The mother of a Chinese child model has apologized after videos of her appearing to beat her daughter appeared online, sparking outrage.
Videos surfaced online this week showing a woman kicking and slapping a toddler who appears to be posing for photo shoots.
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Internet users identified the child as Niuniu, a 3-year-old girl who models clothes sold on e-commerce website Taobao.
Niuniu’s mother published a statement Wednesday apologizing for her actions.
She wrote on social media that her “slightly large movements” were not intended to cause harm.
Niuniu’s mother, who did not disclose her name, said her actions “caused everyone to misunderstand,” for which she felt “deeply sorry.”
The viral videos stirred discussions about China’s highly competitive child modelling industry, in which parents enroll their children in modelling training courses.
