16-year-old Oz girl in soup after posing nude for mag

A 16-year-old girl from Kingscliff, Australia, has sparked controversy after she posed nude for the cover of a surfing magazine.

Ella Rose Corby, who aspires to be a model, is seen posing posed nude on the November cover of Stab Style with her modesty barely covered.

The shoot has however become a matter of concern in the community.

Richmond MP Justine Elliot and fellow Tweed model Samantha Harris have voiced unease about Corby's age, and Elliot, a mother herself, has stated the magazine cover was not in good taste.

"I think photographs like these are inappropriate, particularly when the young woman involved is only 16," Tweed Daily News quoted her as saying.

Harris, who relocated to Sydney to further her modelling career, stressed she did not want to sound "nasty", but said 16 years old did seem very young to feature nude on a magazine cover.

She worried that Corby might consider it a "mistake" in years to come.

"Personally, I wouldn't do it at any age really, and 16, I think that is really, really young," she said.

"If she was interested in high fashion and that, maybe that might not have been the smartest move," she stated.

Harris said it was important for girls to consider what type of model they would like to be before undertaking early work.

"It really depends on what you want to do in modelling, whether it is high-fashion or men's magazines," she added.

Corby had entered and won a competition to model for Stab, which is known for its edginess and celebration of parties and sex.

Stab writer Mike Jennings explained in his article on Corby how a girl that age means danger to the adult male.

"They're moving into womanhood and they know it. They dress older, sneak into clubs and are easily mistaken as adults," he said.

"And as girls in their early twenties try and hang onto their teenage beauty, lines are blurred and we're left confused.

"You can leer at the 16-year-old as you would an adult woman, so long as you're ignorant. Once you become aware of their age you must look away," he stated.

Mark Pearson, Professor of Journalism at Bond University, said using children in such appearances was dangerous and required parental permission.

"The danger with this kind of thing is, young people don't always realise the longer-term consequences of their actions; that is why all branches of media have to be especially careful of their management of children," Pearson said.

"An editor needs to think long and hard about using such material," he added.