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What are the implications of beauty pageants on women
What do both positive and negative effects of beauty pageants have in common
What do both positive and negative effects of beauty pageants have in common
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Breaking News! A virus spreads like wildfire in the United States. Symptoms include tears, tantrums, and fits. This syndrome has been directly correlated with the participation of child beauty pageants. The Princess Syndrome still is being researched heavily. However, it is easy to identify. If you see a girl under the age of 10 with bleached hair, waxed eyebrows, fake nails, fake teeth (also known as flippers), an artificial tan, and/or provocative dresses she is most likely infected. Extreme beauty pageants are negatively impacting young girls in multiple ways. Children that partake in these beauty pageants are injected with an older look. In a “glitz” pageant girls spend hours getting ready for their performances. Things such as, fake hair …show more content…
It is truly sad that teenagers have to worry about this, more or less children. Girls in these beauty pageants have came to the impression that if they do not win they are ugly or fat. Pageants like these basically send the message if you are pretty, you win. This deteriorates little girls self esteem. “My daughter was in tears as she did not win and wondered why the judges didn’t think she was pretty.” Making young girls believing they failed. (Child Beauty Pageants give young girls the wrong impression) Beauty pageants cause not only emotional but mental harm to innocent girls. Body image problems set in when girls find the desire to be thin, this hobby gives girls that desire. Pageants have been proven to leave girls with more than just a crown. For instance when Brooke Breedwell, a former pageant star, spoke on ABC’s Good Morning America. Breedwell claimed that, “...pageants left her with stress, anxiety, and the feeling that she needed to be perfect.” (Qtd. in Lindsey) These young women are expected to perform perfectly, every time. “5 Reasons Beauty Pageants are Bad for Kids,” claims they are too young to even be able to say no, and when they can say no they are forced to do it anyways. (The Week Staff) This causes young girls to have unneeded weight on their
Children of any age are very impressionable and research has been to conclude that the “social acts of a person in later life are a direct correlation of the social network they grew up in,” (Cairns, 2010) Child beauty pageants damage the child’s health, for it can cause cognitive, physical, and psychological problems to the child (American Psychological Association, 2010). According to American Psychological Association, young girls are becoming sexualized in the media and have found that women who have participated in beauty pageants as a child were 39% more likely to suffer from an mental disorder; 28% are currently living with an eating disorder (APA, 2010). William Pinsof, a clinical psychologist and president of the Family Institute at Northwestern University states, “Being a little Barbie doll says your body has to be a certain way and your hair has to be a certain way. In girls particularly, this can unleash a whole complex of destructive self-experiences that can lead to eating disorders and all kind...
Beauty pageants that involve children are a booming industry and growing fast in popularity. This is partially because of television shows like Toddlers and Tiaras and Living Dolls, which glorify pageants that threaten the innocence of childhood. According to Lucy Wolfe, “in 2011, three million children participated in pageants across the country” (454). With so many children, some as young as six months old, partaking in pageants and countless more aspiring to be pageant princesses, a closer look needs to be taken at the practices that are used to prepare them for the show. Often working long hours, not only prepping for the pageant but also performing in it, the children have no laws protecting them from being harmed or exploited.
Two words: reality TV. We’ve all been there before watching endless hours of personal drama and documentary shows that never cease to be jaw dropping hilarious to downright shocking. But did you ever think that a reality TV show would display all the horrors behind all the glitz and glamor? Toddlers and Tiaras a child pageant reality TV show, displayed to the world what families will do to get the title of “Ultimate Grand Supreme”. Vernon R. Wiehe in the article “Nothing Pretty In Child Pageants” argues about the damage that child pageants could do to the kid that is participating in them. I agree with Wiehe that there is really nothing beautiful about child pageant’s in the way that nothing in pageant’s seems age appropriate for a young child,
Villines, Zawn. "The Effects of Beauty Pageants and Cutest Baby Contests on Children."GoodTherapy.org, Therapy Blog, Beauty Pageants and Children: It’s Not Always Pretty. Good Therapy, 15 Nov. 2012. Web. 22 Feb. 2014.
