14 DAY TRIAL // She’s a beauty queen and, as of late, a reality star, having been on TLC’s controversial and popular “Toddlers and Tiaras.” With about 300 titles under her belt, Eden Wood is retiring from beauty pageants to pursue a career in showbiz – and she’s just 6 years old.
Ever since the abovementioned reality show premiered, there’s been a lot of outrage over the way parents (and mothers, in particular) seem to push their children into the world of beauty pageants, clearly to their disadvantage.
It’s nothing like that, Eden’s mom, Micki Wood, tells ABC News, upon announcing the career change, which would, in theory, allow the girl to conquer Hollywood.
Eden loves what she’s doing and, right now, she wants to focus on her debut music album and perhaps, who knows, she may even end up with Disney or on her own reality show.
“I think she’s following in the footsteps of some pretty big people who have done pageants, like Oprah Winfrey,” Mrs. Wood says.
Music and acting are just two of the things that Eden wants to do next, now that she no longer has to think about beauty pageants.
Her mother and manager (“momager”) also has a book about her life coming out, “From Cradle to Crown,” which, she says, will help other pageant moms understand and be more supportive of their daughters.
Eden also has a showgirl doll out and her mother believes merchandising is the future, so we’re to expect more.
“Why not see if we can’t have a Hollywood contract, a reality show, a spot on a Disney program. It’s the American dream. It’s her destiny,” says the mom.
With all this, at her 6 years, Eden remains grounded, Micki says, insisting she didn’t raise her daughter to dream of fame and nothing else besides.
“So much of her life has nothing to do with that. As long as she enjoys what we’re doing, Mama’s going to keep doing it. If it leads to the Miley Cyrus status or Selena Gomez, so be it. If it doesn’t, that’s fine, too,” she says.
Just recently, Eden performed her first song, “Cutie Patootie” on The Talk (see video below), but the hosts were not at all impressed with her and her performance.
To them and to the haters who took to Facebook to threaten her and her little girl, Micki has very little to say, save “mind your own business.”
“If you want to attack someone, attack me. I am a big girl, I can handle it,” she says.
The ABC interview
Eden Wood performs on The Talk