Barely five months since she started walking, the 19-month old Bobbi Boyden from Colchester, Essex nicknamed “Baby Beyonce” who loves to dance is already twerking and whining her hips to ‘Single Ladies’ at pageants clad in a black leotard and curled hairpiece.
The little diva’s 32-year old mother, Stephanie Boyden said her daughter is a “diva” who has the poise of a stage performer and goes as far as blowing kisses to her audience after a performance.
She said: ‘Bobbi’s like a little Beyonce, a little madam really.
‘She loves the attention of being up on stage and she screams to get up there. She’s definitely a diva. I have to hold her back.
‘We were looking for some music for the talent round of the competition and my friend suggested ‘Single Ladies’ because, like Beyonce, Bobbi loves to dance.
‘We put the music on and Bobbi started wiggling straight away. She watched the Beyoncé music video and just started to copy the moves.
‘Every time she heard the song she would start dancing, so it seemed an obvious choice for her.
‘She shakes her bum and she just thoroughly enjoys it, and that’s the best part for me – just seeing her happy.’
Although most people are skeptical on why the little girl was allowed to participate in the pageant at such a tender age, she already earned herself a couple of awards through it. She entered her first pageant in June, together with her older sisters, a 10-year old Eleanor, 10, and an 8-year old Demi.
But her success doesn’t come cheap and her mother has already spent £5,000 on elaborate dresses and entry fees, Daily Mail reports.
‘In total I’ve spent about £5,000 in three months on my three girls. One dress cost me $200 and she only wore it twice before she grew out if it – but I don’t intend to lower my spending.
‘You can’t put a price on the look on her face when she’s on stage in her costumes.
‘She does wear wigs and crowns and fancy dresses but I don’t give her spray tans or cake her in makeup – I’ll wait until she’s about five for that.
‘For now she wears a dab of lipstick and nail varnish.’
Despite the ill comments from people, both regarding her dresses and routine, her mum is determined not to give up.
She said: ‘I know some people think it’s inappropriate but all of the judges are checked out and given police checks and I wouldn’t put her in any danger.
‘The crowd are parents and family members – you can’t just wander in off the street.
‘There are people who say that pageants sexualise children but I couldn’t disagree more.
‘It’s exactly the same as a dance competition except the kids win crowns instead of medals at the end.
‘I would never put any of my children in danger.’
The toddler’s 28-year-old father, Anton, who works in the military disclosed he had reservations about the whole development initially but that he doesnt have any issues with that anylonger.
He said, ‘I thought the Beyonce routine was inappropriate when Steph first told me about it, but when I saw her on the stage doing it, it worked out quite well and everyone enjoyed it.
‘I wasn’t keen on her wearing wigs at first, as a dad, but it’s all part of the pageants.
‘You do have the odd person that thinks it’s sexualised but that’s wrong. The kids enjoy it and we enjoy watching them and if there was any harm in it then Bobbi wouldn’t be doing it.
‘She enjoys it and we don’t force her to do anything she doesn’t want to do.’
Moreover,a 45-year old Sarah Collins from Shoreham-By-The-Sea, West Sussex, who was the the anchor of the pageant and also an ex-beauty queen had signed the little girl to her agency, ‘Sara’s Stars,’ with strong convictions that she was highly talented.
She said, ‘I’ve been in the industry myself for over 25 years and I can honestly say that for a child that age to have that much enthusiasm, encouragement, support from her family, but a natural gift to go out there and perform, it’s very rare, it’s very unusual.
‘This child is going somewhere big, you mark my words.’
