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Forced perfection
Learn to embrace, and accept yourself, with all of your faults and imperfections. Even though pageants teach proper and civil behavior, toddlers shouldn’t be in pageants because it exposes the child to the public and forces them to grow up worried about their looks
Pageants are said to give a child the confidence to do things they normally wouldn’t. By allowing them to be in a pageant it is allowing the child to have confidence in themselves. It is allowing them to know that they have done a good job when they are announced a winner. Another example that shows that pageants teach confidence in the child is they have the courage to perform in front of many other people besides there family or friends. For example the child is to perfume speak and show a talent when they go on stage in front of many people. Most children at a young age
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It is not allowing them to having the time to sit back and be a child. Also, all the time that goes into pageants could be used to be a child like playing tag with other kids and running around and being happy and free. By having the child forced into being perfect and pretty, you are forcing them into not having a proper childhood. All in all this shows that a child being put in a pageant is forcing them growing up to quick.So it is clear that although pageants teach confidence in a child, toddler’s shouldn’t be in pageants for two main reasons. First, it exposes the child to the public. But most importantly, it is forcing them to grow up to fast. Learn to embrace, and accept yourself, with all of your faults and imperfection. So what if they say pageants teach confidence you have many other ways to express that. Pageants shouldn’t be the reason your child feels less about themselves or that they are judged by people who just worry about looks. Don’t allow pageants to expose the child to a hard life where they are forced to be something they are
At some point every single one of us was once an innocent child without a care in the world. The only thing that mattered was to make sure we had fun. There are many different things children do to have fun. Some children love to go outside and get dirty, others prefer to stay indoors and play pretend. Some girls love to play tea time or pretend to be princess. In some cases those pretend fantasies become true. Little girls get the chance to actually become a small little princess for a day. The only place that allows little girls to become a princess is at a child beauty pageant. Unfortunately throughout the years these pageants for little girls have been criticized and rejected by other people. There are many articles that discuss the reasons why child beauty pageants are rejected but there are also some that discuss the importance of them.
When I hear the word toddler I think of little girls walking around in mommy’s shoes, and miss matched clothing (because she’s getting to the age where she likes to dress herself.) And of course a cute smile that’s missing a few teeth. The word glitz, glamour and sashes don’t come to mind. Nor does the image of a little girl who’s fake from head to toe. Wearing wigs, flippers (fake teeth), inappropriate /reveling attire and fake tans. I don’t think of little girls dancing around a stage in front of hundreds of people getting judged on their “beauty.” Well, that is exactly what children’s pageants consist of. Pageants exploit a child for their outer beauty, their talents and over all perfection or as pageant judges would call it having” the whole package.” I bet pedophiles think the same thing and find these pageants very entertaining. And most of all, I don’t want to see a mother trying to live out her dreams through her three-year-old child.
Beauty pageants have caused an increase in mental and physical issues in young girls who participate. Participation and competition for a beauty prize where infants and girls are objectified and judged against sexualized ideals can have significant mental health and developmental consequences that impact detrimentally on identity, self-esteem, and body perception ("We must protect our kids from the catwalk of shame."). If young girls don't win, they might take it personally and get hurt feelings. The child might end up feeling unattractive or inadequate ("Child Beauty Pageants Pros and Cons.") which can lead to the development of disorders such as bulimia or anorexia. ("How Do Child Beauty Pageants Affect a Child's Development?") These are both eating disorders girls develop to lose weight excessively. Furthermore, the average BMI of a beauty pageant contestant as of 2010 is 18.3 (Beauty Pageant Statistics), which is classified as underweight...
These competitions normally give out prizes to the biggest winners which can include money. “Pageant winners earn college scholarships, cash – and those cherished sparkly tiaras...” (O’Neill 20). Toddlers can win amounts from $100 to $10,000 depending on how many participants there are and how large the pageant is. Most parents end up saving this money to put away for college for the child in her later years. Although these toddlers can win so much amounts of money, but the amount the parents spend to get into the pageant is much more. “her parents have spent more than $70,000 on her pageant career…Eden has won between $25,000 and $30,000 in prizes” (Lieberman 739). Beauty pageants also bring structure early on in a young girl’s life. Ashley Berry began entering pageants at the age of five and fell in love with it and she claims that it helped her stay structured and it made her become a well-poised lady (Morgan). As structured as these children may seem, many often become perfectionists and never find the best in themselves. An example would be Brooke Breedwell who was a child pageant contestant and she claims that she suffered from anxiety attempting to strive for perfection (Lieberman 740). Toddlers may gain low self-esteem which can carry on to their teenage
who have their children in beauty pageants say that their children gain confidence through performing. They also say that they are more prepared for life and will be more socially comfortable. They argue that their children mature at a younger age than "normal" children do. Why would any parent want their children to grow up any faster than they already do? Beauty pageants are not the only way that a child at such a young age can gain confidence.
Many children are involved in pageants, and many varieties of people have different opinions. Some people feel that they are good, others not so much. Opinions vary from person to person, and reasoning also varies. But, the real question for this topic is "are these pageants good for them in the long run?"
