Alayna Broullire Mr. Roup 6th hour Accel. 9 26 April 2024 Child Pageants When people think of pageants they think of a fun and friendly competition for people to compete for a big shiny crown; however, they are blind to all the darkness that comes from wearing these colorful and fluffy dresses. Beauty contests are a big cause of child sexual assault and they are the reason for many issues in a kid’s future. Child pageants are unethical activities that children should not participate in. From an outside perspective, child pageants look like a fun time for young kids. They can learn many valuable things, such as how to be in a competitive environment, social skills, and public speaking skills that will help them for the rest of their lives. Kids …show more content…
Since these competitions are all about looks, many children, young girls especially, start struggling with mental health issues and body dysmorphia at a very young age. According to the Bull’s Eye, “81% of 10-year-olds are scared of getting fat”(Elefant). This percentage could easily be reduced if kids weren’t forced to compare themselves to others and be judged based on their appearance. Another scary statistic states that, “37% of young children suffer from anorexia”(Elefant). These days, eating disorders, such as anorexia, are killing more than 10,000 people per year, and that number continues to increase as the nation continues to allow events like pageants to infect children's minds with a poor body image. The issue with pageants is not just the kids, the parents contribute as well. During pageants, parents will give their kids caffeine and candy to keep them awake so they are able to be happy and perky for their competitions. Thus, kids have temper tantrums and meltdowns. This is a big issue, especially in the competitions with kids who are very young. Because of the excessive amount of sugar these kids are eating, they do not get the nutrients they …show more content…
This then leads to more tantrums, which can ultimately lead to an unhappy childhood full of tears and sleepless nights. Another big problem facing these pageant children is the excessive amounts of beauty products these children are using to get ready and be “pretty” for the competition. Spray tan, hairspray, and makeup are all used in uncontrolled amounts to make these young kids look their very best so they can win a sparkly tiara. Hairspray has been proven to cause lung cancer and stunted growth, so these kids breathing in its fumes all day long are not only ruining their hair, but also their health. Despite the few perks brought to kids' lives from pageants, there is a plethora of issues that come from them, which outweigh the benefits of pageants. Pageants are forcing young children to grow up faster than they need to, but because of pageants kids are also at a higher risk of other things that anyone should have to worry about. Sexual assault in kids is a growing problem facing our world today. Pageants are not helping this
Two words: reality TV. We’ve all been there before watching endless hours of personal drama and documentary shows that never cease to be jaw dropping hilarious to downright shocking. But did you ever think that a reality TV show would display all the horrors behind all the glitz and glamor? Toddlers and Tiaras a child pageant reality TV show, displayed to the world what families will do to get the title of “Ultimate Grand Supreme”. Vernon R. Wiehe in the article “Nothing Pretty In Child Pageants” argues about the damage that child pageants could do to the kid that is participating in them. I agree with Wiehe that there is really nothing beautiful about child pageant’s in the way that nothing in pageant’s seems age appropriate for a young child,
In 2009, TLC aired a reality television show entitled Toddlers and Tiaras. It was instantly a hit with home viewers and also brought major controversy over child beauty pageants. The show focused mainly on glitz pageants; which requires all contestant, however young, to compete with make-up, spray tans, acrylic nails and revealing costumes. Many, such as I were entertained at first with the pint size Barbie dolls; however after watching a couple episodes, controlling stage moms and toddler melt downs reveal that glitz beauty pageants are nothing less than objectification and exploitation of young girls. Beauty pageants not only exploit children but are detrimental to the child’s physical, emotional and psychological health.
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.
Over the past few years with the coming out of the new hit show ‘Toddlers in Tiaras,’ viewers have brought up a controversial question. Are beauty pageants exploitive? Or do they simply build confidence in young children? People have been debating about this topic for years and will continue on for years to come. Will the debate ever come to an end? Or will it result in the banning of beauty pageants all together? These and many other questions have been brought to the surface.
Many children are involved in pageants, and many varieties of people have different opinions. Some people feel that they are good, others not so much. Opinions vary from person to person, and reasoning also varies. But, the real question for this topic is "are these pageants good for them in the long run?"
Young girls should not be exposed to beauty pageants. Beauty pageants became part of the American society in the 1920's. Child beauty pageants began in the 1960's. Child beauty pageants consist of modeling sportswear, evening attire, dance and talent. The children are judged based on individuality in looks, capability, poise, perfection and confidence. (“Kareen Nussbaum”) Putting your child in a situation as to being
"How Do Child Beauty Pageants Affect a Child's Development?" Everyday Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2014
The world of beauty pageants is dramatic, heartbreaking, and downright hateful. Villines says “[c]hildren learn a host of unhealthy values, including the desire to defeat their competition at all costs”. (qtd. in “Beauty Pageants and Children: It’s Not Always Pretty” 6). A child should never have to go through the pressure that is put on them when entering a pageant nor should they learn to try to bring everyone down to get what they want. The pageant world can change a child for the worst. Unfortunately, it causes most of these children to become a sexual image at such a young age. Cartwright stated in her article about seeing pictures in French Vogue of, “a ten-year old model lying [o]n a sea animal print wearing a chest revealing gold dress, stilettos and heavy make-up”. (qtd. in “Child Beauty Pageants” 1). How could this child’s parents allow her to look so grown and sexy when she is just a baby? The answer to that is simple, the parents gain from it too.
