The History Of Beauty Pageants

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,

Significance: In regards to the significance of these claims, the examination of how women are objectified spans a wide spectrum from appearance to persona. To hone in on this, the reading “No More Miss America” provides clear evidence as to why beauty pageants are a negative influence

“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

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.

The tradition of a contest of beauty among women has been around for hundreds of years, but the origins of Miss America come from Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1921. In the years preceding, women's rights were emerging and restrictions against the public display of a women were lightened. With the goal of increased profits, the Businessmen's League of Atlantic City planned several events to keep vacationers interested past Labor Day, calling the Fall Frolic. Among the events was a contest of beautiful women in bathing suits. On September 8th, 1921, an audience of 100,000 crowded the boardwalk to witness this event. This winner of this contest selected by a panel of judges was a sixteen-year-old Margaret Gorman who was awarded one hundred dollars

Vulnerable girls can get the incorrect message sent out from the media and pageants; leaving the girls insecure and embarrassed of their body and face. Megan Seely stated in her article “Is the Miss America Pageant Good or Bad for Women?” that “We cannot ignore the negative and harmful impacts of this event has on thousands of women of all ages who struggle to find their

Many Children are actively involved in beauty pageants, and many people have different opinions about them. Some feel that they are good for kids, others think that all they do is harm them. Opinions vary from person to person, and reasoning also varies. But, the real question is “Do child beauty pageants harm kids in the long run?” What comes to mind when the words “child beauty pageants” are spoken? What some people think about them are, crazy moms pushing their daughters to win, and little girls dressing up to look like Barbie dolls. What these people do not see is that beauty pageants teach girls to be confident and independent.

Participants have to consider their mental state and make sure they are ready, and their bodies have to be ready to be in the competition wear. These women hold goals for themselves and some have goals to help their communities. Doing the competitions are a excellent place for their goals to be fostered and for them to grow. In a personal account by, Sabrina Nooruddin, she aims to change pageants view of beauty. She says in her article “Last June I competed in a pageant that was specifically designed for women under 5’5 tall thus giving an equal opportunity for young women to become role models and promote their platforms.” She ended up winning the competition and spoke about her beliefs about beauty being different from one perceived image. The last thing people commonly overlook is the confidence the participants

The Miss America Pageants are a perfect example of the “American Dream” standard that the beauty industry was trying to promote. “The history of beauty contests tell us much about American attitudes toward physical appearances and women’s expected roles … legitimiz(ing) the Cinderella mythology for women, to make it seem that beauty is all a woman needs for success… ” The Miss American Pageants were a contest for women to show off their looks and compete against other women to win the “best to comply to right now’s beauty standards” crown. To really see how people were reacting to The Miss America Pageants, we must look at the Miss America Pageant protests of 1968. When of all ages lined the streets of Atlantic City to protest the pageant, they carried around “posters deploring “the degrading mind-less-boob-girlie symbol” and insisting that they only “free” woman is “the woman who is no longer enslaved by ludicrous beauty standards ”. They would go on to compare the pageants to the “…cattle at county fairs and human slaves being auctioned ”. Women were literally lining up to be judged upon their looks for some money. These pageants emulated the “American Dream,” or the America the Capitalist Society, and they had people watching these as entertainment.

Today’s generation of children has grown up with makeup, fake nails, and spray tans (Baik). It is not acceptable for children to be pressured to be an adult when they should be having fun, like a child. According to American express of PBS, “A beauty pageant was first considered a form of entertainment in the city of Troy” (Shabanov). The first child’s beauty pageant began in the 1960s, and it was very different than they are today. The pageants were for teenagers from ages 13 to 17, but were they discontinued in 1966. They started back up in 1975 and have continued on since. Now, children can start pageants at the age of 12 months. At the children’s pageants they started to model sportswear and evening wear and were encouraged to dance and display a unique talent. The judging is based on variables such as poise, confidence, perfection, personality, and appearance; modern pageants

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 claim "oh, we're building character" and "we're letting girls feel beautiful". Being pampered with makeup masks only hides everything that defines them as a women. If pageants are the only way for girls too feel beautiful, that's going against everything we're teaching the youth. They teach kids that beauty is on the outside and not the inside. Judging off of every thing visually, simply does every thing but build character, but breaks down their confidence and self-esteem. Glorifying everything visually causes women to focus on every thing but the things which will stick with them much after their glory days, like their

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

     Beauty pageants first originated in Atlantic City. It was a marketing tool to make tourists stay in town longer (Banet-Weiser). News struck about this beauty pageant and the local news paper headlined “The next Miss America”. As beauty pageants grew popular, a Little Miss America was

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.