The Horrors Of Beauty Pageants

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].

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

For years, beauty pageants for young girls was considered a way to boost self-esteem in young girls. According to the article Child Beauty Pageants: What Are We Teaching Our Girls? in Psychology Today beauty pageants today have changed from the way they were years ago. Young girls now are being seen in outfits that are normally worn by adults and their faces are plastered in makeup. Some of these young girls grow up thinking that natural beauty is a thing of the pass and to be considered pretty you must have on a full face of makeup. According to Martina M. Cartwright the "The Princess Syndrome" as I like to call it, is a fairy tale. Unrealistic expectations to be thin,

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.

On the hit series television show Toddlers & Tiaras a ten year old, Aubrey Burgess, is shown preparing for her beauty pageant. During this clip, Aubrey first endures the pain of getting her eyebrows waxed, and received a small cut in the process. Aubrey’s mother, Tia, decides to continue with the spray tan regardless of the cut her daughter received. During her process of getting tanned, Aubrey winces in pain, stating that it hurts worse than a paper cut. The stylist and Tia turn to each other while laughing and say, “It hurts to be beautiful” (Rogan 2009). Children getting spray tanned are more commonly found in the “Glitz” pageants. Many other products that pageant moms use to “help” their child win the pageant, the FDA warns, can cause serious eye injury, or even blindness. Beauty pageants can do more harm than

“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,

According to Vernon R.Wiehe in “Nothing Pretty In Child Pageants” he states that allowing your child to be used as sexual objects condone pedophiles to sexually abuse children. (Vernon R. Wiehe) We are practically throwing these girls to the wolves. It’s pretty disturbing at the thought of someone in the crowd may be lusting over your child. For instance, in 1996 little JonBonet Ramsey, a six-year old beauty pageant winner was found dead. Twenty-one years later her murder resolves unsolved and many believe a predator could have killed her. The Ramsey case reveals how regressive notions of femininity and beauty are being deployed in this conservative era to fashion the fragile identities of young girls, but also how willingly adults will project their own fantasies onto children, even if it means selling them on the beauty block. Images of six-year-olds cosmetically transformed into sultry, Lolita-like beings are difficult for most of us to watch. (Henry A. Giroux). Beauty pageants rob the innocence of little girls who are not meant to be sexy.

Many pageant parents say that doing pageants help their child’s self esteem. How does not winning the beauty pageant boast a child’s self esteem? In fact many children start to cry after not winning a crown. Some even say they feel guilty or like they have let their parents down. The parents also get upset if their child loses. One mother admitted that after hearing her daughter won overall princess instead of overall queen, she stormed out, threw the crown on the ground and ran over it. I bet that did wonders for her child’s self esteem and taught her self-discipline (Lets not forget the crown was her daughters, and not hers to smash.) Not only do these children feel bad after not winning a crown but they are also being sent a very bad message. They are being taught that beauty is everything, and the more crowns you have the more beautiful you are. This is only going to hurt them when they get older and forced to realize nobody’s perfect, and looks

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.

Have you ever seen a toddler beauty pageant? These events began in the 1960’s and have been corrupting toddlers ever since. If you have ever seen TLC’s show Toddlers & Tiaras you know exactly what I am talking about. To become “beauty pageant material” these children have to go through intense makeovers and training including spray tans, flippers (fake teeth), teased hair, a face full of makeup, etc, all while they are screaming their heads off. When the toddlers are finally made up they look more like a high school student going to prom more than a four year old. It is hard to believe that these parents are too naive to see that these pageants are damaging their children both physically and mentally.

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

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

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.”

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.