do the night before.
Roxanne coats them with a full-face of make-up, including false lashes and insists their hair has to be perfect, otherwise she starts all over again.
'The girls absolutely love make-up. They know a lot about it, and the process of applying it,' she said.
'Getting them ready can take hours, but I figure if you're going to do something, you have to do it properly.'
Over the years, Roxanne has lost count of how much she's spent on bespoke dresses for her girls, which she orders from the United States, but estimates they have cost her thousands of pounds.
Their glitzy costumes include flower and bunny outfits, as well as nods to pop princesses like Lady Gaga and Britney Spears.
As the girls are the same age, they often compete directly against each other, taking their sibling rivalry to a new level.
'Sometimes I think they're more bothered about beating each other than the rest of the competition,' laughed Roxanne.
'In a way, it spurs them on as they both want to place higher than the other.
'Deep down, though, I know they're happy they can do this together.'
While Roxanne gets frustrated when her girls are not placed, despite hours of preparing for a pageant, she thinks it's more important for them to feel happy and confident, than for them to win.
She continued: 'Of course it's frustrating when the thousands we've spent on costumes and makeup aren't enough, or when they get up there and forget their routines.
'But Stella and Starr are happiest when they're on stage. So as long as they want to keep competing, I'll be there cheering them on because they'll always be winners to me.'
In the past, Roxanne Moss, 29, has faced criticism for the outfits her daughters Stella and Starr take to the stage in, which include cheerleader and showgirl costumes.
One look in particular – a take on Madonna's iconic cone-breasted outfit – earned her disapproval from pageant judges.
But, the carer, from Southampton, Hampshire, refuses to listen, saying her girls love competing in pageants, as it boosts their confidence.
'Once, I put Starr in a Madonna costume. People told me it was inappropriate, but you've got to be original to wow the judges,' she said. 'Everything's been done, so you've got to either find something new, or go bigger and better than before.
'Pageants have a bad reputation, but they're about way more than looks. I've got a brother with Down's syndrome who does them, and they've really brought him out of his shell.
'Pageants haven't done Stella and Starr any damage. I think I've got two lovely little girls.'
Roxanne first discovered pageants back in 2013, the trio caught an episode of Toddlers & Tiaras, a TV show following the lives of pint-sized American beauty queens.
Enthralled by what they'd seen, Stella and Starr asked how they, too, could compete.
To find out more about the glitzy world of beauty competitions, before agreeing to let the girls take part, Roxanne and her sister Anita, 31, jetted to Philadelphia to watch a pageant there.
'Some of the contestants were no older than two, but I couldn't get over how confident they were,' she recalled.
'By the time the show ended, I was hooked.'
Back home, Stella and Starr went to Essex to take part in their first ever pageant, with the support of Roxanne's family and friends.
Though they didn't take home the coveted crown, they loved every minute and since then, they've competed all over the world, even venturing to Paris and New York.
At one time, they were doing a different pageant every week – though they've slowed down more these days.
The twins follow an extensive beauty regime, and will take around three hours to get ready for each competition – not including the time taken to apply fake tan, which they do the night before.
Roxanne coats them with a full-face of make-up, including false lashes and insists their hair has to be perfect, otherwise she starts all over again.
'The girls absolutely love make-up. They know a lot about it, and the process of applying it,' she said.
'Getting them ready can take hours, but I figure if you're going to do something, you have to do it properly.'
Over the years, Roxanne has lost count of how much she's spent on bespoke dresses for her girls, which she orders from the United States, but estimates they have cost her thousands of pounds.
Their glitzy costumes include flower and bunny outfits, as well as nods to pop princesses like Lady Gaga and Britney Spears.
As the girls are the same age, they often compete directly against each other, taking their sibling rivalry to a new level.
'Sometimes I think they're more bothered about beating each other than the rest of the competition,' laughed Roxanne.
'In a way, it spurs them on as they both want to place higher than the other.
'Deep down, though, I know they're happy they can do this together.'
While Roxanne gets frustrated when her girls are not placed, despite hours of preparing for a pageant, she thinks it's more important for them to feel happy and confident, than for them to win.
She continued: 'Of course it's frustrating when the thousands we've spent on costumes and makeup aren't enough, or when they get up there and forget their routines.
'But Stella and Starr are happiest when they're on stage. So as long as they want to keep competing, I'll be there cheering them on because they'll always be winners to me.'
Music: "Inspired" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Source: Daily Mail , Mirror
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