Beauty Pageants Controversy

This topic could be argued either way. There are people that believe that pageants have positive effects on children and there are people who think they are just terrible. The points in these articles reveal the truth behind beauty pageants and what they are all about.

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.

The opinion that beauty pageants are all fun and games is a very dangerous one to have. The lives of participating children are never the same because of the long term emotional and psychological effects that are brought on by early

A beauty pageant is a competition where girls are judged by their looks. The most gorgeous is chosen as the winner. It all started in the 1880s when the first beauty pageant was made. A lot of women will compete for a crown and be named with a beauty title. In order to win the women have to look a certain way, usually, they would look pretty skinny. The judges will not know the women individually but by how beautiful they look. These beauty pageants can cause certain thing that can harm a woman physically and mentally such as eating disorders and low self esteem. Beauty pageants are a bad influence to women because they set an idea that women should look a certain way.

The child does not even want to be there, and is visibly upset because they do not want to be there (Yap). This is a problem. The parents force their children to compete, when there can be children, young enough to take naps that cannot take them. This actually damages the health of the child. Parents devoted multiple hours a day to preparing their child(s) to enter in a beauty pageant, but with that practice, they take away the time for their kid to live a fulfilled childhood.

First, we will talk about how child beauty pageants started. The upbringing of child beauty pageants is very interesting. It started off with “Pageants celebrating female beauty and charm being fixture at fairs and festivals the U.S. since the 19th century”(Hilboldt), and then “Their rise in popularity probably dates back to 1954, when the miss America pageants was first broadcasted on TV”(Hilboldt). “In 1960, a miami broadcaster hosted the first locally televised pageant for children, Little Miss universes”(Hilboldt). Around “The 1980’s child pageants had become an inextricable part of life in the South…”(Hilboldt). Pageants have dated back for centuries, but did not rise in popularity until it was first broadcasted on TV. Furthermore, the number of kids that participate in beauty pageants is eminence. A majority of little girls wanted to be in pageants, because “They began dreaming of one day becoming Miss America”(Hilboldt). With so many kids in pageants “It’s estimated that 25,000 children compete in more than 5,000 pageants in the U.S. each year”(Hilboldt). It is crazy how many little girls participate in beauty pageants each year just so they can hopefully become the next Miss America. While beauty pageants are still relevant and legal in the U.S. France is trying to ban them. “France is considering a move to ban beauty pageants for girls under 16 as a way to fight the hyper-sexualization of children”(“France”). While,“Under the proposal, organizers of beauty pageants aimed at young children...could face up to two years in prison and fines of $40,000”(“France”). Also, “The measure is a part of of a wider law on gender equality and was approved by the French Senate after garnering 197 votes in favor of the ban,

Children should not be allowed to participate in beauty pageants at such a young age. Preparing children for beauty pageants is physically harmful. Beauty pageants are also psychologically harmful to children. Children raised in beauty pageants lead them to believe that life is superficial. Competing in pageants can potentially lead to three major mental health problems— eating

commences to elevate in the early 1920’s where it was originated to be a marketing implement by a hotel owner. He wanted the city’s tourists to remain in town longer, therefore the rise of beauty pageant blooms and grows until today. It was in Atlantic City where the first Miss America Pageant was staged in September 1921 as reported by an online article on American Experience by PBS, Public Broadcasting Service. Child beauty pageant on the other hand began in the 1960’s where they are judged predicated on individuality looks, capability, poise, perfection and aptitude.

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,

Beauty competitions date as far back as Ancient Greece. Greek Mythology tells the story of a dispute amongst the goddesses Hera, Aphrodite, and Athena, whom were arguing over who was the most beautiful. The three goddesses called upon Alexandros to decide which of the three had the most attractive looks. Each of the goddesses bribed him until he selected Aphrodite who promised him Helen of Troy. Chaos erupted and eventually, the Trojan War was set off. (People and Events: The Origins of the Beauty Pageant). The origins of modern day pageants date back to the early 1920s. An Atlantic City hotel owner hosted a contest to determine which little girl was the prettiest attracted the attention of hundreds and was used as a marketing tool. The contest was very relaxed and the young girls would dress very conservatively in church-like dresses and wear little to no makeup (Evolution of Beauty Pageants). Present day beauty pageants are completely different from the pageants of the past. Instead of leading to war, they are a war. Pageant girls today prepare for highly competitive contests with weeks, sometimes even months of grueling training. The girls compete for awards such as trophies, cash prizes, and scholarships. With such a tough competition, females indulge in grooming choices that cause young girls to look like grown women. At each contest, there is only one winner, crushing all confidence any of the other participants may had had because they were not chosen. Beauty contests

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

In 1854 instead of judging woman or young girls on their looks, Phineas Taylor Barnum began judging animals on their looks, this was the first beauty pageant. The first swimsuit competition was held in 1880 at a festival to bring business however, it soon became a summer “tradition”. Women from all around the world became interested in them, wanting to be seen as the “perfect” woman. Currently, there are 3 different types of beauty pageants, a “glitz pageant” consists of the contestants wearing heavy makeup, crystal decorated clothes and wearing slip-on veneers. Another type of pageant is named a “semi-glitz pageant” which is very similar to the “glitz pageant”, except contestants are not allowed to wear any hair pieces or slip-on veneers. The third type of pageant is referred to as the “natural pageant”, contestants are permitted to wear natural makeup and will be disqualified if any hair piece or slip-on veneers are worn. Each of these different pageants are taken very seriously by its contestants with the goal in mind of winning the crown. Many contestants will often make drastic or permanent changes, forced by their guardian or parent(s) if they think they have a better chance of winning. Beauty pageants exist only to judge girls based on their looks, which can be extremely damaging, both physically and emotionally, therefore beauty pageants should be prohibited around the world to help end the constant discrimination and unreal expectations of women and young girls.

Let us begin with a little back history on beauty pageants. Back in the Judgement of Paris, “a poor mortal, named Alexandros, was called upon to settle an argument between thee goddesses” The question, “Who was the most beautiful, was it Hera, Aphrodite or Athena?” During this quest, bribes were offered. “Hera said that if she were preferred to all woman, she would give him the kingdom of all men; Athena promised victory in war and Aphrodite the kingdom of Helen.” (Apollodorus.pbs.org). After selecting Aphrodite in exchange for Helen of Troy, Paris inadvertently began

There is an average of 5,000 beauty pageants a year with over two million contestants who sign up to participate. “Toddlers and Tiaras” is a show on TLC that first aired in 2009 and is dedicated to the viewing of child beauty pageants. The show shadows the process of getting ready and the performance of the three young girls in the contest (Padmore, 2016). The ages of the girls range from only a couple months old to young girls of around fourteen or fifteen-years-old. The juvenile individuals were pictured wearing skimpy little outfits including bikinis and short shorts with a crop top shirt. The show had an average of 1.3 million viewers every week (Padmore, 2016). That is 1.3 million people, including men and child rapists, watching these little girls wearing little or next to nothing dance around the stage. Speaking from a personal standpoint, I have watched “Toddlers and Tiaras” and have witnessed a children’s beauty pageant in person. What I saw was something I could never forget. I watched

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.