The thought of raising a child and having the child ripped away, especially murdered, is a very hard thought to take in. Having the weight of a guilty conscience on top of the pain is an even worse thing to think about. Its hard to imagine that being a reality, but it was exactly what John Ramsey and his family had to face in 1996 when their six-year-old daughter JonBenet was murdered after being displayed in the pageant world. Being on that stage was the very thing that brought Ramsey to her killers’ attention. The world of pageants is a dangerous place, not only in respect to safety, but also in respect to negatively affecting the children’s futures by teaching them damaging qualities. There are benefits to children being involved in pageants, but the bad seems to outweigh the good. In today’s society, some see sexualizing children at such young ages are beneficial for them because they gain confidence and poise, but they indeed are impacting their futures in harmful ways by teaching them to be disobedient and have bad attitudes, inviting predators and phedophiles in, and exploiting their young bodies. The financial burden that pageants bring can really put an abundance of stress on the parents. After the shocking death of Ramsey, the High-Glitz portion of the pageant world surprisingly skyrocketed. Today it is now worth over $5 billion (Blue). With prices of everything today rising, this is not surprising news. The prices of new dresses, shoes, makeup, hair, spray tans, and even flippers (false teeth for young people to cover their always changing mouths) can really add up, not to mention the costs of pageants coaches to teach the kids the perfect way to walk and wave (Woolf 3). Regulars like Alana Thompson (aka Honey... ... middle of paper ... ...take the outcome. As Audrey Hepburn once said, “For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone.” Keeping that in mind, no matter what kind of competition you compete in, the effort that you put out should make you a more rounded and fulfilled individual. Our attempts, no more what direction we pursue, should help us to become the person that we want and strive to be. We always must keep in mind that although we do not win every time, our attitude in the outcome demonstrates what we feel on the inside. Accepting loss humbly is a strong character trait in anybody, and hopefully we can express that when we are caught in those situations. So anyone considering pageantry, remember that winning the crown is not necessarily the most important aspect.
Recent female contestants they will understand the dangers of pageants and become more aware of what they need to do to protect themselves. Some will not care and believe it will not happen to them, that they are the one who can survive in the game. Economic classes are spoken to; upper class all they see is the glitter and trophies so they go to the extreme to go for the prizes of thousands of dollars and don’t care about what they need to do in order to get it. “Parents, many of whom have only modest incomes, pay for high-glitz coaches ($50 to $100 an hour), high-glitz photographers ($300 per session, with $150 for retouching), high-glitz wig makers ($150 to $175 a pop), and high-glitz spray tanners ($25 per pageant)”(Hollandsworth). Middle class they don’t see it as you have to have money to do it they can do just as good as those who have lots of money and do it better. Fans who support the pageant will consider how they perceive the girl as the model and perform their talents on
In 2009, TLC aired a reality television show entitled Toddlers and Tiaras. It was instantly a hit with home viewers and also brought major controversy over child beauty pageants. The show focused mainly on glitz pageants; which requires all contestant, however young, to compete with make-up, spray tans, acrylic nails and revealing costumes. Many, such as I were entertained at first with the pint size Barbie dolls; however after watching a couple episodes, controlling stage moms and toddler melt downs reveal that glitz beauty pageants are nothing less than objectification and exploitation of young girls. Beauty pageants not only exploit children but are detrimental to the child’s physical, emotional and psychological health.
Many mothers who allow their children to participate in beauty pageants would argue that performing in the pageants isn’t as stressful and serious as the television shows portray them. In fact, “the pageant industry promotes this idea by advertising pageants as family affairs that are great for a child’s self-esteem and poise” (Wolfe 445). Also, in an article written by Lise Hilbodt-Stolley, a mother of a pageant princess stated “that while pageants may be ‘politically incorrect’ they are drug, alcohol and gang free” (3). However, many parents push their children to win because they are either greedy for the money and fame that accompanies a win, or are living through their young children because of their own feelings of inadequacy. These same parents who are blinded by the possibility of their baby...
