Maddie Ziegler, the 12-year-old child superstar is again wowing us with her first runway show for the Ralph Lauren Kids “ Polo” Campaign. You should recognise Maddie from either Dance Moms (which is now in its 5th season) or that she is Aussie singer, Sia’s muse and star in recent music videos.
Maddie would not be where she is today without Dance Moms. The show has a ‘Real Housewives’ vibe, showing arguments and catfights between mothers of Abby Lee’s (the owner of the dance studio) dance students. Abby is portrayed as a ‘villain’ type character that is outspoken and often uses tough methods toward the mothers and her students. Maddie is her favourite student and clearly the most talented. She has a sweet nature and shows leadership within the group, which creates a massive contrast between herself and her biggest fan Abby Lee.
Maddie and her fellow dancers are worshipped by loyal followers internationally and rake in between 1 and 2.5 million viewers per episode. The show depicts the journey of kids and their argumentative mothers, with a PG rating, so the viewers are of all ages and niches. Maddie alone has 3.7 million followers on instagram (the most out of the entire cast) and is the golden child who wins most competitions and holds many national titles.
The show may be a hit but many describe it as ‘Trash TV” and it wasn’t until Maddie starred in Sia’s music video “Chandelier” that she was globally recognised and appreciated for her dance and acting talent. The music video is solely Maddie performing and has a remarkable 845 million views on YouTube, and received a Golden Globe nomination. Maddie performed the number often live and her most memorable performance was on the acclaimed Ellen Show.
Maddie appeared in a second video, “Elastic Heart” for Sia which sparked controversy, as it depicted the 12-year-old dancing in a cage with Shia LaBeouf, the then 28-year-old male. As it can be imagined, the media questioned why a young girl was dancing with and being carried by a man 16 years older than her, but the video was created to leave the interpretation with the viewer. Despite the negative word of mouth, the music video was mostly recognised as another piece of art created by Sia, Maddie and Shia, and was another massive success with 366 million views on YouTube.
With mammoth accomplishments set already from the young star, Maddie has recently expanded her portfolio and walked the runway for the Ralpf Lauren Kids collection in their “Polo” campaign, with younger sister and fellow dance member Mackenzie. Maddie has been described in the media as the “next Kendall Jenner” due to her massive following and child star turned model status, which is expected to grow as huge as the Kardashian’s.
Maddie’s beauty is undeniable and it is great to see a young star who is modest and a great role model for other young girls out there, and her success as a child star is greater than we have seen in a decade. Her versatility is constantly broadening and she is the first to share the media attention she receives with fellow Dance Mom members, often in-group interviews telling journalists the news of other dance member’s successes. We think that this runway appearance will not be her last and with the Spring/ Summer season fast approaching we are sure to see her modeling kid’s and teen’s collections around the globe.
Take a look at Maddie in her element, performing in a competition, which is her full-time job, and of course, documented on the TV show.
