Beauty Contests Are Bad For Body Image

Beauty Contests Are Bad for Body Image

Many children and adults often compete in beauty pageants regularly. Beauty contests physically harm the individuals who compete in them, “Self-esteem is damaged as they lose touch with what it means to be naturally beautiful” (Bahl 3). Young girls and women should not always have to think that they need to be dressed up or have tons of make up on. Individuals need to know that everyone is beautiful and competing in pageants lead them to think otherwise.

Beauty contests are supposed to be fun, but they actually harm the contestants more than being fun.

Contestants expect a fun experience, but when it is over, individuals suffer from some unsafe effects. Beauty contests hurt more contestants than they help. It is stated that “nearly six participants have suffered from depression” (Bahl 3) in one contest. Suffering from depression at any age is hard, but young children who grow up thinking they are repulsive because they did not win. If beauty pageants want more contestants and

want to be fun for all individuals, they should give some sort of prize away to every contestant. The prize would keep the individual from thinking that they are bad-looking. Many parents believe that beauty contests are beneficial for their children. Beauty contests do allow children to show their talent and it helps boost their confidence level. Confidence does help individuals compete, but it can also make them conceited and believe they are better than everyone else competing. Pageants allow children to communicate with other children and adults to improve and become better at talking and presenting. They are also confidence boosters because the overall winner gets a prize. Although, contests have their pros and cons, they are more harmful than they help.
Beauty contests have several effects that can last a life time. Children should be able have fun at a beauty contest. However, by the end of the contest most contestants are upset and depressed because they did not get a prize. Depression sticks with an individual for a long time. Losing one contest and becoming depressed will affect the way the individuals compete the next time, because they will try to outdo the other contestants. These contests also affect the way the individuals will live their life. After competing in multiple beauty contests, it is hard for the contestants to see themselves in a positive way without make up or being dressed up. Participants should not think the only way to look pretty is with excessive amounts of makeup and fancy clothes. Beauty contests limit the child’s freedom of how they look. Beauty contests have many disadvantages for the contestants and harm them in the long run.
As mentioned before, beauty contests have advantages and disadvantages.

There are many benefits of participating in pageants; one of them is to help individuals overcome shyness (Wright 1). Many young children are shy and will not talk to many people. Beauty contests allow them to talk to the other contestants and judges, which in the process, help them make new friends. Also, beauty contests are considered a confidence builder for young girls and women (Why Enter Beauty Pageants 2). The event is held in front of an audience of friends and strangers (Why Enter Beauty Pageants 2). Holding contests in front of an audience allows the individuals to showcase what they have been practicing. Win or lose, the fact that she participated is enough to lift her spirts and her confidence (Why Enter Beauty Pageants 2). Even though there are multiple skills that are beneficial to the contestant, the disadvantages still play a bigger role in the individuals’

life.
From research, it seems that the vote for beauty competitions is even. Pageants may help the contestant with communication skills and how well they put their self out there, but they are very destructive to the body. For instance, seeing the models on the live beauty contests broadcasted on television, makes individuals think that throwing up, over exercising, and getting plastic surgery is the right thing to do (Beara 3). Young children growing up with surroundings like this make them believe that is the way they have to be in order to compete, however every woman is beautiful in their own way, if she can just be herself (Beara 3). If these competitions were judged based on skill or ability, it would be fair, however they are not only judged based on that anymore. The contestants are no longer just judged by their inner beauty, “but nowadays people judge them for their outer appearance,” which makes them believe they have to wear make up all the time (Beara 3). It should be judged by their inner beauty, as well. Some people have the best hearts and try but they lose because someone else looks better than them, which is not right. Beauty contests degrade women and young girls to mere objects (Beara 3).
Many young women and children compete in pageants often, however they are unhealthy to the body. In some cases, it causes women to go into depression, makes them think they are only pretty if they wear makeup; basically they degrade them as individuals. Children and women should be able to live their life knowing they are beautiful in their own way, not by just the way the judges see them, Just like any other contest, beauty contests have advantages and disadvantages, but they hurtful to the contestant.