Argumentative Essay On Beauty Pageants

In America Over 250,000 children are entered into a beauty pageant annually and out of that number over 50% of those children wind up having issues in their teenage and adult years. Also 73% of parents who have kids in beauty pageants spend more money on the pageant instead of their kids' education. Is this a serious issue? Yes, Child beauty pageants became part of the American society in the 1960’s. They were originally for teenagers 13-17 years old. However child beauty pageants have become more and more popular and now children as little as toddlers participate in these pageants. Children who are entered in beauty pageants have a negative future ahead of them. Beauty pageants have created unrealistic expectations for young girls because these stereotypes contribute to low self esteem, depression, and eating disorders.

Each year, around three million children, ages 6 to 16, will compete in a beauty pageant. When a child enters to compete in a beauty pageant, it not only damages the child now, but as well as later in life. Also, the standards that these children are held to while competing in a beauty pageant is affecting their development.

“It doesn’t matter if you can breathe. All that matters is if you look good”. Just Googling the search term “beauty pageants coming up,” will result in 2,710,000 results appearing in 1.18 seconds. Children are the fastest-growing segment of the beauty pageant market, with annual children's competitions attracting an estimated 3 million children, mostly girls, ages six months to 16 years, who compete for crowns and cash. Infants, carried onto the stage by their mothers, are commonplace. April Brilliant, reigning Mrs. Maryland and the director of Maryland-based Mystic Pageants, says pageants give little girls a chance to "play Cinderella." However, playing ‘Cinderella’ can cause children to develop insecurities or self-hatred if they don't

Zinzi Williams explains the downsides of pageantry in “Do Pageant Children Behave Differently than Other Kids?” The central claim is that there are many psychological differences between children who compete in the world of pageantry and children who don’t. Williams states the minor claims that children who compete in beauty pageants put beauty ahead of schoolwork and play time. Her other minor claim is that beauty contests affect the way the children who compete view their bodies and there overall appearance. She states that statistic that if there are 20 girls competing in the pageant, that each contestant only has a 5% chance of winning, which is very slim! Williams explains that in her research she found that on WebMD, a medical website,

In some ways, child beauty pageants can be great for young girls to compete in. Pageants can build confidence by putting girls in front of lots of people to perform and speak. This leads to confidence through life and public speaking skills. Another positive outcome of competing is winning scholarships and prize money. Scholarships will help a child receive a higher education later on. Next, in order to continue competing well, a girl needs to stay fit and healthy. She must also work hard and be disciplined. While these are great life traits to have, there are many

Throughout time, beauty pageants is the main topic that society have been disputing about. On camera the children are wearing their pretty dresses and a big smile on their face to look cute and in the end to hopefully get 1st place, on the contrary, off camera there’s a lot of stress taken to the child by their parent as well with problems with the child’s stamina, therefore the little girls would have to grow up faster than those who aren’t in beauty pageants.

In defense of the pageants and parents, they say that the pageants are fun and a healthy way to build self-esteem, poise, and accomplishment and even earn college scholarships. Some of the contestants like the beauty pageants because they are a way to bond with her peers and to make new friends. It also is actually a good

Beauty pageants became popular in The United States around the 1920’s. They originated to serve as a marketing tool. Women were formally displayed like trophies because of their sexual appeal however; children were taken a step further. In “Child Beauty Pageants”, Hilary Levey Friedman points out, “Instead of a typical runway walk, child pageant modeling is a set routine, choreographed with facial expressions and spins. At many pageants a “grand supreme” title is decided based on the highest score for the entire event or for an age group, such as zero to six.” The popularity only increased over the years as it spread across the nation. Media jumped over the chance to endorse them and the fad only spiked.

It teaches people that beauty is on the outside not on the inside. Pageants make women look like objects rather than a respectable person. Beauty pageants have scholarships for the winners, but should women have to parade around in bikinis and high heels to win scholarship money? Women should be judged solely on their intelligence and personality.

Beauty pageants have been around in America for decades; however, they have not gained notoriety until the show "Toddlers and Tiaras" aired on national television. The airing of "Toddlers and Tiaras" has brought child pageants to the attention of many Americans. Not many people were aware of what took place in beauty pageants, but ever since the show debuted in 2009 there has been an intense controversy about children as young as newborns being entered into pageants. Some people say that pageants raise self-esteem and teach responsibility, whereas others say that pageants are necessary and children should take advantage of their youth. Although pageants teach etiquette and communication skills, ultimately they carry a vastly high

Beauty Pageants General Purpose: To argue Specific Purpose: To argue that beauty pageants are exploitive Thesis Statement: Beauty pageants have a bad effect on society because: 1) it spotlights only one kind of beauty, 2) it lower’s women’s self-worth and self-esteem; and 3) it affects a child’s development Introduction I. [Attention Step] When meeting someone for the first time it’s usually not the person in the inside that you notice first, but rather their physical features. II. [Topic Justification] In a new survey from cbslocal.com it is said that 37% of people notice your smile first, while 33% notice your eyes, 15% judge your weight, 9% your hair, and 2% judge your nose, but what if that was all you were being judged for, was how you

I'd take a confident woman who can stumble and recover over a Stepford Wife any day.¨ (Flores) Yes, it gives girls good practice with using manners but they do not need to dress up and pretend to be something their not to use their manners and learn proper poise. "These kids play dress-up at home," said pageant mother Carolyn Johnson. "Why not on stage?" ("Child Beauty Pageants: Are child beauty pageants beneficial for children?")

“Nine out of ten girls in pageants ages 14 to 16 suffered from suicidal tendencies or depression” (Child beauty pageant). A beauty pageant is a competition judged mainly on four events to determine the winner: Modeling sportswear, evening wear, physical beauty, talent, and personal interviews. Beauty pageants originally can be traced to the first Miss America Pageant, which was held in 1921. Miss Universe and Miss USA soon followed, by the 1960’s, beauty pageants were firmly entrenched in American culture. “Beauty pageants normally start at six months to 18 years of age. Statistics show that about 5,000 child beauty pageants are held every year and about 250,000 child contestants participate” (Child beauty pageant). Not all pageants cater to just girls, most pageants provide scholarships, the Miss America beauty pageant has provided over 45 million dollars in scholarships. Although opponents claim beauty pageants boost children’s self esteem and confidence, they reinforce the idea that a woman should be valued for her physical appearance, the action pageant moms are cruel and borderline abusive, they promote an unrealistic expectation of beauty.

Many parents make the assumption that child beauty pageants are a good thing. The main reason is because there are many people shown on these shows who place a huge weight and their toddlers to win. Alternatively, beauty pageant is a bad thing that can be affect the future of their children’s.

The TLC Show, “Toddlers and Tiaras,” is not an accurate representation of all that goes into preparing children for pageants. The show dramatizes the mostly the negative side of childhood beauty pageants. It depicts competitors that want to win strictly based on appearance. Despite the bad reputation that beauty pageants have, they equip young men and women with skills and opportunities such as chances to win scholarships, improving self-confidence and promoting social skills.