Child Pageants : The Harm Effects Of Child Beauty Pages

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.

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.

Imagining if one day you saw your five year old daughter with a full face of makeup and high heels. Now she looks like a miniature adult. Not only is she a miniature adult, but now she also is very self conscious of herself and has an eating disorder at five years old. Child beauty pageants have some pros and a of lot cons to them. Also, they can affect a child’s development. One should consider that child beauty pageants can lead to a lot of mental health issues for kids at a very young age.

“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,

Children beauty pageant should be banned because it is an indirect child abuse, cause financial strain and affects children’s behaviour.

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 modern day society, people often tune into TLC’s hit show Toddlers in Tiaras. Most see it as a harmless pastime for the children, but child beauty pageants are far from harmless. In recent years, child beauty pageants have become increasingly popular all over the U.S, making it a 5 billion dollar industry. Almost 5,000 pageants are held with 250,000 children participating with the majority of the contestants under the age of twelve (“Child beauty Pageants”). Unfortunately, what most viewers do not realize is that many contestants will suffer from sexual abuse and eating disorders by the time they are teenagers. With that being said, beauty pageants have a negative impact on female adolescents.

This project’s intended purpose was to educate people about the negative influence pageants have on impressionable young girls. Specifically, we focused on the impact of the show Toddlers and Tiaras, and how it encourages attention seeking parents to go above and beyond what normally occurs in these pageants. The parents of these girls subject their children to beauty contest where they dress and act in sexually suggestive ways. Despite the obvious concerns about the morals of dressing up mere toddlers to be judged by adults on their external appearance, the project shows the impact that this constant judgment can have on the children’s body image. We consult sources like childhood psychologist that have been vocal about the negative impacts of the show on young girls

The world is a beautiful thing but society has corrupted it to the point only perfection can be appealing. Pageants display what society finds attractive. Contests held like this are only toxic for young minds because they only influence their views of beauty. Media has evolved this into the competitive game that’s seen today. Parents should stop participating their children in beauty pageants because they cause psychological problems, unrealistic standards, and social prejudice.

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

Although they seem undisputed and lighthearted, child beauty pageants are one of the most contentious and criticized of all children's activities. While all other types of beauty contests are often viewed as distasteful, child beauty contests yield an even greater unfavorable response. Many individuals go as far as critiquing the pageants as being child abuse. Some say the beauty pageants sexualize the young girls and place unnecessary expectations of beauty at too early of an age. Contributors argue that the pageants help to build confidence and to teach the girls traits such as having poise and self control. Child beauty pageants are contests constructed to reward adolescence for their looks and charisma. There are many different components to every pageant. The children are often judged on how well they do during their interview, they're judge on their appearance, then on their talents. The events are set up by age groups, such as 0 to 6, so the criticism is fair. Each age division winner usually wins a crown or a trophy.

The portion of child pageants that people are not really fond of, is the aspect of young girls having the appearance of adults. The phrase “Growing up too fast” is used to characterized child pageants greatly. Young girls are trained to look and act a certain way in order to win someones approval. These girls are being taught that in order to be considered beautiful you must look, act, and dress a certain way. When did being chubby, having pale skin or missing teeth become an issue for children. Physical perfection should not be on the minds of young girls at such tender ages; instead they should focus more towards being indivduals not

Young girls and women all over the world have different things they like to be involved in, such as sports, music, or art. Pageantry is an activity that is important for girls because it could help them reach their full potential., but is Pageants are important because of the history behind them, the different event categories they consist of, and the different pros and cons they have.