The Stylist Behind Blue Ivy's Fashion

Although she is only six-years old, Blue Ivy has already been featured on Beyonce’s album, has a sportswear line named after her (See: Ivy Park), rapped on a hit from JAY-Z, and is the only person known to date to have told Beyonce to quiet down--and gotten away with it.

Although the latter is arguably the most bewildering feat, Blue Ivy Carter, the daughter of Beyonce and JAY-Z, even has a stylist and personal shopper.

Again, she is six.

According to Women’s Wear Daily, Manuel A. Mendez is the person whose job is dressing the musical legends’ daughter.

He can be accredited for that pink Gucci suit Blue Ivy Carter wore at the 2017 Grammy Awards, the tulle Billieblush dress worn in JAY-Z’s “Family Feud” music video, and the gold wig paraded at her grandmother’s Wearable Art Gala. Describing himself on Instagram as “personal assistant & fashion stylist at Parkwood Entertainment,” Mendez has been dressing Blue Ivy since she was 20 months old.

But is this that surprising when the six-year old being talked about was born into the spotlight? There are not many children who have stylists and personal shoppers, but then again, how many people can say their mom is Beyonce? Although Beyonce is known to be very thoughtful about the image she projects, does it go without saying that celebrities’ children should be expected to look the part too?

The closest thing I’ve ever had to a personal shopper is my mom, but even that was short-lived. When I was six, I was my stylist. Picking out my outfits and dressing myself was one of the first ways I could begin to practice independence and express myself. If I was not in my favorite green dress with flamingos on it, I was in my favorite set of washable, kid-friendly “play clothes” like most six-year olds are.

All hail Queen Bey, but is creating an image for a six-year old, even one in the entertainment industry, interfering with a child’s self-discovery? Although kids all over the world often are told to wear a uniform to school, designated time for personal style is a different subject. Kids should be allowed to explore with their style. Let them wear the orange-striped shirt with the floral green pants. Understanding yourself is a trial-and-error process, so hiring someone to make a child inevitably conscious of “what looks good” takes that experience away from them.

Perhaps Blue Ivy doesn’t care at all about what she wears. Perhaps Blue Ivy Carter has a say in her outfits, but after seeing the way the Carter heir hushed her mother and father at the Grammys, it is difficult to imagine that a stylist or personal shopper would not interfere with Blue Ivy Carter’s self-expression.