Have you ever considered entering a beauty pageant because it seemed fun? These beauty pageants do appear to be fun but they can have a lasting effect on your perception of beauty. Even though beauty pageants build confidence through performance and help boost careers, they harm society by lowering self-esteem, putting too much emphasis on beauty at a young age, and also providing unrealistic images of beauty.
People argue that beauty pageants help boost self confidence through performance on stage and that pageants can help you later in life. “The pageant has given me a lot of self confidence and self-esteem. The pageant directors make me feel wonderful and brought out qualities in me that I never knew were there” (qtd. in Decker). This is not always the case. Different scenarios affect girls differently. She stated that the directors made her feel wonderful but there is no guarantee that a director or anyone will pay special attention to a child. Another argument is that beauty pageants help later in life. An example of this is Shannon Depuy. She won prize money in pageants which helped put her through college (Decker). Shannon Depuy did pageants for a lot of her life. She is described as a “veteran All-star of American beauty pageant circuit” (Decker). This is good for Shannon since she had practice, but beginning beauty competitors may not be so lucky. Depuy having a history of pageants gave her an advantage. The fact that beauty pageants help boost confidence and help later in life is great for the girls this applies to, but this is not the case for beginning beauty competitors who are usually the main competitors.
Beauty pageants forster beliefs of unrealistic expectations for beauty. “There are unrealistic ...
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...al scarring of older minds must stop before we lose generations to the idea and goal to reach perfection.
Works Cited
Decker, Jonathan P. "Beauty Pageants Advance Careers." Christian Science Monitor 04 Aug. 1995: n. pag. Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
Nick, Bramhill. "France Bans Contests for Girls in Lipstick and Heels." Daily Mail 19 Sept. 2013: 12. Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
Nicky, Park. "FED:Child Pageants Bad For Mental Health." AAP Australian National News Wire (n.d.): Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
Triggs, CharlotteWest, KayAradillas, Elaine. "Toddlers & Tiaras TOO MUCH TOO SOON? (Cover Story)." People76.12 (2011): 160. MAS Ultra - School Edition. Web. 24 Feb. 2014.
Works CitedMcLellan, Lizzy. "New Pageant Focuses on Inner Beauty." Frederick News-Post, The (MD) 18 June 2013: Newspaper Source Plus. Web. 25 Feb. 2014.
Nearly half of them stated they wished to be thinner and a quarter of them were believed to have an eating disorder (Wonderlich, Ackard, and Henderson 292). This same study found that self-esteem scores were lower and depression scores higher for those who had participated in beauty pageants. However, it is not the pageants themselves that are so catastrophic to a young girl’s sense of body image and confidence,
The effect that beauty pageants have on American women is overlooked because of the popularity of the event. I do not blame the pageant completely for the insecurities of women, but, it contributes to their insecurities. It is not fair that women who are 100 pounds are favored over women who are 130 pounds because they are slimmer. If beauty pageants are not banned at least stop televising them to the millions of public viewers. Society can be very influential when it comes to the appearance of women. Women should not feel like they have to reach certain standards or they will not be accepted. A women’s beauty should not be based on their weight, and height. Beauty comes in all sizes, shapes, and
... beauty pageants." Globe & Mail [Toronto, Canada] 9 Mar. 2012: L4. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 10 Feb. 2014.
Day, Elizabeth. "Living dolls: inside the world of child beauty pageants." The Observer. Guardian News and Media, 11 July 2010. Web. 21 Mar. 2014. .
Issues regarding the purpose of beauty pageants alarm women since majority of the beauty pageants are for them. Let us look at the good side of beauty pageants. First, allows the use...
First of all, pageants can influence unhealthy values to young competitors. Therefore, children may become overcompetitive and also try to beat their competitors at all cost (Lindsey). Also, contestants can become superficial, and manipulate children into believing their natural beauty isn’t good enough. For example, on the show Toddlers and Tiaras, tantrums usually occur due to the fact that the contestants feel they have to be perfect, and their beauty isn’t good enough. Lastly, the pageants train children that they are only worth something if they win pageants, or win an endless amount of trophies.
As you may know, there are many pros and cons in having children participate in beauty pageants. Many children get very anxious and shy when they go on stage to perform. Beauty pageants help children get rid of the children’s shyness. When they get on stage, they learn to be comfortable with their surroundings. This can help them in the future in socialization, school, and eventually at work.
Well, at first. While some little girls will go to at least one for the experience, others are into it for the victory, and it can turn bad fast. Beauty pageants can affect a
Beauty pageants are by nature contests. Contests create a level of stress for those who
Children should not be allowed to compete in pageants at such young ages. Getting a child ready for a pageant can be physically harmful and psychologically as well. Children growing up in the pageant world can be lead to believe that life is superficial. These pageants can lead to three mental health issues- Eating disorders, low self- esteem, and even depression.
Beauty pageants demand that competitors spend large amounts of money in synthetic enhancement. This is a poor focus for vulnerable girls and destroys the girls at a very young age. Beauty pageants convince girls that outer beauty is more important than inner beauty, which is totally a false claim. In this paper, we are going to talk about the pros and cons, whys and woes of pageants and if they are manipulative or valuable to kids. Even though that beauty pageants are a good way for girls to make friends. Beauty pageants are harmful to young children and they should not be able to compete until adulthood because beauty pageants teach kids that outer beauty is more important than inner beauty and beauty pageants pose a threat to the safety of children.
Syd Brown a child psychologist says “what they learn by being in pageants is they have one characteristic which is their attractiveness”(H). When Syd Brown says that, she means
Beauty pageants have long been a form of entertainment, exhibiting beautiful women with ideal bodies competing for their talent and looks. Many pageant moms involve their daughters in children’s pageants to help them improve their social skills, exercise their talents, and boost their self-esteem. Although the pageants may seem like harmless competition with benefits, research shows that they may be doing the young beauty queens more harm than good. “.the girls are receiving conflicting messages: In order to win, the girls must show a unique personality, but they must also act and dress in a hyper feminine manner and conform to the pageant world's ideal standard of beauty and narrow set of conventions.”
According to some critics, the main focuses of the audience while watching beauty pageants tend to be mainly on the candidates physical beauty rather than on their inner beauty, (Sewoogolum, 2016). Moreover, candidates of
Pageants help girls with necessary skills needed to be outstanding in life like how to exercise, eat healthy, be able to present in front of people, how to help the community and even receive a college education. There are so many misconceptions about pageants and many of these misconceptions are made by people who have never competed in one once in their life. Pageants are a lot of fun and have many beneficial skills involved with them. I hope every girl gets the opportunity to compete in a pageant and learn all of the skills involved with