It’s pathetic how these parents live through their children. Every parent says they allow their child to decide if they want to compete. But these are the same parents who say their daughter has been in pageants since she was in diapers! So how did she voice her opinion then? I have been watching clips of the “Toddlers And Tiaras” and just about every mother says, “Yes I am very competitive I want to do good at everything I do!” Why is this when they aren’t the ones competing. Jordan’s (a child on Toddlers and Tiara’s) mother said “Yes I’m very competitive, when my daughters on stage she represents a product of me.” Or the one parent who said they see pageants as a great investment. How disgusting. Not only are these little girls exploited, but also it’s usually for the parents benefit. Ther...
Until the death of 6-year-old beauty queen Jonbenet Ramsey, the child pageant circuit was never fully recognized on a national scale. In the past 17 years, many shows have attempted to give the country a glimpse into the the life of a child beauty queen, however, they are quite over dramatic. Although some sources of media may mislead a viewer to believe the child pageant system is exploitive and sexualizes the young contestants, research shows the decisions of some parents are truly to blame, not the pageants themselves.
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?"
It was the day after Christmas in 1996 when 6 year old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey was murdered, she was found with a skull fracture and there was evidence of sexual molestation. The investigation is still unsolved and ongoing but it is thought that her prominence in the local pageant circuit made her an obvious target for child predators (Bio., 2011). Child beauty pageants are pageants in which the contestants are under the age of 16, many of the participants start performing when they’re as young as a few months old and continue doing pageants until adulthood. Underage beauty pageants have been around for over 50 years, and have now become a common hobby and are most commonly found in the South. While these competitions have gained popularity
Her mom loves that Brooklyn is active in pageants but hates how much it cost. Pageants are very expensive. They have an entry fee, three categories all needed different outfits and all the accessories.
Look at her as she trots on stage with her lively curls and perfectly applied make up to match her petite fitting dress. She is only a toddler and has being participating in pageants since birth. Most beauty pageants are for young girls stretching from the ages of 3 months until the age of 18. They are entered to participate in contests that judge them on how well they appear, communicate, and perform in front of an audience. Young girls are being placed in clothing that is overly provocative for them to be wearing at such a young age. The main goal in this paper is to show the immoralities of the pageant industry that young girls are participating in.
According to Good Morning America show, the average cost of a pageant dress is $1,000 and some cost as much as $5,000. Also the entry fees for pageants typically cost $100 or $200. Also some pageants require contestants to wear several outfits, which can raise the price even further. Lastly, the high cost travel expenses that the parents will have to pay. And let’s not forget about the money they’ll have to pay for makeup experts, trainers to teach the child how to move and act and doctor’s appointment if the child has pimples or not aligned tooth. So, the average cost the parents will pay is not going to be less than
" 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 ... ...
...mpeting in beauty pageants, there are also significant and potentially harmful drawbacks to these extracurricular activities. They contribute to individual and cultural perceptions that winning is the only important thing in life, they compound the risk of children developing emotional and psychological issues around their self-esteem and body image, and they enable the objectification and sexualization of young girls. These children by definition lack the ability to advocate for themselves, and thus depend on their parents to make healthy decisions on their behalf. With the growth of the child beauty pageant industry, and the large influx of revenue thanks to shows like “Toddlers and Tiaras,” the question of whether a significant number of parents who involve their children in these competitions will be able to set and enforce healthy boundaries remains unresolved.
...le do thing that they do is a good way to prepare for such a career.” In the end, pageants have their good ways and their bad ways. Some parents put their kids in pageants to prove that they are better than others, but other parents do it for their kids to make lifelong friends. (Cromie, 2000)
...nd do not take it farther than they have. (Palmero). Winners of pageants go on a year long parade, showing of the title they so proudly won, along the way they show the confidence, recognition and communication skills they gained. The purpose of beauty pageants is to find ones personality, their own strengths and weakness as a person, gain confidence and raise their self-esteem, and prove to people that it is not impossible to have beauty and brains.
" Money, ratings and attention fuel the pageant/dance media machine, with parents and adults reaping the benefits. Purpose of Child Beauty Pageants For these young pageant girls, brains before beauty is not the case. Real-world priorities such as schooling, family, and friends are trumped by tiaras, makeup, and evening gowns. More value is often placed on being beautiful in the eyes of the judges, than on each girl’s individuality.