"The Health Risks of Child Beauty Pageants." Aol.on. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 May 2014. .
When one looks back at their childhood, what pops into their head? For most people their response would be playing with dolls, going outside, or having sleepovers, but for others that isn’t reality. Britney, an eight-year old girl from California, spent her childhood getting Botox and competing in child beauty pageants. According to her mother, Britney had been complaining about wrinkles and agreed to trying Botox. This sounds absolutely crazy, but it is not uncommon. Over 250,000 kids participate in beauty pageants each year (Lindsey). These children, who start competing as early as age 2, are being judged on their looks, capability, perfection, and confidence. The controversies over these pageants have erupted in the past few years because of TLC’s reality show, Toddlers and Tiaras (Nussbaum). Many believe it is not right for young children to parade around on stage wearing make-up and inappropriate clothing, while others believe it builds confidence in children. Despite what people who are pro child beauty pageants say, these pageants can have major effects on the kids participating in them. One may argue that these girls gain much more than they lose, but in the end the negative affects far outweigh the positives.
Grosaru, Lucia. Toddlers and Children Beauty Pageants – Risk Factors for Severe Psychological Turmoils. 08 June 2011. Web. 02 Mar. 2012. .
These pageants led to physical and mental abuse to the child. Children being forced to participate in beauty pageants are usually faced with problems like disorders being bulimic, anorexic, and mental stability. Thinking that you have to be “perfect” in body and soul, as well as believing that you need to live up to an unrealistic image. The future outcomes of the child can led to bullying. It created problems of social interactions, thinking that they are better than everyone else and that beauty pageants are just like the real world, which could lead them to loneliness and isolation later in life.
Fake hair, false teeth, spray tans, and waxed eyebrows are just a few things that some of these girls have when preparing to compete. The competition consists of young girls competing for the crown of beauty. Attention starved moms put their daughters in older aged attire and layer them up with makeup and glam to compete for the winning title. The judges pick for the most beautiful girl wins the title, a sparkly crown, a trophy, and cash. Even though beauty pageants teach children to compete, child pageants are affecting children’s childhood because the children grow up faster than they should and it teaches young girls that their true beauty doesn’t exist and they should dress and act older to make people think they are beautiful.
" 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 ... ...
According to the article “Child beauty Pageants should be eliminated.” Beauty pageants increase the percent of eating disorders in girls who participate in these pageants which is not healthy for these girls especially at such a young age. In result of these girls forming a habit of starving themselves they grow up
So in the end, they may not be terrible. I do not think little kids should be allowed to do pageants, but when they are older and know better it is okay. We have talked about pros and cons and whys and woes and why pageants should be banned and whether or not they are exploitative or beneficial. So the question still remains; Are beauty pageants harmful or beneficial to young children? Who is to say whether or not they are good or bad? Maybe one day down the road, all these tiny tots that are doing pageants now will grow up to be doctors and lawyers and help for greater good.
"The Princess Syndrome,” is a fairy tale. Unrealistic expectations to be thin, physically beautiful, and perfect are at the heart of some disordered eating behaviors and body dissatisfaction. Scant research has been conducted to see if former pint-sized beauty pageant participants are more likely to suffer from eating disorders, but a small study published in 2005 showed that former childhood beauty pageant contestants had higher rates of body dissatisfaction.” (Cartwright, Martina) Most girls who have eating disorders have a tie to a belief learned at an early age to achieve physical for perfection whether it be in a sport, talent, or attractiveness. In situations such as this, education often is placed on the back burner. “Just the other day, a popular dance show featured adults candidly admitting that they encourage activity over education. When confronted, devotees said, "My daughter loves it." Or, "Ask her if she likes doing it!" 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
Do beauty pageants really help girls find their inner beauty or do they just change into faulty beauty queens? Looking deeply into what these competitions really create out of a person, anyone can quickly find that the contestants aren’t all rainbows and butterflies. In fact, it’s the complete opposite. Pageantry changes some girls for the better, but can also change them for the worse. Young girls should not participate in beauty pageants because they apply too much pressure by judging females based mostly on their physical appearance and can cost up to thousands of dollars.
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?