Doncaster mum who puts fake tan and make-up on 3-year-old daughter slammed by TV viewers

A Doncaster mum who puts fake tan and make-up on her three year-old daughter has been slammed after appearing on TV to defend her actions.
Hallie Mai Bushell.Hallie Mai Bushell.
Hallie Mai Bushell.

Sami Bushell, 28, dresses up her daughter Hallie Mai in skimpy outfts for beauty pageants and faced a barrage of criticism on social media after appearing on ITV show This Morning to discuss her obsession.

But angry viewers took to Twitter to blast mother of two Sami, who also has a six-year-old son.

The three-year-old has a range of designer outfits.The three-year-old has a range of designer outfits.
The three-year-old has a range of designer outfits.
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She was branded 'disgusting', 'disgraceful' and 'distasteful', with some even referring to her actions as 'child abuse' on social media following her appearance.

She was invited onto the programme after revealing the details of her £5,500-a-year spending habit.

She admitted kitting her daughter out in designer clothing, including a Louis Vuitton handbag and Ralph Lauren t-shirts and in 2014 appeared on a Channel 5 documentary called Blinging Up Baby where she discussed her habits of dressing up Hallie Mai.

One viewer, who strongly opposed Ms Bushell was ‏@JoyJoybelle who wrote: "Child abuse if you ask me. Babies are babies. Stop it now."

The three-year-old has a range of designer outfits.The three-year-old has a range of designer outfits.
The three-year-old has a range of designer outfits.
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This Morning viewer @kaz0789 agreed and branded the mother-of-two's actions 'awful'. She added: 'Teaches children to be superficial and dissatisfied! They are pure and beautiful enough without tans and trinkets!'

On a similar theme ‏@LisneySueposted: 'This is total abuse. A 3-year-old cannot be mature.

Also critical was ‏@katiegorehamox, who said: 'Dress up, yes. A 3-year-old in fake tan and makeup is a big no. Why try mature a 3 year old child?'

Defending her approach earlier this week, she said: "Everything is very skimpy and over the top. It's very blingy and glitzy, but pageants are a controlled environment.

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"It's not like anyone can just walk in and sit and watch. It's all innocent fun."

From an early age, Hallie Mai has always turned her nose up at jeans and plain t-shirts.

Ms Bushell, who also has a son, Harry, six, spends thousands on designer outfits for her daughter.

She has an Elsa inspired costume from the Disney movie 'Frozen' and a tummy-baring cowgirl outfit. The three-year-old also has a show-stopping sparkly red nurse's dress, with stomach cut outs and glamorous feathers.

The look is completed with diamantes and fake crystals.

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The themed outfits cost up to £100 each, but are upstaged by her 'beauty dress'.

One pink and purple frilly number, covered in jewels, costs £600 – plus another £80 for delivery.

She covers her daughter's mousey brown hair with a lustrous wig, costing £55, which was shipped in from America.

And the night before a pageant, Hallie Mai is primped and preened - being covered in St Tropez fake tan to give her a sun-kissed glow.

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'I have to make sure it's not streaky,' Ms Bushell said about her daughter's enhanced skin tone. 'Then she'll have her nails done and get her hair done.

Ms Bushell uses foundation, blusher, bronzer and lip gloss to complete the look.

"I say to the negative people that Hallie Mai loves pageants and she loves the tan, makeup and outfits and she's very strong willed."

'If she didn't want to do it she'd run off stage. I don't force her – she goes on her own and loves it."