I dont think this poll makes sense. Yes, it is okay to use a child to promote a beauty brand, IF the child knows about it!! And agrees to it and is paid for it. But it isnt OKAY to use anyone's image without their knowledge.

Pretty lame. If the kid is a child star I feel it's different because she chose (or her parents did, but that's a different discussion) to be in the public image. In the case of the Obama girls, their dad is president, not them. I feel bad those two kids will probably be the target of such marketing campaigns for the next few years.

I agree the poll needs more options. I think it's okay for a child to promote a product as long as the child and the parent are okay with it.

I also agree with Advah... child stars make the choice to be in the spotlight. I this case, Malia has been put in the spotlight by her father's ambitions.

However, Malia's parents chose to put her in the spotlight. The Obama girls didn't need to on stage at the DNC.

wow, are these people idiots? don't they realize that they are messing with the WHITE HOUSE?

same as advah

It isn't ok to use A-N-Y-O-N-E to promote a brand without their permission. You can't just use someone's image to sell your product, whether it's with "gifts" or not. If a celebrity takes a grab bag at some event, and then is using the, for instance, blackberry or iPhone that they get in the bag, that was their choice, and the images of them using the device will probably pop up on websites, and it will serve as advertising for the company - the company can't say: "YOU should go buy one because Megan Fox got one in a goody bag, or because we sent her one, unsolicited."

This is insane, ridiculous, AND totally illegal. Not only SHOULD they not do this, they CAN'T do this.

yeah, it's not cool to use the president's child as a marketing tool, for one, you're using her name without her permission and without her getting paid for it.

Marketing and using the President's daughter w/o the President's knowledge is not good. A child promoting nail polish and her parents entered a contract with that company is fine. The lack of knowledge and permission is the issue I have here. If you are making sparkly nail polish or glitter lip gloss and use a child for PR so be it, I see that as ok.

It seems like the company consulted their lawyers pretty carefully on this one. The mention that they sent Malia the gift basket, so they could reasonably say that when they refer to it as "Malia's Gift Basket" they mean "The Gift Basket we sent Malia." It may not sit well with some people, but it really seems like they were careful in their wording so they could stay within the bounds of legality.

It looks like the gift basket is no longer on their website, though.

That's pretty tacky, I agree. And at 11 she's still too young to be wearing makeup (other than maybe lip gloss) IMO.

This stunt would be warranted if she was old enough to know what she was doing! An eleven year old is too young to be involved with makeup promotions etc. I'm sure there were no bad intentions behind this act-- yet I still do not find it just.

Hair, yes. Makeup, hell no.

this really wasn't a smart move on the make up company's part...

Why not? You bring you and your family into the spotlight, things like this will happen. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this one out. Don't want it to happen, don't become a figurehead.

it's just weird though, isnt it??

Disgusting move on the company's part. I am so tired of greedy companies pretending they are doing something nice when all they're really doing is trying to get free advertising.

I don't think it's disgusting/wrong, but it just seems really weird to me. Like, maybe if she was bit older, I feel like it would seem less weird.

Besides the obvious fact that you can't use someones profile without their permission I think it is not done that a child promotes make up. It is bad enough that 14 year models are used to sell clothes for mature women.

I don't think it's ok

I think it's not OK

well said pinkpeony. i don't think it's fair for those of you saying that her parents put her in the spotlight. it's not like jon and hate who purposefully put their kids in the spotlight with the sole purpose of becoming famous. if the kids wouldn't have been on stage at the DNC, etc., all the crazy "secret muslim" believers probably would have thought he shipped them off to a madrassa or something.

Snarky, he could have had them in the audience, etc. He used them in the campaign; he made them public figures.

That being said, it's not OK to use someone's image without his or her permission.

And, on a side note, it's not a make-up brand, it's a brand that makes skin care items for people with allergies, like Malia.

Pretty tacky. I understand sending products to celebrities secretly to see if they'll endorse it, but this is just using her image without consent.

hmm I say its wrong, but then again its also wrong that Obama is more of a 'celebrity' now than half the actual 'celebrities'. Politics is hollywood-ized