Jonbenet Research Paper

Julia decided to conform to the new style that she saw on the Miss America Pageant. She shaved her legs and straightened her hair to look more “American” (Alvarez 92-93). Julia changed her appearance to hide the fact that she was an outsider and this cosmetic change made her fit in better. Since she began watching the beauty pageant, she watched the contestants have careers like being a lawyer or an accountant. This gave her hope that she could do something besides being raised to be a housewife (Alvarez 95). She was able to get through having to change her looks, knowing she could someday have a

The article “Toddlers in Tiaras” by Skip Hollandsworth discusses the beauty pageant industry and its harmful effects in the young girls who participate. He gives many examples of beauty pageant contestants. He describes their appearances and attitudes which seem to match those of adult women. Specifically, he refers to 6-year-old Eden Wood who is commonly known from the reality television show Toddlers & Tiaras. The author describes how Eden’s personal stylist does her hair, makeup, and touches up her spray tanned body with bronzer before a pageant (Hollandsworth 490). I believe that the intended audience for this article is the mothers of these young girls and anyone in the public he can convince. Hollandsworth uses a couple aspects of Toulmin and they are rebuttal and qualifiers.

Based on Newschannel 3’s interview with the Battle Creek Police, the young woman’s whereabouts before her death are still unclear. What is known is that she went to a certain clinic on Tuesday to have an abortion and turned up dead at Bronson Battle Creek four day later, WWMT News reports.

Corrin-Are you kidding me? I wanted that crown from the start. I did everything possible to get good grades so I could be the queen. I meant, I am not saying that Laura is not pretty or whatever is just that she was a new girl this year and she got to be the queen, and is not fair. I was doing everything to ruin Laura’s big day so I could be the queen because I was the runner up.

Hollandsworth opens the article giving us a prime example of a six-year-old Eden Wood preparing for her pageant. He begins with her normal routine of a beauty pageant by her makeup artist starting with the color of her lipstick to the way her hair is teased. “Then she turns to Eden’s hair-except it’s not Eden’s hair. A long blond fall, full of curly ringlets, is attached to the back if the little girls head…” (Hollandsworth 490) The author gives the reader a sense of what he is sees while this six-year-old is made into a grown woman. The way he describes the amount of makeup being put on gives the reader an image of a toddler with a grown woman’s face. He then goes onto describe the dress she is put in; like what the other contestants wear.

As mentioned previously, child beauty queens are often found with makeup, and outfits that are to seductive for young children. As well as this, children may also be posed in semi-sexulaized positions for photoshoots. Due to this, many child predators are using that as an excuse, as Elizabeth Day writes, "We do know that predators or paedophiles continually tend to justify their interest in children by saying children are sexual beings. That children are now given a channel to become little Lolitas, to be portrayed as older, to almost become mini adults--these are all trends that give legitimacy to that kind of thinking" (Day). Because of some of the clothing that parents are allowing their children to wear, predictors are using it as an excuse for their interest in young children. Unfortunately, in worst case scenario, the public may end up with a case like Jonbenet Ramsey’s. In an article, Billy Reed mentions Jonbenet Ramsey, a six year old beauty queen who was found sexually assaulted and murdered in the basement of her home in 1996 (Reed). Many have claimed that her assault had a connection to the pageants. While it is a likely possibility, the case remains closed to this day, so no one will know. Even while still alive, Jonbenet did not have a childhood. She often participated in competitions that forced children children to

“I heard his wife tied him in their cellar and suffocated him until he could no longer breathe. That way if he made any noise at all, no one would be able to hear him. And since he was found lying on a couch, she probably had thrown the body there to make it look like she didn’t do it. Made it look like a death of natural causes.”

One of the most devastating broadcasted stories of 1996 was that of “the brutal killing of pageant princess JonBenét Ramsey, 6” (Hewitt, and Bane). In the years following this tragedy, tabloids and informative television have had many different discussions about the horrifying killing of former child beauty queen JonBenét Ramsey. Does humanity really needs this type of news to intervene in what beauty pageants are doing to our children? Beauty pageants should be only intended for adults 18 year of age and over. Since it may affect children both, socially and psychologically.

