A scantily clad four-year-old girl struts across the stage, her perfectly white teeth gleaming as she flashes them at the judges. Her long, blonde, flawlessly curled hair bounces behind her as she strikes a sassy pose. Her candy apple, red nails catch the light. This is just one of many girls that participate in this particular beauty pageant, each looking like a mid-twenties girl on a night out, shrunk down to a perfect mini me. Through these pageants, girls are taught that outward appearance is of primary importance and they must stick to a strict routine to accomplish this. If they fail to live up to these expectations, they can face disappointment and guilt. Most also learn that sexuality is their currency, which must be traded and exploited …show more content…
When the girls are young it is the parents’ idea to enter them in competitions as well as make sure their daughters costumes and dresses are in order and applying makeup, hair, nails, and fake tan. I wonder if some of these mothers feel as though their young daughters are like dolls for them to dress up and play with. It appears that many of these pageant moms are looking to live vicariously through their little girls. Perhaps this is because they didn’t feel pretty when they were younger, and this is their way to give their daughters the life they never had and by doing this they will be fulfilled. Shows such as “Toddlers in Tiaras” have gotten a lot of backlash because of some mothers’ actions; there some who believe these actions could be classified as exploiting children. Do these young girls know what they are getting into? Dress up seems exciting and fun to the majority of little children, they have no idea what they are getting into and what repercussions may result from participating in these events. As these girls get older, they may begin to understand the importance of success and strive to please their mothers. The desire to have a mother’s love and attention may be what pushes many girls into performing and competing even if they don’t feel comfortable with the idea or …show more content…
One young girl, Mia, performs a dance impersonating Madonna. She places one hand behind the back of her head and the other just below her cone shaped "Madonna" bra, gyrating and shaking her hips to the music in a sexual motion. Mia was two years old at the time of this performance and it earned her the title of Mini Grand Supreme at the Universal Royalty Texas State Pageant in Austin, Texas (Wolfe 2.) Although some may argue that these competitions allow the contestants to become more comfortable in their own skin and gain confidence, this confidence, unfortunately, is often purely based on looks and the ability to please others. This type of confidence is false and unhealthy for these girls and can be linked to having body image issues later in life among other confidence based problems such as depression and anxiety. By encouraging the sexualization of infants, these beauty pageants reinforce the old stereotype of women being valued primarily for their looks and viewed as the property of men. This stereotype has been fought against and to allow this sexualization to start so young is like taking steps back in terms of the rights of women. Although beauty pageants are not the only form of entertainment that enforces this way of thinking, it creates yet another method for the media and entertainment to progress that way of thinking. This focus on sexuality and the perfect body causes issues for
“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 beauty pageants encourage young girl’s to wear make-up, dress in fancy, expensive clothes, and prove to the judges they have what it takes to beat the other contestants. Jessica Bennett states in Tales of a Modern Diva “But this, my friends, is the new normal: a generation that primps and dyes and pulls and shapes, younger and with more vigor. Girls today are salon vets before they enter elementa...
Most young girls like to play dress up in they’re mother’s clothing and messily put on old makeup at least once when they are young. This is all in good nature for the child to express them self’s and have fun with it; after all they are just curious. But pageants are not harmless fun, they take innocent dressing up to a whole new level with fake hair, professional caked on makeup, fake eyelashes, spray tans, fake teeth, and tons of embellished outfits that are sometimes vary improper. With all of this the kids also have to learn routines and poses that are also sometime not appropriate for young girls. According to Wiehe, “to the child, a message is given that sexuality- expressed in clothing, makeup, and certain postures- is appropriate and even something to exploit.” (493) I’m sure not all young girls will come up with this message, but for some that have been doing pageants for years that might think that their only self worth is their body
...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.
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,
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.
The pageant world is a place where mothers are able to hide their own insecurities by flaunting how “perfect and lovely” their children are. As shown on the TLC television program Toddlers and Tiaras, the children who would love to live out their childhood instead of spending all of their free time preparing to win pageants are incapable to do so because they have mothers who would much rather see them miserable and winning contests, instead of seeing them with a smile on their face, having fun, and enjoying their childhood with friends and family. Kayla McDowell, a freshman at Stephens College, and pageant critic, addresses “In the end, child beauty pageants force children to grow up much too soon, and they release them into a word they are too young to understand” (n. pag.) Children are being sexualized at a very young age, because in the pageant community, dressing like a ho...
Child beauty pageants have been a part of American society since the 1960’s. These pageants consist of modeling swimwear, evening attire, dance and talent. The young children entered in the pageants are judged on perfection, confidence, capability and looks. Judges would call this “the complete package.” Children are divided into different age groups to make the pageants fair. They are guided by there parents who spend well over 200 dollars for the pageants. Money is spent on fake nails, hair extensions, makeup, clothing, eyebrow waxing, and anything else their parents are willing to do to make their child the best looking. Keep in mind that these little girls range from ages 1-12. The issues with these pageants are that these extremely young girls are beginning to compare themselves to other “prettier” girls, which leads to negative effects in the future.
She grabs the foundation and smothers her face with it; she creates a mask. She sprays the hairspray till the fumes clog the air. She squeezes into her bejeweled dress and puts on her heels. She transforms into someone who is unrecognizable, and fake. This is a little girl. The process of preparing for a beauty pageant is very demanding and stressful while little girls spend hours training and getting ready for their appearance on stage. Weeks are spent choreographing their dance routines and thousands of dollars are spent on, “glitzy” dresses, fake teeth, and spray tans. As long as beauty pageants for girls under the age of 16 continue, there will be an increase in mental and physical issues, an increase in the objectification of women, and there will be negative impacts for little girls.
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
The lights are intensely bright as they reflect off the stage, leaving numerous loud, edgy mothers in dim luminosity behind them. Six year old Cindy pounces into the rays of the spotlight with a sham smile, flaunting her rehearsed dance, facial expressions, and postures. She finishes with a brilliant beam and pose, thinking of how much she has gone through to be on that stage: the eye waxing, hair dying, extreme dieting, fake teeth, layers of make-up, clouds of hairspray, extensions that give her headaches throughout the day, and the hours of practice she is forced to execute. Up to three million child beauty contestants experience this scenario per year (O’Neill). Glitz beauty pageants exploit young children, teaching them that self-worth is in physical beauty only, while natural beauty pageants teach child contestants that natural beauty and personality is most important, encouraging them to be confident in who they are.
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)
While it is true that beauty pageants have some intellectual components such as the talent show and the interview session, there is no doubt in the fact that external beauty is the deciding factor for a contestant to be crowned with the title. Beauty pageants seem to reinforce the notion that women, no matter how accomplished they are, would be given less attention if they did not come in a pretty package. For instance, the main highlight of pageant shows is the swimsuit and costume category, where contestants parade around the stage while flaunting their figures in scantily clad swimwear and cultural costumes. Rather than boosting their confidence, such competition only emphasizes on the female body and the obsession of having what is considered to be a beautiful body. Above all, intelligence is given little attention as is considered as a secondary component, as the Q&A session is as short as a
" 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.
Can anyone actually justify judging someone by their physical appearance? Although parents enjoy seeing their little girls in the spotlight all dolled up, most children don’t enjoy the pageant experience as much as the parents, and this vicarious living is dangerous, and the pageants have the capability of exploiting the children. Beauty pageants have a background of treating women disrespectfully and as if they are not equal. Women’s bodies are seen as objects of beauty, as if we are just here to parade around for others. Today’s pageants are still set up in the same direction, even for the youngest contestants.