California mom Kerry Campbell has been giving her 8-year-old daughter, Britney, Botox injections in her cheeks to reduce the wrinkles that Britney believes are there.
The child most likely picked up her severe body image issues from a childhood of competing in beauty pageants in which, her mother reports, Botox injections are commonplace.
Botox injections and leg waxing on an 8-year-old girl, all in the name of beauty pageant success, all done by her own mom.
It sounds too unreal to be true, like a storyline straight out of "When Stage Moms Go Bad."
It's not.
It's real life for an 8-year-old California girl.
LIKE other eight-year-old girls, Britney Campbell loves dancing to Lady GaGa,
is fond of fashion and enjoys putting on make-up.
But Britney's beauty regime goes way beyond playing with Mummy's lippy.
Once every three months, Britney climbs on a beautician's table and watches as
mom Kerry prepares needles of Botox and fillers to be injected into her
face.
Beautician Kerry, 34, from Birmingham, buys the substances online and injects
them into her daughter's forehead, lips and around her eyes.
The beauty-pageant obsessed single mum also takes her to have her body waxed,
in a bizarre bid to stop her growing hair when she eventually hits puberty.
She says: "What I am doing for Britney now will help her become a star.
"I know one day she will be a model, actress or singer, and having these
treatments now will ensure she stays looking younger and baby-faced for
longer.
"I'm sure people reading this will think I am being irresponsible, but I
ensure that I test the Botox and fillers I buy online on myself first.
"All I want is for Britney to have the best start in life, so it is easier for
her to become a superstar.
"More mothers should do it for their daughters."
Kerry told "Good Morning America's" Lara Spencer that it was actually her daughter, Britney, who wanted to try Botox, a beauty treatment more normally requested by aging women than growing girls.
"We were getting into the pageants," Kerry recalled. "I knew she was complaining about her face, having wrinkles, and things like that. When I brought it up to Britney she was all for it."
Kerry is proud Britney is one of the youngest children in the world to have
Botox injections and fillers for beauty purposes.
Despite doctors and plastic surgeons recommending Botox only be used by
adults, Kerry claims Britney is in no danger.
Kerry, who also regularly administers Botox and fillers on herself, says: "I'm
proud Britney is getting to have these beauty treatments at such a young
age.
"I wish that I'd had the same advantages when I was younger.
"She is a lucky little girl and is going to be famous because of the benefits
I am giving her so early."
Campbell has also reported waxing Britney's legs, which "was um super super hard," Britney told Good Morning America. When asked why she wanted to have the hair on her legs waxed, she replied that she "just [doesn't] think it's ladylike to have hair on your legs."
"It looks way better," Britney said, after asked how her face looks after Botox injections.
What's even more disturbing is the eight-year-old now asks to be given Botox shots, claiming she can see wrinkles: "I check every night for wrinkles, when I see some I want more injections."
Britney says: "My friends think it's cool I have all the treatments and they
want to be like me."
"They used to hurt, but now I don't cry that much."
"I also want a boob and nose job soon, so that I can be a star."
Britney's mother first gave her the first Botox shot about a year ago, as a present on her 8th birthday. Since then she has been buying the stuff online and has given her three more shots using a kit of needles she put together from the local chemist and from a diabetic friend. "It's all safe" she says, "I know the correct amount to give her, as I am a trained beautician." Kerry makes her daughter frown before giving her the injection, so she can better identify signs of wrinkles and treat them before they have a chance to develop.
The single mother claims "everyone is doing it and talking about it", referring to other parents who prepare their daughters for American beauty pageants. ""We are not doing anything illegal, and I don't want my daughter being the only one who doesn't have a bit of extra help." She is actually right when she claims her actions aren't illegal, as there is no American law preventing children from receiving such treatments, as the industry is self-regulated.
I'm sure the story so far seems pretty shocking, but Keri doesn't stop at Botox injections and leg waxing when it comes to her daughter's future. She also has her arms and private parts waxed, to get rid of the fluff and make sure she won't grow pubic hair when she grows up. Apparently, this "will save her a fortune in waxing when she's older". Britney approves of her mother's treatment saying "I feel like a supermodel and if I do ballet or go swimming I don't have to worry about hairy legs. Although the pain makes me cry, I feel like a cool grown-up when it's all over."
But even the toughness of the pageant world can't persuade Britney to continue waxing.
Asked if she would do it again, the normally talkative 8-year-old was ready with a one-word answer: "no."
And Britney's mom, Kerry, is similarly defiant when it comes to defending herself against critics who question what she is doing as a mother to her own daughter.
"I'm a great mother. I've taken care of her by myself my whole life," she said. "And nobody can really tell me what I'm doing is wrong. Because it's me. I live in my shoes. And she lives in hers."
"She's a happy kid," she added. "And that's the bottom line."