Children's Beauty Pageants?

654 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Arguments for beauty pageants

Australian and New Zealand psychiatrists have backed calls for child beauty pageants to be banned, saying they encourage the sexualisation of children and can cause developmental harm (Park). Beauty pageants are a controversial topic all over the country because they make children look "sexy", can cause eating disorders/ body image issues, and in some cases are forced into pageants because their mothers want to live their dreams through their child. Children should not be allowed to be in beauty pageants. Hair, skimpy outfits, and makeup play a large role in beauty pageants. After all, children are competing to be the cutest, and if their appearance makes them look cute they could win. They are children, and they are wearing more makeup and beauty products than I have ever worn, "some as young as 3 or 4 who are donning makeup, high heels and fake tans"(Wallace). These children are learning to look and act so much older than they are. Psychologist Wendy Walsh said the danger here is normalizing behavior that once would have been considered extreme and weird. "And now it seems perfectly OK for a little 6-year-old to be walking around in thigh-high boots and short booty shorts and smacking her butt when she dances down a runway? Come on! That's what a stripper does." Children should not be "sexy", or in any way have to worry about their looks. "Over the past 10 years there has been a 270% increase in the number of girls hospitalised with eating disorders" (Loannou). Beauty pageants teach young girls that in order to be successful in life they have to be beautiful, and when people think of beauty they don't, typically, imagine a curvy girl, if you know what I mean. This causes girls to starve their bodies to a point of wher... ... middle of paper ... ...u.au/2011/09/16/beauty-pageants-expose-ugly- truths/>. Maliakal, Lalan. "Child Beauty Pageants - Pros and Cons." Buzzle. Buzzle.com, n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. . Park, Nicky. "Child pageants bad for mental health." The Sydney Morning Herald. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Apr. 2014. for-mental-health-20110525-1f430.html>. Wallace, Kelly, and Do you think child beauty pageants should be banned in the U.S.? Let us know what you think in the comments below.. "French moving to ban child beauty pageants: Should we?." CNN. Cable News Network, 1 Jan. 1970. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. www.cnn.com/2013/09/19/living/parents-ban-child-beauty-pageants/>. MLA formatting by BibMe.org.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of Toddlers In Tiaras By Skip Hollandsworth

    1070 Words  | 3 Pages

    “A small study published in Eating Disorders the journal of treatment and prevention, that involved 22 women” (Hollandsworth). Girls are choosing unhealthy ways to stay fit and what they call the perfect size just to have a big appeal to the audience when at pageants. The encouragement of this behavior can lead to many body complications and disorders for these girls as they develop, only because they are not truly developing as an average young lady. “A 2007 report issued by the American Psychological Association Task force on the Sexualization of girls claims that parents who put their daughters in beauty pageants can contribute in very direct concrete ways to the precocious sexualization of the daughters” ( Hollandsworth). There has been research to prove that the actions of the young ladies is not all on their own, they have assistance with getting prepared for competitions and what to perform in competitions. Parents add more than what is necessary and can have a negative impact and not even know they are making matters worst than what they have to be. “Kiddie pageants are flourishing. Fueled by a reality TV show, an estimated 250,000 American girls participate in more than 5,000 beauty pageants every year” (Hollandsworth). Exploitation of these young girls is the “NEW BIG THING” to see and enjoy. Adults would rather watch little girls flaunt themselves

    Read More

  • The Negatve Effects of a Little Miss Monster

    1822 Words  | 4 Pages

    Reed, Billy. "Child Beauty Pageants Should Be Eliminated." Beauty Pageants. Ed. Noël Merino. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. Rpt. from "Time to End Child Beauty Pageants." Billy Reed Says. 2006. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 4 Mar. 2014.

    Read More

  • Bannig Child Beauty Pageants in theUnited States

    1566 Words  | 4 Pages

    Michelle Healy's "Could child beauty pageants be banned in the USA?"(Article A) appears in the USA Today on September 25, 2013. This article gives a response to the issue of France's proposal to ban beauty pageants. “Instead of following France’s proposal to ban child beauty pageants, researchers in the USA say safety regulations and education about how the competitions affect children are needed.” Healy uses persuasive techniques such as logos, pathos and ethos to convince people that it’s the parents’ responsibility to take responsibility on how they betray their daughters. The article also shows both sides of the disagreement therefore convincing other people even more since it shows that there are many reasons to agree or disagree with beauty pageants for children under the age of seventeen.

