SAN ANTONIO -- Some young girls are becoming internet sensations. But it's not because of a catchy tune or their dance moves. It's because they're making themselves look 'plastic' and then posting video of it online.
While some people don't see anything wrong with it, others believe it could be dangerous.
From makeup tips, to hair, to clothing, these girls can teach any impressionable young teen or tween how to look...plastic. Inspired by Japanese anime, big doe eyes and long flowing hair are the standard. Child Psychologist Frances Thompson look into the trend.
"I had a lot of different thoughts when I first saw it," Dr. Thompson said. "Some were good some were bad."
Venus Palmero is one of the more animated girls. She dances, poses and even narrates her videos. She has around 80 of them on YouTube. Venus' mom says she takes no issue with it.
"I would be more adverted if she comes home drunk and smoking," her mom said. "So, I'm fine with that. It's something innocent."
Dr. Thompson somewhat agrees. She says if your daughter is confident and mentally stable, this could be just a fun hobby.
"It's not like they're going out and doing bad things," explained Dr. Thompson. "You know they're probably at home in a safe environment, doing something fun for themselves"
And, lets face it, young girls trying to reach an unattainable image is nothing new. From what we see in magazines and pageants we watch on toddlers with tiaras, young girls have been changing their looks for quite some time.
But this is a new version, and one that mom Rachelle Thomas does not agree with.
"That's not the little girl," Thomas argued. "It's somebody trying to be someone they're not. In a couple of those pictures, she looked like an adult."
Thomas' 11-year-old daughter Alexiea Forsgren wears no make up, and she's proud of it
"I just go to school and be myself and dress the way I think I look good," said Alexiea.
Rachelle says Alexiea's confidence comes from Beehive Beauties, an all natural beauty pageant.
"I like that we can just go up on stage and be ourselves and have fun," explained Alexiea. "And we don't have to worry about doing our make up and doing it better than everyone else's"
Beehive Beauties President Lacy Havea created the pageant so girls can find their confidence without needing to change who they are.
"You don't have to look like Barbie," Havea told us. "You don't have to look like anybody else. You should just be yourself."
They also don't judge on physical beauty. They look at personality and stage presence.
Dr. Thompson says the healthier choice is the all natural approach.
"Because we're celebrating natural beauty, who the girl is, already is, what they were born with and not trying to make them look like someone they're not," explained Thompson.
And celebrating who we really are is the greatest way to achieve real self esteem.
Dr. Thompson says her real concern with the "doll look" are girls who may already have low self esteem. She says if they can't attain this perfect image, it could lead to bigger problems like eating disorders and self harm.
Dr. Thompson says just make sure you keep an open dialogue with your daughter.
Another major issue is who is watching these videos. Dr. Thompson says videos like these can be perfect targets for pedophiles. So if your daughter decides to post anything online, make sure you have privacy settings so strangers can't watch.
