Trophy Babies

1840 Words4 Pages

Child beauty pageants have been a part of American society since the 1960’s. These pageants consist of modeling swimwear, evening attire, dance and talent. The young children entered in the pageants are judged on perfection, confidence, capability and looks. Judges would call this “the complete package.” Children are divided into different age groups to make the pageants fair. They are guided by there parents who spend well over 200 dollars for the pageants. Money is spent on fake nails, hair extensions, makeup, clothing, eyebrow waxing, and anything else their parents are willing to do to make their child the best looking. Keep in mind that these little girls range from ages 1-12. The issues with these pageants are that these extremely young girls are beginning to compare themselves to other “prettier” girls, which leads to negative effects in the future. The beginning of the psychological problems starts with what the girls are being judged on. The first area they are judged on is the interview. This is one of the most important parts of the competition, and takes place in all pageants. The girls either talk one on one with the judges or they talk with all the judges at once. A sample question would be Why do you want this title? The girls are judged on the intelligence of their answers. They are also judged on their personality and how much confidence they have when speaking. The second area is talent. The contestants have to either sing, dance, or do something unique that requires talent. They are judged on how well they can perform these talents. Confidence also plays a roll in this area of the pageant. They have to show plenty of confidence and courage when performing in front of the audience and judges. Talent is used t... ... middle of paper ... ...and Beauty Pageants". Article Doctor. Nov 22, 2009 http://www.articledoctor.com/eating-disorders/eating-disorders-and-beauty-pageants---short-stories-on-eating-disorders-and-beauty-pageants-2150. Grosaru, Lucia. "The Psychology Corner". Nov 22, 2009 http://psychologycorner.wordpress.com/page/2/. Hills, Tammy. "Beauty Pageants". Socyberty. Nov 22, 2009 . Inbar, Michael. "Parenting and Family". msnbc. Nov 22, 2009 . Nussbaum, Kareen. "Children and Beauty Pageants". Paul Petersen. Nov 22, 2009 . Researchgirl. "The Ugly Side of Children Beauty Pageants". Associated Content. Nov 22, 2009 ttp://www.associatedcontent.com/article/870503/the_ugly_side_of_children_beauty_pageants_pg2_pg2.html?cat=69>.

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