    Read More

  • Toddlers and Tiaras: Child Beaty Pageants

    1885 Words  | 4 Pages

    ...as Miss USA and Miss Universe are competitions intended for mature, self-assured women who are capable of making their own decisions. Child beauty pageants, however, ruin childhoods and force them to grow up believing in their looks, rather than in themselves. It is no surprise, that emotional distress plagues the contestants that participate in beauty long after stepping off of the stage; subjecting young girls of any age to judgment and ridicule is not only humiliating but horrific to think that we are sitting back being entertained by their competitive nature. Rather than raising strong, confident girls who want to achieve the best in life; the parents and the hosts of these competitions provide a platform on which little girls are dressed up as skimpy Barbie dolls and paraded around, trying to achieve some form of perfection that shouldn’t exist in little girls.

    Read More

  • How Do Beauty Pageants Affect Children

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    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. There are multiple negative effects associated with pageant participation law makers need to take action and find a way to regulate the trends of these controversial displays that sexualize young children.

    Read More

  • Ugliness of Glitz Beauty Pageants

    959 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, keeping these points in mind know that nothing good comes from glitz beauty pageants. They subject young girls to sexuality. They allow parents to use their children to fulfill their own personal dreams. Glitz beauty pageants corrupt young girls’ self-worth. To protect these young girls from any more harm, action must be taken by the government. Guidelines and limitations must be set for pageant companies. Rules should be implemented about appropriate costumes, makeup, dance routines and any other areas that exploit and endanger the lives of little girls.

    Read More

  • Child Beauty Pageants

    873 Words  | 2 Pages

    Look at child beauty pageants. Notice that the girl’s childhood is filled with sparkly dresses and makeup. They are trying to grow up to fast and if they continue on this path they could turn out like a “special” celebrity. These kid’s faces have foundation, fake eyelashes with mascara, and bright lipstick. On top of that they are wearing clothes that aren’t appropriate for kids. If they continue to act the way they do now the next generation of girls to be total brats. Some psychology experts believe that these pageants are teaching children to act and dress about ten years above their age. Therefor child beauty pageants should be banned.

    Read More

  • Mental and Phyhsical Issues Caused by Beauty Pageants

    1423 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... beauty pageants." Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada] 9 Mar. 2012: L4. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.

    Read More

  • Understanding the World of Children's Beauty Pageants

    2027 Words  | 5 Pages

    Lights, camera, pouty lips welcome to the four dimensional world of children 's beauty pageants. Over the years, child pageants have become a hot topic gaining a great deal of delight from numerous people around the world. From having a strong standing, ongoing fan base that keeps the hit TLC TV show Toddlers and Tiaras; on air to having some of Americans ' favorite beauty queens making guest appearances on shows such as the Ellen Show. Regretfully, the idea of putting an end to child pageants has become somewhat of a hotter topic than the pageants themselves. People often put down what they do not understand why dress a child like that? Why all the make-up? What some do not seem to understand is that there are advantages to being a beauty

    Read More

  • Beauty Pagaents

    2605 Words  | 6 Pages

    Beauty pageants are linked with an immense variety of negative effects. These children are trying to be someone that they are not. The effects on these children can escalate quickly and affect them their entire life. When a parent first enters their child in a pageant, they do not think about the negative consequences they could have on their child. No parent wants to experience the tragedy that the Ramsey family did. Although some children do gain things from these pageants, the majority of them are harmed. The effects from these pageants range from eating disorders and body image problems to social and psychological problems. If there are not regulations put on these pageants in the near future, our young children are going suffer from growing up to fast. When will people learn that looks are not everything and we should let the kids be kids?

    Read More

  • Child Beauty Pageants Should Be Banned

    1703 Words  | 4 Pages

    " 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 ... ...

    Read More

  • Pros And Cons Of Beauty Pageants

    2170 Words  | 5 Pages

    Many young girls are forced to wear preposterous outfits and enormous amounts of makeup that deny them of their innocence at a young age. Beauty contests are meant more for adult women who are mature enough to understand all that’s going on and can handle losing competitions to the other contestants. Children should not be able to compete in pageants because of the harmful effects on self-confidence and character. Some people think they are good and some do not agree that they are good. (Leo, 2014)

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Child Beauty Pageants

    731 Words  | 2 Pages

    In September 2013, France banned all child beauty pageants across the country. Chantal Jouanno, a French politician states, “It is extremely destructive for a girl between the age of 6 and 12 to hear her mother say that what’s important for her is to be beautiful.¨ The controversial topic of child beauty pageants can trigger numerous amounts of emotions. These competitions rob children of their youth and take advantage of them through their parents, mental and physical health, and the expectations that these kids are being held to. Beauty pageants are exploiting for the following reasons: These parents are living through their children, the constant competing and trying to enhance themselves is developing mental and physical issues, and these children are being exposed to unrealistic expectations including body image and lifestyle.

    Read More

  • Beauty Pageants Essay

    1150 Words  | 3 Pages

    "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

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Beauty Pageants

    1699 Words  | 4 Pages

    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?

    Read More

More about Children's Beauty Pageants?

Open Document