Paris Hilton defends toddler daughter’s controversial Halloween costume

Paris Hilton has found herself at the centre of a parenting controversy after dressing her two-year-old daughter as a teacup for Halloween.

The socialite, 45, has been forced to defend her family’s Beauty and the Beast-inspired costumes after critics accused her of being a ‘narcissist’ for choosing to dress as Princess Belle while relegating her children to supporting characters.

The mother-of-two went all out for the family’s elaborate Disney photoshoot, sporting a magnificent yellow ballgown as Belle while husband Carter Reum transformed into the Beast, complete with a furry mask and blue suit.

Their son Phoenix, three, dressed as the charming French candelabra Lumière, while daughter London, two, appeared as Chip, the adorable chipped teacup.

But what might ordinarily have been considered a sweet family Halloween moment quickly became the subject of a heated debate over whether Hilton had stolen her children’s thunder.

‘Stealing spotlight from kids is next level narcissistic,’ one disgruntled Instagram user declared.

‘When do your kids get to be the main character?’ another demanded.

A third asked: ‘Why not let your daughter be Belle? Attention has to be on her! Poor little girl!’

Someone else suggested the adults should have taken on the supporting roles instead, writing: ‘Cute but maybe the kids should have been belle and beast and the adults the side dishes I mean it is a kids holiday…’

But Hilton explained that her daughter’s costume wasn’t the result of some elaborate scheme to ensure she remained the most glamorous person in the family portrait.

‘Beauty and the Beast is one of their favorite movies,’ Hilton explained in response to the criticism.

‘London said she wanted to dress up as Chip. She said it was her favorite character in the movie.’

Plenty of Hilton’s followers were equally baffled by the backlash, with one commenting: ‘Why is everyone so pressed in the comments? This is clearly just a Halloween photoshoot Paris does them literally every year.’

Another enthusiastically declared: ‘this is the only rendition of beauty and the beast i need this halloween this wins’.

And while there are certainly worthwhile conversations to be had about celebrities turning their children into accessories for elaborate social media content, insisting that a little girl should have wanted to be a princess instead of a teacup feels like a very weird hill to die on.