4-year-old's mum under fire for letting daughter hold cigarette on stage

New York, Sept 1 (ANI): A 4-year-old beauty pageant contestant on the TLC hit reality show 'Toddlers and Tiaras,' left the audience and the show judge shocked, when she strutted on stage with teased hair, a leather jacket and a cigarette hanging from her mouth.

"Don't forget to smoke!" her mom urged from the sidelines.

The jaw-dropping entrance is the latest case of child pageantry extremes on TLC's hit reality show 'Toddlers and Tiaras.'

Pageant mom Lisa explains the cigarette was fake in a clip from the episode.

"I would definitely not give my child a real cigarette," the New York Daily News quoted her as saying.

Her daughter Destiny was channeling Olivia Newton-John's character Sandy from the movie 'Grease' for the performance, and the cigarette was a prop.

"Sandy comes out and throws down a cigarette, so Destiny's going to do that," the mum said.

"We feel like that's a part of acting, and it's a part of the routine."

Lisa added that the cigarette was crucial for the character's tough-girl persona.

"Sandy was a good girl and she didn't smoke either, but she used it for image," she said.

Audience members gasped when Destiny strutted on stage, and at least one judge didn't approve of the performance.

"Destiny has a cigarette - what is she thinking?!" the judge said.

The show has sparked controversy by highlighting the lengths pageant parents go to beautify their young daughters - including eye lash dye jobs, fake breasts, and skimpy costumes. (ANI)