Child Beauty Pageants: Beneficial Or Harmful?

Beauty pageants are fun and beneficial to female adolescents. Some may argue that beauty pageants are absolutely harmless, and they are meant to be fun for girls. Beauty pageants are only fun in games, and children who participate in them are only having fun playing dress up. In one article, it states that child pageants are harmless fun, in comparison to other childhood activities like sports or dance (“Child Beauty Pageants”). Some may argue that sports, such as football is ten times more dangerous than beauty pageants. They make an excellent point, since it is more likely to receive a concussion, but is it more likely for a child who plays football to develop an eating disorder, such as anorexia, than a child who participates in a beauty

According to the same article, “Child Beauty Pageants: Are Child Beauty Pageants Beneficial for Children”, it states, " ‘There's a huge benefit in self-esteem,’ asserted the Sunburst Beauty Pageant’s Hart. ‘If you saw a little girl going up on stage for the first time, then saw her going up on stage her tenth time, you'd see a big difference in her self-confidence and poise,’ ” (“Child Beauty Pageants”). The supporter makes a valid point; beauty pageants may help a young girl feel more confident every time she walks onto the stage, boosting her self-esteem. At the same time, what does a girl do behind the curtain? Just because she seems joyful and poised on stage does not mean she has high self-esteem… On the other hand, beauty pageants are harmful and the majority of girls do not learn anything positive from the experience. Beauty pageants mainly focus and judge on a female’s appearance, not their character. Author Susanna Freymark agrees. In her article she points out, " ‘It's no different to calisthenics, or sports, or modern dance,’ she says, adding she is curious to know why Collective Shout isn't calling for a boycott on those