Child Beauty Pageants Win or Lose? Why not let the kids dress up and show out? Let the kids walk across the stage in front of the judge if they want to. Being in beauty pagents gives kids the opportunity to experience sportsmanship. It also gives them the chance to build their self confidence.
“Based on statistics about 5,000 child beauty pageants are held every year and about 250,000child contestants are participating” (Occupy Theory). Beauty pageants obtain the purpose of growing skills and confidence for contestants. Over the years, beauty pageants have gone over the top for young contestants because parents will do anything to win even if it means exposing their child. Beauty pageants may bring the physical beauty out of your children but pageantry is only neglecting your child because it brings these negative effects and pageants are only teaching children that the physical beauty will get them anywhere in life.
Imagine you are at home, watching tv. Flipping through the channels, you see a preview for next week’s episode of Toddlers & Tiara’s. They show the girls dressed in frilly, sparkly attire, fake teeth, fake hair, fake tans, and makeup that could transform their faces into someone in their 20’s. These children are usually misbehaving, disobedient, overdramatic and they are between the ages of four and six. Any person could see that this lifestyle is incredibly harmful to these children not just because of what it does to their appearance, but what happens when these little girls’ minds become tainted with the thoughts of needing to be beautiful and talented in order for people to like them. They also learn that being beautiful means doing whatever it takes to make yourself look perfect, even if it means that everything about you is fake. At the same time, when these little girls are dressing up for these shows, they are being put in outfits that could be worn by strippers. This draws attention to sex offenders and pedophiles, which could potentially end up in something tragic. Claude Knights, the director of child protection charity Kidscape, says, "We do know that predators or paedophiles continually tend to justify their interest in children by saying children are sexual beings. That children are now given a channel to become little Lolitas, to be portrayed as older, to almost become mini adults – these are all trends that give legitimacy to that kind of thinking." In the end, children’s beauty pageants are essentially harmful to both young girls safety and minds.
The first beauty pageant can be traced back to P. T. Barnum in 1854, this competition was merely based on looks and was very small. As beauty pageants grew in popularity Barnum hosted many pageants, most of them had no talent or intellect portion. As the years flew by, many types of pageants began to take form. Many of these pageants had a children's portion. One of the most popular types of beauty pageants for children are glitz pageants, these kinds of pageants are known for their risque costumes and pushy parents. They dress young girls up like adult women, teaching them that they need to look ‘sexy’ and ‘adult’ to win a children's pageant. Child glitz beauty pageants are objectifying and sexualizing young girls, creating detrimental harm
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)
The Harm in Beauty Pageants Beauty pageants have been around for a very long time, they have always been acknowledged as a way for girls and boys to show their inner and outer beauty or so they say. To this day pageants are praised in a way that maybe they shouldn’t be, for example, the fact that they made a show titled Toddlers and Tiaras, which portrays just how difficult it is for the child and parent to accommodate themselves to what is demanded of these pageants. These little girls are prancing around in little outfits with makeup on their faces and extravagant hairdos that seem too heavy for them to hold up. I find that there’s a certain amount of things you should want to expose your
Statistics show that 6% of girls in beauty pageants record having suffered from long-term depression, 9 out of 10 girls in pageants ages 14-16 admitted to feeling suicidal tendencies or depression, and it is largely caused by the desire to be thin. (Facts/Statistics-Child Beauty Pageants) The question is, is this a proper place for young girls where they are encouraged to act and look as mature as adults? “These pageants force kids to grow up too quickly. The pint-size stars pile on fake hair, heavy makeup, and even false teeth before taking the stage. Many kids wear revealing clothing that critics say aren’t age appropriate.” (Anastasia, Laura) Pageant participants range from ages six months to sixteen years, depending on what competition section they are a part of, and participate in categories of swimsuits, talent, evening wear, and themed costumes. Most girls at these young ages wear overalls and pigtails rather than slinky ensembles and fake hair that overwhelms their features. Not many young girls have the opportunity to dress up in fancy clothes and flaunt what they can do, but there are other pains that come with such moments that can be uncomfortable and confusing to these children, yet to look good they are compelled to grin and bear it. “Four-year-old Karley stands in her