Underage models draw public ire (2)

However, 7-wind, the Wuhan-based model company that arranged for the girls to participate, said that those girls were not participating in the show but were instead taking part in a qualification competition through which the company was selecting child models.

Zhang Ping, the company's manager, claimed that they had never asked the six girls to wear bikinis and they were only asked to pose in front of cars.

The Wuhan-based Shangge Exhibition Company, the auto show's organizer, asked the public not to judge from an adult's perspective since this simply showed the girls' innocence and confidence.

An insider surnamed Li, who works in luxury car sales, told the Global Times that the show organizer was trying to draw public's attention. "This might be a trick that large auto shows will never try," she said.

Some, however, said the public were overreacting. "We were misunderstood. My daughter has become more confident by participating in this show," said the mother of one of the six child models.