At just four years old, Thylane Blondeau walked for French couture designer Jean Paul Gaultier, and at age six she appeared in an iconic photo that earned her the title of the “most beautiful girl in the world”.

The model, who is now 20 and was again dubbed the “most beautiful girl in the world” at age 17, appears to have capitalised on her phenomenal genes, bagging countless lucrative high-end campaigns in recent years.

She has modelled for Chanel, Ralph Lauren and Lacoste, Dolce & Gabbana and became the face of L’Oreal Paris in 2017. More recently, Blondeau posed for the cover of prestigious Parisien magazine L’Officiel.

But, the successful model hasn’t just leaned on her looks for success. She’s also a successful entrepreneur who founded handmade clothing label No Smile in 2020.

Last year, Blondeau posted one of the iconic photos that shot her to fame as a little girl that shows her posing on her mum’s back.

“Happy birthday mom, my example I love you + that everything in the world I will always be there for you, thank you for teaching me everything I love you and I’m proud of you,” she captioned the pic in French.

In 2011, at age ten, Blondeau starred in a controversial photo shoot for Vogue Paris. While thousands of people were outraged at the heavy makeup the child wore in the shoot, her mother brushed off the criticism.

“I understand that this could seem shocking,” she said, according to Glamour UK. “I admit I myself was shocked during the photo shoot. But let me be precise: the only thing that shocked me is that the necklace she wore was worth three million euros!”

For more on this topic, follow the Internet Culture Observer.

Get unlimited access to the coverage that shapes our culture.
to Rolling Stone magazine
to Rolling Stone magazine