There were also no witnesses in this theory, which makes this theory less

JonBenet Ramsey, Honey Boo Boo,: both famous child beauty pageant stars, both tragic outcomes. More common in the South, child beauty pageants have become a national and commercial spectacle. They put young girls in uncomfortable situations, while exploiting them unfairly. While not only providing a sense of pride and thrill for overbearing mothers everywhere, the people have found themselves watching these young girls parade around on TV. It has become a form of entertainment for Americans everywhere, spending long nights watching young girls scream and fight on TV’s Toddlers in Tiaras. Child beauty pageants are harmful to young girls due to the fact that they cause mental, emotional, and physical turmoil that will affect the contestants into adulthood.

Look at that innocent face! The layers of professional applied makeup, and the fluttering false lashes. Surreal video tapes have done no justice in the murder of John Benet’s death. Her battered body found deeply in the basement of her parents’ house has lead only to the confusion of the police and her parents (Glieck). Even though it’s appropriate for pre-teens to be in pageants, it’s not always appropriate for toddlers. It shouldn’t be all about winning the awards, wearing customized outfits, dramatic makeup, and the memorizing positions.

Beauty starlet Candice Bergen, herself the shallow antagonist in the Sandra Bullock movie Miss Congeniality, says: “People see you as an object, not as a person, and they project a set of expectations onto you. People who don't have it think beauty is a blessing, but actually it sets you apart” (Candice). Many little girls dream of the day when they can dress in their mother's clothes and put makeup on. Participating in beauty pageants allows this dream to come true. Claire Lindsey of Cal Poly Entertainment News notes that, “An estimated 250,000 children participate in child beauty pageants every year, and the number is only rising because of shows like Toddlers and Tiaras. The industry is now one of the largest growing businesses in America,

Young girls that participate in pageants will not lose self-esteem, but they will gain confidence. Most girls that are still in the adolescent part of life strive to gain the approval of others and the confidence that they need, whether that is from friends or family. A large majority of girls would openly admit that they feel better about themselves when they are wearing nice clothing and have their makeup done. Beauty pageants allow young girls to interact with other girls of the same age range and have an entire day of dressing to the best of their ability and getting on stage to show themselves off. The day is them imitating as closely as they can to the life of a princess. Even though only one girl at the pageant can actually win first place for the day all of the girls still get to display their beauty, talents, and intellect through onstage questions. The dedication it takes for a young girl to go through an entire day of changing and constantly putting on a show for judges proves that most girls participating want to be there and care about the competition. However, Morgan says, “While wanting parent’s approval is natural, coming out of a competition as runner-up – or with no that at all – can damage the child’s self-esteem” (1). A parent’s approval is important for a child, but not winning every competition does not destroy self-esteem. No matter what the competition is there is never more than one winner and this should be a lesson of how to improve for the next competition. One mother interviewed in, Pageant Princesses and Math Whizzes, states that “[n]o matter what profession or role my child chooses she will more than likely, at some point, need to be able to speak and conduct herself confidently in front of others-” (Levey 13). Pageants create a presence on and off the stage that will benefit the confidence of a young girl. One huge part of beauty pageants is how a girl handles

Mothers of pageant children claim that beauty pageants made their child more outgoing and more confident. Parents state that pageants were beneficial to their child, and helped them gain self-esteem. One interesting story involves a young girl who participated in pageants, but stopped in middle school. Mari Wilensky had been active in the pageant world in, and around, her hometown of Jacksonville Florida, but stopped so she could try new things in junior high. According to The Huffington Post by the time that Mari was 7 years old, she had won over 250 pageants and all she dreamed about was winning the title of Miss America when she grew up. Many people believed that Mrs. Cathy Wilensky, Mari’s mother, was pushing Mari to extremes to try and win the pageants. The mom and daughter appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show in 1991 to discuss Mari and her pageants. Many concerned fans tuned into the show to find out if Mari truly enjoyed pageants, or if it was just “pushy parenting”. Debi Atkins, an upset parent who appeared on the Oprah WInfrey Show in 1991, expressed her feelings of apprehension. Atkins claimed that Mari’s mother was forcing her into these competitions, but it turns out the passions was genuine. When Mari took a break from pageants, she became depressed and developed an eating disorder. The eating disorder seemed to be a result of a sort

Considering the context of the Miss America Pageant reflection by John Oliver in his satirical “news” program, his goal is to select a particular topic to deconstruct and discuss the inadequacies with a humoristic flair. The social climate from the early 20th Century introduction of the Miss America Pageant to current day is vastly different, and while the pageant evolved over the last 90 plus years, the basic tenets remain. Today’s woman is considered to be independent, strong, intelligent and the physical appearance is but a side note. However, the pageant maintains the focus on physical appearance, which to many is