Over the years, beauty pageants have proven to be detrimental to the physical and mental health of their participants. From crushing a child’s self-esteem after losing a pageant, to poor diets and lack or rest. And the hidden physical dangers of sexulization of a child to put on a show for potential sex- offenders lurking in the audience.
Child beauty pageants can be very damaging to a young girl from a psychological perspective. If the child does not win the contest, they are forced to believe they have faults, which do not make them perfect. Instead of teaching girls to appreciate their fault for making them unique from everyone else. Beauty pageants promote an atmosphere that it is wrong to not be perfect. Most grade school girls are not concerned with self-image, until someone, points out their ears may be too big or they suffer some other imperfection. A four year old should not be told she is not as attractive as another girl. Kids that age should be taught that every individual is unique and exceptional in his or her own style. Not that there is a perfect mode that we must survive to fit.
The first years of life are hard for most to remember. I completely agree with author Jane Graham, who wrote an article explaining her experience with beauty pageants. Mrs. Graham stated that during her first pageant, she did not place in the pageant. She realized at the age of four that she was not the typical beautiful little girl the judges were looking for. Instead of playing with Baby Dolls and Barbie and her only concern being if her favorite cartoon would be on that day. Mrs. Graham focused on having imperfections. The first years of life are hard for most to remember, but no child should have one of their very first memories being...
... middle of paper ...
...nd record, these young girls prancing around on stage in provocative outfits and preforming provocative routines for the judges. Dr. Nancy Irwin, a Los Angeles-based psychotherapist is quoted in an article explaining the dangers of pageants for the girls “Men can pose as agents/managers and track you/your girl down through the show”.
Not many parents are even going to question the person seeking to represent their daughter, and this is where the danger begins. Many parents just assume that everyone around them interested in promoting their child’s beauty pageant career is someone they can trust. Countless girls are being left unattended with coaches, agents, and make-up artists and most of these people will never undergo a background check until it is too late. Child face this danger in sports also but in sports, they are not one on one with the potential predator.
“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
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...
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...
What comes to mind when the words "child beauty pageants" are spoken? What some people think about is, crazy moms pushing their daughters to win, and little girls dressing and to look like Barbie’s. Is this setting a good example for children? It teaches them that people are only judged by looks, not their personality. Instead the lesson they are learning is that looks are the only thing that matters.
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.
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
" 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 ... ...
Child Beauty Pageants Aren’t Harmless Fun A pair of fishnets, false eyelashes, fake tan, whitened teeth, thigh high boots, a small sparkly custom tutu, a choreographed suggestive dance routine, big teased hair, a bedazzled push up bikini, and an eager audience. Given this list of things most minds would rush to the term “stripper” or “exotic dancer” however that is not what this list is about (Hollandsworth). This list could describe a little girl as young as four or five. This list could have been made to describe the common child beauty pageant contestant.
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.
“High heels aren't made for small feet” (Unknown). Beauty pageants are outdated. They objectify women and young girls, treating them as sexual objects. They create in these girls an inappropriate body perception about themselves, which can lead to eating disorders and harmful dieting rituals. Also, starting pageants at such young ages can cause physical and mental problems for the girls and women, as they grow up. They can create feelings of overconfidence or even lack of confidence, which can lead to depression and even suicide. These psychological disorders can last a lifetime. These pageants are also very expensive to enter into, and to equip and prepare for, taking limited resources from potentially more productive uses that could benefit
Restricting the age requirements on beauty pageants will take the pressure off children that do not want to participate in pageants and were forced to take part. Nicole Hunter wrote an article about the issues she went through competing in beauty pageants at a young age. Since she was four, she had been competing in high glitz beauty pageants all over the world unwillingly. She explains how it was not her dream but her mothers. She felt as though she did not have the option to say no. In a blog that she wrote about her experiences, she shares how to this day she still struggles with a low self-esteem, especially when she does not wear makeup. For many years now, she has been fighting anorexia nervous, and just now as an a...
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)
Today there are many new extracurricular activities that occupy a lot of young Americans minds. One trending activity is beauty pageants. It is more common in children where the ages may vary between eight months and even older. The trending debate is whether or not beauty contest serve any purpose in society. While many Americans feel as though pageants are helpful to a child’s self esteem, many feel that the effects of the contest have a very harsh effect on child development by devaluing a child. Researchers have found that beauty contests are effective for women to help make platforms for their careers and also create new jobs for women to create like mentoring children.
" 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.
They are dressed up to look like adults and sometimes dressed provocatively. “Beauty pageants are a reflection of a culture in which women are not equal. Women’s bodies are not their own but are seen as objects of beauty for others.” (Nasso). Parents of the pageant world don’t always understand how provocative and wrong it is to dress their children up in show outfits or give the child additives to make them look better.