A US television host has convinced four child pageant mothers to dress in the revealing outfits their young daughters are made to wear for contests.
The mothers, from popular reality TV show Toddlers and Tiaras, were dolled up in wigs, heavy makeup, frilly dresses and even a skimpy Lady Gaga-inspired body suit on MSNBC morning show Today.
Video of the Today program, which aired in the US on February 16, shows mother-of-three Alicia Morgan walk out in front of the audience wearing an electric blue bodysuit.
The Lady Gaga outfit, which looks like a one-piece bathing suit with cut-out sides and shoulder pads, sparked controversy when it was worn by Morgan's eight-year-old daughter Laci on Toddler's and Tiaras.
Morgan does a spin in front of the crowd, teetering in her high-heel ankle boots, before laughing nervously and saying: "I feel a little revealed right now".
Today host Anderson Cooper suggested the outfit was controversial because people were surprised to see it worn by such a young child.
But Morgan disagreed, saying: "It's different for children, it's not showing anything, it's a swimsuit for her."
Cooper said he wanted the mothers to see what their daughters went through to enter pageants.
Critics have slammed the parents on Toddlers and Tiaras for sexualising young children and dressing them in skimpy outfits that are not suitable for kids.
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