Child Beauty Peageants Essay

In conclusion, beauty pageants aren't good for kids at young ages. By competing in these pageants, young girls are sexualized by adults, the kids are too young to say no, and too much hairspray is bad for their health. Children should no longer be forced to compete in these types of events. It is not

Beauty pageants have been around for a long time, making people believe that nothing could go wrong in such events. Nevertheless, when I consider women who glide across the stage, I recall skinny women, in specific, who appear to have unrealistic features such as: perfect teeth, skin, and bodies, putting pressure as only women who appear that way are in magazines, television, and movies. Subsequently, this begins when young women participate in beauty pageants. [ Dante Ultius] Society today thinks that entering young children in beauty pageants can help self esteem. Society believes it will make them feel beautiful, perfect, socially involved, discipline, self confidence, and so on. Well it turns out thatś the exact opposite of what they think. Putting children in beauty pageants at a young age can cause health issues like depression, low self of esteem, anxiety, eating disorder, and also the absense of a normal childhood. Research shows that over the past 10 years, there has been a 270% increase in the number of girls being hospitalized for eating disorders, some of these girls are as young as 7 years old [Kelly Kammer]. Competitions can display adult body dissatisfaction in their later years, and that it is also possible for them to suffer from various eating disorders [Psychologist Martina Cartwright].

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,

“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,

Across the world children under the age of sixteen are being entered in child beauty pageants. Some may find it enjoyable, some may find it disgraceful, and abusive. Some child beauty pageants are featured on popular television stations such as TLC’s popular show, Toddlers and Tiaras, a show dedicated to showing the competitive side of girls of a variety of ages, showing off their beauty, and competing for a grand prize. The young girls show off their bodies in revealing costumes, that can be too mature for their age, they compete in several categories including; beauty, and talent. They go through three to four costume changes, and have a lot of work done to their bodies, and face to ensure their beauty is flawless. Children get spray tans, fake teeth, as well as the use of several cosmetics including, foundation, lipstick, eyeliner, blush, and worse of all, fake eyelashes. Some children enjoy it, while others scream, and cry while their parents hold them down, and force the makeover upon them. It’s morally wrong to involve children in beauty pageants as it can be abusive, it can cause a lot of financial strain, and it can affect the child’s personality and behavior. Child beauty pageants should be banned.

There is nothing wrong with little girls wearing cute pink dresses and walking down a stage to perform a few adorable stunts or tricks. However, there is everything wrong when these actions could potentially lead to long term damages in young girls. And therein lies the problem with child beauty pageants, they have the potential to create long term issues for the many of the female children who are asked to participate in them. This is the stance that “Toddlers and Tiaras” takes regarding the issue of child beauty pageants; the author of the article, Skip Hollandsworth, asserts that “many psychologists believe that developmental and emotional problems can stem from pressure and value system that pageants embody” (493). Hollandsworth in her

“Mommy I am tired, and I don’t want to perform,” a young girl pleads as her mother urges her to go up on stage. At the tender age of four, children are not independent enough to make their own decisions, and many parents take advantage of this by forcing their young kids to compete in pageants. Money prizes, trophies, and praise overcome the better judgement of many parents who continuously spend thousands of dollars on glitz and glam for their children. Childhood beauty pageants are continuously on the rise due to reality shows that follow pageant children and their families. Many parents seem to find nothing wrong with having their children compete in them, but beauty pageants are not great activities for young kids to partake in. Childhood beauty pageants should be banned because they sexualize young children, force children to use artificial means to gain self-esteem, and can lead to long term psychological effects.

One of the biggest issues related to beauty pageants is engaging children, especially young girls, taking part in these activities. America has about three million young girls between the ages of 6 months and 16 years taking part in beauty contests. Many people argue whether or not children should be participating in these pageants. The participants and their parents are obviously all for these children beauty pageants. However, there are many people against the idea.

The controversy on whether or not to ban beauty pageants has been the topic of discussion since the 1920s. Even though the media portrays beauty pageants as being helpful to young women, they neglect to reveal the negative consequences that come with the glamorous lifestyle. They glorify superficial aspects of humanity, destroys the morale of the girls involved and the girls indirectly involved, and can cause harm mentally and physically to girls of all ages.

Child beauty pageants have created a lot of controversy over the years. Contests that determine who is the most beautiful are known to have been around since Ancient Greece. Child beauty pageants occur whether or not they do harm to children. Some people believe beauty pageants have positive effects on Children. While others believe it negatively affects children’s self image.

Child beauty pageants are not a new phenomenon. Michelle Healy, a health and wellness reporter for USA Today, traced back the competition’s roots to find that they have “been around since 1880” (n.p.). Child beauty pageants are competitions that are primarily based on the physical attributes of the contestants. In the beginning, only older participants were eligible to participate. Now they extended the age requirements and toddlers, only a few months old, are able to participate. This has not only increased the competition, but also made parents more eager to start training their kids at an even earlier age. Recently, they have included more categories such as special talents, community service, costume and dance.

Sometimes, children like to participate in contest because they wanted to get prizes, and it’s good to travel the world, letting other people know who they are. They can begin to do charity work and can get as much as benefits they can get. “Pageants proved to be both a negative and positive influence depending on their surroundings. Pageants that regulate make-up usage, sexuality and competition are recognized to be great experiences for children” (Nussbaum). Not only kid can win prizes and award, but they can also get all the experience that they will never get to have. Child beauty pageants help children explore their inner self and be more

I proposed a detailed analysis of the effects of childhood pageants and adult women pageants in fifteen selected sources. I am focused primarily on the effects of a young children pageants and adult pageants in today’s society, therefore all of my sources will be written within the past three decades.

The purpose of this paper is to assess the negative effects of children beauty contest on its contestants. Although many people argue that there are some benefits of this contest such as build up the confidence, self-esteem, public speaking skills, tact, and poised it is also true that it can result to negative psychological effects and interferes in child development worldwide. The Toddlers and Tiaras, and Little Miss Perfect are popular reality TV shows that features young girls the real hardship and obstacles from their mother’s pressure or preparation for the pageant. They are ages from 1 to 12 years old, with main goal of winning and get the tiara and money or ribbon or teddy bears. Generally, the parents of these young girls believe and make decision that the beauty pageant is okay. Pageants, particularly those designed for younger children, focus primarily on appearance, attire, and perceived “cuteness.”