Argumentative Essay On Child Beauty Pageants

The article “Toddlers in Tiaras” was written by Skip Hollandsworth, and was published by Good Housekeeping on August 2011.The author argues that child pageants can have negative effects on the young girls’ lives. Hollandsworth wrote this article in response to the popularity of the TV show “Toddlers and Tiaras”. This article “Toddler in Tiaras” can be divided into five sections. In the introduction, the author presents an example of a young girl getting ready for a pageant. Hollandsworth then introduces a pageant girl by the name Eden Woods and her mother Mickie. The author Skip Hollandsworth describes every little detail about Eden’s process of getting ready from all the thick layers of foundation they’re putting on the 6-year-old girl face,

“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

Beauty Pageants over sexualizes little girls at a young age. As it seen in “Toddlers and Tiaras” a show by TLC show, little girls are being sexualized at a young age, by introducing them to hair extensions, make up, flippers (fake teeth), sexualized dresses. According to Paul Peterson, president and founder of A Minor Consideration, beauty pageants are “feeding the sex industry (Agadoni).” Girls are not physically ready to wear make up or hair extensions, and all of that just hides the natural beauty of a child making them more self conscious about themselves at such a young age. Little girls are going to think of themselves as not beautiful because they hide their real selves behind a ton of make up.

When I hear the word toddler I think of little girls walking around in mommy’s shoes, and miss matched clothing (because she’s getting to the age where she likes to dress herself.) And of course a cute smile that’s missing a few teeth. The word glitz, glamour and sashes don’t come to mind. Nor does the image of a little girl who’s fake from head to toe. Wearing wigs, flippers (fake teeth), inappropriate /reveling attire and fake tans. I don’t think of little girls dancing around a stage in front of hundreds of people getting judged on their “beauty.” Well, that is exactly what children’s pageants consist of. Pageants exploit a child for their outer beauty, their talents and over all perfection or as pageant judges would call it having” the

Pageants with beautiful little girls that look as if they could be in their twenties can catch the eye of anyone. Dating back to the 1960’s when beauty pageants first started out, young girls have been participating in them, showing off their looks and talents to the world. Ever since the beginning, pageants have been very popular and the popularity is always growing. Most people watch the movies and tv shows about it and even attend these pageants and do not see anything wrong with what is going on. However, these pageants are harmful to the little girls and cause body image and self-esteem issues in the adult years of the competitors. As you watch the pageant as it is going on, you never think of what the outcome of these little girls will be like in 10, 20 or even 30 years. Makeup, hairspray and spray tans are extremely harmful to the skin and health of anyone let alone a small child. These girls grow up with body dissatisfaction when they are applauded on how gorgeous they look with their hair and a face full of makeup. Sooner rather than later they begin to feel as if they are not good enough without the aide of makeup, tan skin and beautifully done hair. Whether it is a current problem or something that is going to come about later on in life, child beauty pageants are harming the lives of little girls all around us. The focus on appearance, issues in adult years and being forced out of their childhood are the three most harmful

The world of child beauty pageants is similar to the twilight zone. It’s hard to believe that children as young as 2, have hair extensions, professional grade makeup, and spray tans. TLC’s hit television show “Toddlers & Tiara’s”, depicts the horrifying and true events of what actually goes on in these pageants. Nationally broadcasting the inherent sexualization of little girls for all to see has become completely desensitized. The lasting effects that preforming in beauty pageants has on girls who have been through years of competing is far greater than the trophies and tiara’s displayed on their shelves. Dressing toddlers in costumes, forcing them to dance and parade around on stage only to be judged on who is the prettiest by adults is sick and disturbed.

Have you ever seen the show 'toddlers and tiaras'? Well if you haven’t it's a tv show where parents teach their toddlers that in order to be beautiful you have to wear makeup at the age of five. I see pageants as a "let's see whose kid can where the most makeup and the tiniest bathing suit and win money for it" contest. These little girls are robbed of their childhood by being put into these pageants, sometimes without having fair say. Pageants are more for the parents than the actual kids. Some mothers like to try and live vicariously through their little girls.

Child beauty pageants have become an increasingly controversial topic throughout the years. By some, it is considered to be a form of child exploitation and abuse. However, opponents argue that beauty pageants allow children to learn how to compete in a healthy environment. Young children, starting at just a few years old, are paraded around a stage dressed in provocative clothing and faces full of makeup. Children need to grow up in an environment where tolerance and acceptance of everyone's differences is the general mindset, not where competition is the driving force in their lives. Although it is true that child beauty pageants can help children gain confidence, they should be banned because of their negative impact on self-esteem, attraction

Are child beauty pageants detrimental or beneficial to children who participate in them? Contestant’s, primarily young girls in different age divisions, are evaluated in a variety of categories by multiple judges, with the end result being the crowning of the winner who possesses, in pageant parlance, the complete package. There are usually multiple runners-up as well. The winner in each age division typically moves onto the next pageant in the series from the regional level to the state level or to the state level to the national level. Like other extracurricular activities, child pageants are meant to be enjoyable learning experiences. The history of beauty pageants began in the U.S. in 1921, with the introduction of the Miss America Pageant.

One of the reasons why child beauty pageants should not be allowed is because it can cause low self-confidence.

Beauty pageants have been apart of the American community for many years. They are a competition where people, young and old, go to show off their talents, costumes, and of course their beauty. While this may seem somewhat accepted for older men and women, what happens when you throw children in the same competitions? Children beauty pageants have been growing at an alarming rate. Popular television shows, like Toddlers and Tiaras, are perpetuating the idea of theses ‘shallow’ competitions. While not all children are forced to do this pageants, many are. This can damage young kids and have a major impact on their adult life. Young children beauty pageants are detrimental to participants’ psychological health, harm family relations and disrupt the natural course of childhood, and encourage a demeaning view of women.

    Beauty pageants have become an American tradition since it started in the 1920’s. It began as a show where women ages thirteen to seventeen, would put on swimming suits and compete for the most beautiful woman in America. Over the course of time, beauty pageants have changed and now they include every gender, sex, nationality, age and background. In the 1960s beauty pageants took on another set of age groups; young girls ages, one to three, four to six, seven to nine and so on. The issue however began to come from the oversexualization of toddler girls and parents acting ridiculously about how their child should look and forcing them to act like an adult in the competition phase. The girls were being forced to grow up too soon and not only did it impact their attitudes, their self esteem and the way they pictured life but the same way affected the girls who were watching these pageants who then felt like they should look exactly like these girls because those girls were pretty enough to be in an American, broadcasted Pageant. Beauty pageants are not good for little children and the oversexualization of toddlers is wrong. Children should be allowed to grow as children and not be forced to roleplay as an adult.

We see it on the reality shows all the time, but what really happens behind the scenes of a children’s beauty pageant? The parents of these children do whatever it takes to keep them looking pageant ready at all times, they are constantly bickering with one another, and they give children self-esteem issues. These children are taught that they must always be the best looking and the most talented. Parents pushing their young children into beauty pageants are putting them into mentally and physically harmful situations.

In this debate and controversies, both supporters and those who argue against the thought of child beauty pageants have increased an amount of argument to protect their interests. Taking into consideration of all the viewpoints of the family and community, the important question that should be questioned and answered is: “Do child beauty pageants amount to child abuse?”

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.