British model Petra Ecclestone under fire for encouraging 11-year-old daughter to enter US beauty pageant – while Formula 1 billionaire Bernie's daughter calls herself 'a very proud mother'

Petra Ecclestone has come under fire for encouraging her eldest daughter to take part in a beauty pageant.

Lavinia, 11, made her debut in the Ideal Miss California & West Coast competition last Sunday, with the blessing of her mother, daughter of Formula 1 billionaire Bernie Ecclestone.

Wearing a crown, a Disney princess-style ball gown, heels and a “Miss West Coast” sash, Lavinia took a turn onstage at the Downey Theater in Los Angeles and posed in full makeup for cameras and judges.

Petra, 35, the pageant's loving parent through and through, called herself “a very proud mother.”

She wrote to her 77,000 Instagram followers: “I am so privileged to be your mother, I will always encourage you to follow your dreams, never judge you and always love you.”

But judgment soon came, in great numbers. “This is crazy, she's just a kid,” one of Petra's followers responded. Another wrote: 'Why would you do this to your child?' Sam Palmer, Lavinia's stepfather, fired back: “She wanted that and we support her. I think that's what being a parent is all about.”

Lavinia, 11, made her debut in the Ideal Miss California & West Coast competition last Sunday, with the blessing of her mother, daughter of Formula 1 billionaire Bernie Ecclestone

One follower even suggested that beauty pageants are a 'pedo paradise' and warned Petra to keep Lavinia away.

The next phase of the competition will be held in June at the Beverly Hilton hotel. The Ideal Miss pageant costs £371 to enter and aims to 'celebrate girls by showcasing their strengths and maximizing their potential to prepare them for the future of life'.

But while defenders of the industry insist it gives young girls self-confidence, critics say beauty pageants are exploitative and reinforce the message that good looks are paramount.

Claude Knights, former director of child advocacy organization Kidscape, says pageants “signal to young girls that it's okay to value yourself on some superficial dimension. It's not about the whole person.'

But Lavinia may be trying to boost her self-confidence after a difficult start in life. At twenty months old, she was diagnosed with a learning speech delay, and became a nonverbal toddler, not speaking until she was almost four years old.

She no longer sees her father, James Stunt – a playboy businessman soon to stand trial for a second time on money laundering charges. When they got married, James forbade Petra from posting themselves or their children on social media. But since she remarried two years ago, Petra has built up a public profile again.

She is now preparing to launch an online pre-teen beauty and fashion boutique called Crickle Daisy, with Lavinia as the face of the brand.