Bindi Irwin under fire

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

TUESDAY, JULY 14, 2009

Wildlife warrior Bindi Irwin has been criticised by a leading nutritionist over her new role spruiking junk food.

The ten year old appears with mum Terri and younger brother Robert in the Green's General Foods ads for chocolate cup cake mix.

Slideshow:

Bindi Irwin - A life in the spotlight

But Rosemary Stanton said the ads were "exploitation" of both Bindi and the children the ads target.

"Children are very trusting, so they actually think [Bindi] wouldn't do it if it wasn't right," Rosemary told Fairfax newspapers.

"I think it's a bit of exploitation of her as well, because she can't possibly be old enough to understand the impact that this could have.

"It's wrong to target kids in trying to sell stuff to other kids. It makes it very difficult for parents to then resist the pleas of their children.''

Your say:

Has Brand Bindi has gone too far by pushing junk food to kids? - Leave your comments below.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the mag this week:

The punch-up over Sonia Kruger
Lisa Curry: Single & loving it!
Jacko's Aussie family
Simone and Shane: Not Again! Their secret wedding plans
Fiona O'Loughlin's drinking shame

True life

Our kids are all named after designer clothes
Is this Australia's biggest newborn?

From the food pages

Standing rib roast
Reader recipe:Cheese & bacon puffs by Colleen Purnell, Port Macquarie, NSW.

Subscribe to Woman's Day

MESSENGER

FACEBOOK

Blog on Spaces

Add to delicious

Add to Digg

Share on MySpace

Share, bookmark, and save your favourite ninemsn articles and features. Learn more.

User reviews

If you're a parent of young kids you know how much they love to bake cupcakes ... it's almost part of growing up. And a little treat every now and then won't hurt. Parents should teach their kids how to eat a balanced diet.

personally i think bindi irwin is really weird, but uve got 2 laugh at this "Dr". SERIOUSLY!! 2 minutes after watching the ad the kids would b asking for something different. OR EVEN WHEN THE NEXT AD CAME ON!!!!! get over urself

I absolutely detest Bindi as I find her an obnoxious show-off who is a victim of her mum's callous exploitation for money. HOWEVER, having said that, Dr. Stanton's rant about this ad, is pathetic. There is absolutely nothing wrong advertising cupcakes, as they are a normal part of any child growing up. There is nothing wrong with having a little cupcake every now and then! Gees, whats life come to, if Dr. Stanton has to whinge about a child eating a cupcake?!?? There are far more worse things than a child having a BALANCED diet with a cupcake occasionally. If Dr. Stanton wants to whinge about something, whinge about how unhealthy it is for Bindi's mental health for her mother to exploit her and push her onto tv. This poor girl can't even celebrate her birthday in peace, quiet and privacy, every year it has to be made into a major Australia Zoo event to be shared with the public! The damage Terri is doing to Bindi should be concerning the good Doctor far more than a cupcake!

get over it and leave her alone she has a mind of her own if she did not want to do this she wouldn't. jealous people it is not her fault steve irwin (god rest his soul) was her dad, or that she is growing up in the spotlightr. if she wants to do ads, then she is so very entitled to do just that!

They're cupcakes, not cocaine. Small amounts of oils and sweets are needed in a diet. I prefer cupcakes to mcdonald's ads.

omg she is only a kid doing one bloody tv ad for chocolate cupcakes whats the harm in that. I bet uf it was any other kid who isnt famous they wouldnt care would they its only beause she had a famous father who died. Leave her alone are u forgetting that she is only 10 yrs old!! i did i thought she was heaps older cuz of everything she is doing but she is only 10 YRS old leave her alone people

Seriously. Bindi is doing an ad. She's not going around telling every kid or parent or whoever to buy it. I'm pretty sure heaps of people would buy the mixture without that ad anyway. If a child were to see that on tv they would ask to get it, but after probably 10 minutes they would forget they even wanted it, I know this because I am a teenager and I know how my siblings and young family's brains work. people are making up excuses about everything these days. So leave her alone, because when its some average child doing these sort of ads no one gives a rats.when its someone famous the world come to an end. they should seriously get over it.

Ive got to laugh at some people , it is not bindis fault that parents are letting there children get over weight. There is nothing wronge with have junk food every now and then, thats what kids do. Instead of attacking this young girl why not talk to your own children and explain to them that its ok to have a cup cake or a icecream every now and then.

At the end of the day, parents have the ultimate say! If kids are begging, why are we giving in. Bindi is a bad example. She'd be a better example if they showed pictures of her going to school - like a normal child. She is still young - and the media portrays her as this young fantastic person that will save the world. There are people in our lives that do this for a living - or as a volenteer - why do we need to support a little girl who just puts me off buying junk food!

God! These reporters obviously don't have children... Children will ask whether or not they see the advert or not! Its all part of being a child. Those people should get real jobs instead of picking on a child!