Do Child Beauty Pageants Degrade Young Girls?

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.

The physical and psychological effects of beauty pageants on participants are: children’s behavior, negative body image and child abuse. Parents force competitive behavior in their children which is important, but only to limited area because this may lead to negative attitude. In addition, children do not accept failure in life and never able to learn how to overcome that fear. In case, a child loses in the competition, their self-confidence decreases which increases the chances of depression in their adulthood. According to the article, Child Beauty Pageants Statistics, “…some of them have felt unpleasant impacts when they joined…about six percent of beauty pageants participants have suffered from depression” (para. 3). It is very difficult for young females to gain their normal life

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.

A Child Beauty Pageant is a beauty competition among children under 15 years old. These competitions are divided into different sections, includes talents, casual and swim outfit, interview,Evening wear and theme outfits. Beauty pageants make children to believe that without heavy make-up, fake lashes, wigs, expensive outfits and also white teeth, they will be one of the ugliest and weirdest child in society, it teaches children that they have to be fake until everyone like them. Because of the many detrimental effects on young children, society needs to abolish child beauty pageants.

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

Wiehe wrote about young girls in beauty pageant in the article, Nothing Pretty in Child Pageants and she also talked about the television show named Toddlers and Tiaras. This television show gave viewers a behind the scene look at what the young girls go thru before, during, and after the pageants. Some of the kids began their first pageant around the age of 2. On this television show kids are being paraded around in their hair extensions, added eyelashes, false teeth and high heel shoes. Parents are seen on occasion yelling and pulling on these girls in order to get them to cooperate. Also, on this show some of the girls are forced to participate in these pageants only for the self-gratification of their mom. This type of atmosphere only hinders a child’s development process it does not encourage young girls to be individuals or build their character. Girls around the age of 5 are normally playing dress up and not being forced to dress in a fashion that attack the audience attention. These girls are being sexualized at an early age. This often portrays the wrong message not only to the individual but to society. They are forced to dress and act like adults at an early age.

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

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,

Title The popular show, Toddlers and Tiaras on TLC, might be amusing to watch now, but once the viewers find out the ugly truth to pageants, it will make them never want to watch again. The stress, the jealousy, and getting compared to others causes many unhealthy, life-long disorders, that all pageant parents should be aware of. For example, as these girls get judged on who's the prettiest out of their age group, they are losing confidence in themselves and building up body image issues as they don't go home with 1st place. These girls parents are paying over a thousand dollars just to get told they're not pretty enough and as the winner gets praised, they are ashamed that they weren't good enough.

Girls are sexualized in beauty pageants at a very young age. On Toddlers and Tiaras, girls are shown in ‘sexy’ costumes, showing too much skin, especially for their age. With around 1.3 million viewers a week, the show has normalized this sexualization. In one

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.

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.

(Andrea Canning & Jennifer Pierera) Let us not forget the fake eyelashes, nails, makeup, teeth whitening and hair extensions; put it all together and you have got a beauty queen. Does being beautiful mean you have to be sexy and promiscuous? The talent portion of the pageant consists of the children dancing sexually, winking, posing and blowing kisses to the judges. This kind of activity pressures little girls to be flirtatious and engage in sexual actives at a young age. Today’s pageants force children to do everything an adult would do and wear, ultimately leading them to believe they are mature enough to behave and engage in the same activities as adults do.

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