Although this may not be a scientifically proven fact it is understood that young children seem to start to learn and point out what they like and dislike about themselves early on in life. Being a child pageant star could be just what a child needs to develop that kick start to a healthy self-esteem. Highlighted in Elizabeth Day’s “Living Dolls” an eleven-year old girl named Chloe Lindsay was teased for being over-weight by her classmates. Even going as far as to tag her with the nickname “fat Barbie.” Day says due to bulling Chloe was put through daily, there were times when she would not want to leave the house, for fear of being picked on (34). Some may disagree and say that a child being in a child pageant knocks down their esteem to a whole new level. But for Chloe adding a bit of make-up and fake eyelashes was the best thing for her. It made her feel very pretty and gave her the confidence, she needed to go on stage (Day). When doing a pageant, children get to show off who he or she is in front of people that they have never seen before. This could be a child’s first experience with singing on stage with a real microphone and real people hearing them. No one should have a problem with children that want to try and sing and dance on stage. If a child has a well- build self-confidence it shows and it could be easier for him or her to make new friends. Being in pageants is a small network of girls and boys who participate in numerous events together, allowing these children to make friendships that can last
" In the end, children’s beauty pageants are essentially harmful to both young girls safety and minds. It may not happen to some, but most of the young girls that compete in beauty pageants seem to have a bit of an attitude towards their parents and other people who will not cooperate with them.... ... middle of paper ... ...
Pageants have been around for a long time. In the past, pageants were an interactive way for girls to display poise and to compete against each other in different categories. Nowadays pageants have transformed completely. Young girls are being treated and made up as if they were women or dolls. On the TLC show, Toddlers and Tiaras, we begin to see this trend happening. Girls as young as the age of two to fifteen months are being put into these pageants and are shown off to the world as “role models” to other children. The show starts off with a glimpse of the young girls’ lives. We see how they interact with their families and we get a feel for how they live. Most girls display all their trophies and how well they do in each pageant. All of these young girls display attitudes and throw temper tantrums throughout the show. Parents spend an enormous amount of money for each pageant on things like dresses and make up. Other children who watch “Toddlers and Tiaras” might be impacted due to being the...
On December 26, 1996, JonBenet Ramsey was found sexually abused and murdered in her parents’ home. Ramsey lived in Boulder, Colorado and was a six-year-old beauty pageant queen. The media showed video clips of JonBenet practicing for her pageants and the video clips disturbed many of the viewers. The videos showed her dancing around and blowing kisses while being dolled up in fancy makeup and revealing clothes. This image of a six-year-old shocked many viewers that had no idea what the pageant world was even about. “New York Times columnist Frank Rich called the repeated airing of the JonBenet beauty pageant clips "borderline kiddie porn” (“Child Beauty Pageants”). Some may believe that beauty pageants do benefit children, but in reality, the
Many young girls are forced to wear preposterous outfits and enormous amounts of makeup that deny them of their innocence at a young age. Beauty contests are meant more for adult women who are mature enough to understand all that’s going on and can handle losing competitions to the other contestants. Children should not be able to compete in pageants because of the harmful effects on self-confidence and character. Some people think they are good and some do not agree that they are good. (Leo, 2014)
Now let us know the other side of the story. Others argued that beauty pageants promote self-esteem. Facing other people is not easy. Only few are capable enough that can face the crowd with great confidence. It is indeed in beauty pageants that women gain confidence. It is in beauty pageants that allow women to be empowered. They are given the chance to meet other people. Meeting those new faces will boosts their confidence. It is in meeting those new faces and seeing people happy and proud on what they are doing on stage that they feel that they are given importance and they are idolize. It is also their time to show to others their hidden talents. It is in beauty pageants also that they want to prove to all that they can overcome their shyness in facing different types of people.
Beauty pageants have long been a form of entertainment, exhibiting beautiful women with ideal bodies competing with their talent and their looks. Many pageant moms involve their daughters in children’s pageants to help them improve their social skills, exercise their talents, and boost their self-esteem. Although the pageants may seem like harmless competition with benefits, research shows that they may be doing the young beauty queens more harm than good. “...the girls are receiving conflicting messages: In order to win, the girls must show a unique personality, but they must also act and dress in a hyper feminine manner and conform to the pageant world 's ideal standard of beauty and narrow set of conventions.” (University of Kansas,
“Three parents who were interviewed put their children into pageants because they have birth defects. ‘Her plastic surgeon thinks it’s wonderful because he sees parents hide their children with a facial defect,’ according to one mother, whose daughter has a cleft palate. ‘We don’t go for competition or for her to win. We go to meet other children and parents. We don’t want her to think she’s different, that she isn’t beautiful.” (Cromie). The main reason people participate in pageants is the benefit of gaining confidence. (Shappert). Parents enter their children into pageants when they are young so they can learn to be comfortable with who they are and meet many new people. (Cromie). The downside of placing a child into the pageantry world is that it can become very costly. Parents can spend hundreds up to even a thousand dollars just on the dress, this is not including the hair, nails, fake teeth and coaching, if the parent wishes to increase their chances of winning. (Cromie). Another disadvantage to putting young children or even young adults into pageants is that the thought of winning can get to their head. The competition can become too serious for them. On television shows like Toddlers and Tiaras children are often shown throwing tantrums when they do not win.
Pageants have a way of exploiting children by changing their looks and attitudes to make them more adult like and entertaining; dressing children in bikinis or provocative costumes just to be judged by how well they wear it and how pretty they are is demeaning and cruel. Children should not be taught that looks are everything and you get everything you want in life because when they're older it will be harder for them to accept reality. Imitating the fashion and looks of an adult is not how a child should grow up. A parent should want their child to grow up knowing that they are naturally beautiful and their personality and smarts can get them far in life rather than beauty beats brains, correct?