Toddlers And Tiaras: The Banning Of Beauty Pageants

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.

Beauty comes in a variety of different shapes and sizes. The perception of beauty are endless. Whether it is a tall blonde with blue eyes or the waist size. Around the world beauty is idolized differently; just like one’s mind. Pageants have force a view on beauty that can cause women emotional detriment to women and portrays beauty to be more artificial that natural.

Some people come to think that there is absolutely nothing positive to come from beauty pageants, but they are so wrong. In “Child Beauty Pageants Have Good and Bad Points Parents Should Consider Before Competing”, it brings out the point that “Children learn to be comfortable in front of crowds due to pageants.” This is so true. To perform at a top level, kids must be able to lose the fear of being in front of large crowds and this is what pageants promote. Pageants also have many advantages: scholarships, letters of recommendation, and name recognition. These opportunities are only three of many that relate directly to life in the future. These beauty pageants also relate to sports more than you know. In article 3 it explains, “Contestants must have the will power to eat properly and stay in healthy but also, top physical shape to perform their best.” This lesson can be used all throughout life. You have to work hard for what you want, and if

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.

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

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.

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].

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

Despite the obvious disadvantages, some opponents claim that child beauty pageants is one of the most important ways, who can learn child's self-confidence. Moreover, dependability as adults, we know the significance of being convinced in kids abilities. Having a healthy standard of self-confidence helps them achieve their target, make connection with others, and several other things. Constructing confidence starts at a young age and kids beauty competition are a great vehicle for children to begin constructing self-confidence (Clark, 2011). However, child beauty pageants should banned because of the risks which affect the children in many ways. In addition, this kind of competitions may seem frolic and wonderful from the outside, but it is

Claiming that these contests help foster a participants' self-esteem by encouraging them to create a better version of themselves intellectually, personally, and physically. It also empowers them to achieve their personal and professional goals, and also provides a forum where they are encouraged to express their opinions, talent, and intelligence (“Beauty Pageants” 5). Furthermore, agreeing that the ideals personified by pageant contestants create positive messages that all young women can aid from (“Beauty Pageants” 2). Carolyn Wade, director of the Miss Black Muskogee pageant, claims that the emphasis on social causes offers contestants a chance to work towards bettering their community (“Beauty Pageants” 5). A former pageant contestant, Jennifer Trujillo. states the benefits she gained "I developed a thick skin. I had interview experience. I knew how to handle people who were fake, ambitious, and out to win. I could deflect negativity and work as a part of a team. I loved people and learning about new things" (Trujillo 3). Child beauty pageant supporters' arguments are relatively similar. Acquiring confidence, learning to be comfortable around strangers, gaining poise, determining the best way to present oneself, realizing the need for practice, learning good sportsmanship, becoming more outgoing, and learning to listen. Some parents even use pageants as a way to adjust their children to the

Fabulous makeup, glamorous hair, and beautiful outfit, this is what embodies pageantry. Today, Beauty pageants are not only based on beauty but the contestants aspirations. Modern pageants,are for the most “scholarship pageants” in which the winning participant receives money to continue or pay off their higher education. Child Beauty pageants have become very popular in the entertainment world with shows being created to display the bizarreness and extremities of pageant culture. Although many believe child beauty pageants are used to build a child's self confidence, they have, in fact, been achieving opposite results by focusing their priorities on the appeal of superficial beauty, implementing young girls into a “sexualized culture”, and

To outsiders, the world of beauty pageants can seem like a perfect utopian universe where all children are beautiful and the contestants’ live perfect lives of luxury, however, the reality is generally totally different. On reality shows like ’Toddlers & Tiaras“, children are withdrawn from their childhood by undergoing what seem like insane measures to get to the top. Often the contestants don’t even have a choice whether or not to participate, that decision is made by their parents’. The contestants should have a choice whether they are going to participate in the competition or not. Beauty pageants should become banned as they can cause behavior changes, can be harmful and they are dangerous.

To begin, beauty pageants are not equal to female adolescents. For example, according to the article "If You 're Pretty and You Know It, Stay Away From Beauty Pageants," “It’s ridiculous to have dozens of girls strut around half naked,” especially considering that “girls who don’t win go away thinking they’re not pretty enough and that’s not the case,” (Kamya). When a girl exposes herself, she is very vulnerable and thinking they are skinny or pretty enough to win, but that gets crushed when her name is not announced when they say the winner’s name. The article also states, “...African girls go through hell to straighten our hair when South American and European girls have beautiful long hair… add blue, grey, or green eyes, and the odds are already favoring certain races, so to lump women from different

When girls participate in pageants, they seem to break out of their shell. When the French Senate set a ban on child beauty pageants, many people were disappointed. Maud Chevelier, who started pageant in France in 2001, was extremely upset by the cap on age for beauty pageants. Chevelier tells The New York Times that she did not allow contestants to wear over 1.4 inch heels, makeup, hair extensions, or swimsuites. The dresses also needed to be below the knee. The idea of these natural pageants in France was good in theory, but, similar to America, the idea took a turn for the worst. People wanted more and more, and the big, glitz like, pageants started popping up all over France. She never thought that the pageants in France would grow so big. Chevelier, in an interview mentions that, “Children fight against stage fright by wearing a princess dress,” she said. “In our contests,” she also said, “girls are princesses for a day, they make friends with others.” ("French Senate Approves Ban on Pageants for Young Girls."). Maud Chevelier feels that girls can become more confident on stage, and make new friends through pageants and related activities. Chevelier definitely has a point, arguing that children gain confidence, but that is not always a good thing. Overconfidence can lead to kids thinking they are better than others, and provokes problems in the future involving co-workers and working with others. Overconfidence also

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.