A former child model – dubbed the ‘most beautiful in the world’ when she was six – is all grown up.
Now at 24, Thylane Blondeau appears quite distinct from the blue-eyed, fair-haired child who dazzled the fashion scene over twenty years ago. Blondeau has swapped her unruly golden hair for rich, brown locks.
Photos posted on her Instagram account show how her look has evolved over the years, with her darker hair among the most noticeable differences.
At the tender age of three, she was thrust into the limelight when an agent for renowned fashion designer Jean Paul Gaultier spotted her among a crowd on The Champs-Elysees, leading her to make her runway debut.
Her photo shoot for Vogue Enfants mesmerized audiences and earned her the title of the ‘most beautiful girl in the world,’ launching a modeling career that was both dreamlike and at times, sparked controversy.
Today, Thylane has worked for some of the biggest couture brands in the world including Miu Miu, Dolce & Gabbana, L’Oréal Paris, Versace, Ralph Lauren and Hugo Boss.
Paris-based Blondeau has, since, fronted prestigious ad campaigns while also juggling her role as a fashion and beauty entrepreneur – with a social circle comprising nepo babies and supermodels.
Blondeau, who is the daughter of French footballer Patrick Blondeau and TV presenter Veronika Loubry, appeared to reflect on her journey on the occasion of her 19th birthday in 2020.
Sharing the snap that first earned her global fame on Instagram, she captioned her post: ‘Turning 19 tomorrow’.
In a 2018 interview with The Telegraph, however, she said she distanced herself from the girl who was once declared the world’s ‘most beautiful’.
‘Even today, people are like, “you are the most beautiful girl,” and I’m like, “no, I’m still not, I’m just a human being, a teenager.”
Blondeau, who boasts 6.9 million followers on Instagram, was a toddler when an agent for Gaultier insisted she model for the designer the following day.
‘My mum said, “No, she’s not with an agency, she can’t do this”,’ Blondeau told The Telegraph in 2018. ‘Jean Paul Gaultier said, “She has to be there tomorrow.” So Mum was like, ‘Why not?’
The opportunity meant the world of fashion rolled out the red carpet for Blondeau, who appeared in French Vogue as part of a controversial 2010 fashion spread titled ‘Quel Maquillage à Quel Âge?’ or, in English, ‘What Makeup at What Age?’
Blondeau, then only 10, was dressed in a low-cut gold dress and heels, shooting the camera a sultry gaze – as the images sparked backlash for ‘sexualising’ the pre-teen/
Her mother Veronika defended the cover at the time.
She told a French newspaper: ‘The only thing that shocks me about the photo is the necklace that she’s wearing, which is worth 3 million Euros,’ or about $4.3 million.’
Six years later, she made her adult runway debut in February 2017, when she walked for Dolce & Gabbana at Milan Fashion Week. The debut was such a success the designer duo invited her back to walk for them again in September 2017.
Blondeau was also chosen as a brand ambassador for L’Oréal, and named the face of a perfume by French designer Lolita Lempicka.
She shared screen space with Zendaya, Lucky Blue Smith, and Presley Gerber, when Blondeau was chosen to be a part of Dolce & Gabbana’s Spring 2017 campaign.
Since she earned worldwide fame as the world’s most beautiful girl, Blondea has mingled with the creme de la creme of the industry, including Jourdan Dunn and Gigi Hadidi, as well as famous nepo babies like Brooklyn Beckham, who used to live next door to her in the exclusive London neighborhood of Kensington.
Today, she juggles her career as a model and social media influencer with her role as an entrepreneur.
Her most recent venture is a beauty and haircare brand, Enalyht, which has as its tagline: ‘Born from need. Made with care’.
On her Instagram, Thylane posts sultry selfies and behind-the-scenes snaps of her jet-setting lifestyle, showing off her darker hair but still with the same pout and piercing blue eyes.
She models her wardrobe and gives fans glimpses of her dog as well as her red-carpet looks and luxury holidays.
And with all the star power behind her, she’s challenging industry expectations and previously revealed she would not be adhering to size 0 beauty standards.
She told The Telegraph: ‘I don’t want to be skinny. Even if people are like, ‘she’s not that skinny, she can’t do this show,’ I’m just like, ‘ok fine, I’m not going to do that show.’
‘I’m not going to be skinny and not eat for them. If I want to eat, I can eat. I eat burgers. I’m not going to change this ever.’
She added she enjoys tucking in to a burger and thinks its important that people see her personality rather than just her good looks.
