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 …show more content…
These children’s mindsets are manipulated into believing that they need to be beautiful and that life sets these sort of standards upon them where being beautiful is all you need to get ahead. An example of the mental effects these little girls go through is in the article “The Ugly Truth to Child Beauty Pageants.” Written by Claire Lindsey where she says “ Little girls are dressed up as barbie dolls and paraded around, trying to achieve some form of perfection that shouldn’t exist in little girls.” These little girls are told to be the sort of perfect that they will never be because it just doesn’t exist and they will mentally push themselves into achieving that sort of perfect because they think that is what makes them beautiful but that is exactly what messes them up, believing that such perfect exists is unhealthy for a little girl. What makes them beautiful is the fact that they are not perfect the fact that they are allowed to make mistakes without feeling like it is such a bad thing for a little kid. The main and most heard about mental effect that these pageants have on little girls is on their self-esteem being told that they did this wrong or that they could’ve done this better or even that there was something even a little thing wrong with the way …show more content…
There is a lot of girls in the world who get bullied because they are different than the rest and that makes them feel like they are ugly or like they are not worth anything but these pageants give them a sort of push so that they never let the things people tell them to bring them down actually hurt them.Little girls at a young age should be taught that the judgeful things other girls or boys tell them they should not let get to them so much because the opinions other people have of them should not affect the opinion they have on themselves. Although, there is a lot of controversy on whether the effects of these pageants are more negative than positive there is no denying that people would prefer that their daughters and sons grow up with the confidence of loving the way they look and not letting the things other kids tell them get to them rather than them letting themselves be put down. In the article “Psychological Effects of Child Beauty Pageants” on the website effectsofbeautypageants.weebly.com it emphasizes just how this confidence helps these little girls in a positive way by stating “Contestants who are bullied before they enter beauty pageants have better self esteem, confidence and pride in themselves.” The quote illustrates
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.
One professional psychologist and registered dietician has warned that competing in the beauty pageants may lead young girls to feel that the approval and love of their parents is based solely on their looks and whether they win a crown at the pageant or not. Losing in a pageant category may generate lower feelings of self-worth in young children who do not know how to properly cope with loss at such a young age. Additionally, there are countless examples of women who as children participated in beauty pageants and began stressing at a young age while attempting to maintain an impossible ideal of perfection. Many of the young girls who cannot keep up a perfect look will begin to feel body shame, depression and may even develop an eating disorder. In fact, one study was done on approximately 130 females who had participated in beauty pageants.
“Pretty isn’t beauty. Pretty is how you look; Beauty is who you are. Pretty is in the face and body; Beauty is in the heart, mind, and soul. Pretty fades; beauty grows.” Michael Josephson emphasizes the difference between pretty and beauty. Unfortunately, the problem with young girls participating in glitz beauty pageants is that they are sadly being misguided. Glitz beauty pageants sexualize small children. Glitz beauty pageants exhibit “princesses by proxy.” Glitz beauty pageants sabotage young girls’ self-confidence. Furthermore, glitz beauty pageants are only harming young girls, not helping them.
In the year of 1880 a spontaneous event took place which piqued the interest of young woman and girls in competing in a competition which was solely made up upon having good looks; this competition is called a beauty pageant. Approximately 700,000 pageants take place a year all over the world, but the first pageant ever originated in Delaware in the United States. Although pageants claim to be an event which promises to help bring world peace, they are actually a very costly event which showcases young children in inappropriate clothing, acting much older than their age. To add to all of the negativities, mothers of these pageant beauties are manipulatively living their childhood dreams through their own child. Because beauty pageants can be detrimental to a young child’s physical and emotional psyche, they should be banned for children under the age of 12.
The fight for beauty has now leaked into our young children and is creating countless issues that will be visible in these children and their futures. Like the old saying; beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Someone or something that is considered attractive, good looking, etc. to one person may not exactly appeal the same to another. If we lived in a “perfect” world, maybe everyone would follow these wise words and admit that evaluating beauty is such a biased thing to do. Beauty pageants are becoming more and more popular since they were created back in the 1920's. Especially, children pageants. The media is a big provoker in this case with their ‘Little Miss Perfect” and “Toddlers in Tiaras” shows. In which, it’s clear the level of commitment a pageant takes and how they are not bearable for children, and I mean simply unfair for them to go through the burden of a beauty pageant.
Beauty pageants have caused an increase in mental and physical issues in young girls who participate. Participation and competition for a beauty prize where infants and girls are objectified and judged against sexualized ideals can have significant mental health and developmental consequences that impact detrimentally on identity, self-esteem, and body perception ("We must protect our kids from the catwalk of shame."). If young girls don't win, they might take it personally and get hurt feelings. The child might end up feeling unattractive or inadequate ("Child Beauty Pageants Pros and Cons.") which can lead to the development of disorders such as bulimia or anorexia. ("How Do Child Beauty Pageants Affect a Child's Development?") These are both eating disorders girls develop to lose weight excessively. Furthermore, the average BMI of a beauty pageant contestant as of 2010 is 18.3 (Beauty Pageant Statistics), which is classified as underweight...
" 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 ... ...
The USA pushes to ban self-expression in young children, restrict basic parental authority, and deny youth opportunities for growth and success. Anyone would find that statement a bit disconcerting. Thankfully, it isn’t actually the case, but it could be if we decided to outlaw child beauty pageants. When speaking about the morality of child beauty pageants, concerns for the oversexualization of children is often brought up. Additionally, the public believes that beauty pageants are teaching children the wrong values all together. The motivation to outlaw the competitions is understandable, but it is not the answers to these concerns. Child beauty pageants promote confidence and high self-esteem
Parents claim that pageant is alike to a sport that teaches children how to be humble winners and a good sport when they lose. It enables them to learn from their mistakes, to improve and to do better. This is a false statement because “beauty is not a talent or skill that can be enhanced with practice, determination, or stamina” (Pull the Pin). Children are learned to impress the judges and judge them based on titling as “the most beautiful girl”, “the girl with the best personality”, “supreme queen”, and many more (Tydd).
Now let us know the other side of the story. Others argued that beauty pageants promote self-esteem. Facing other people is not easy. Only few are capable enough that can face the crowd with great confidence. It is indeed in beauty pageants that women gain confidence. It is in beauty pageants that allow women to be empowered. They are given the chance to meet other people. Meeting those new faces will boosts their confidence. It is in meeting those new faces and seeing people happy and proud on what they are doing on stage that they feel that they are given importance and they are idolize. It is also their time to show to others their hidden talents. It is in beauty pageants also that they want to prove to all that they can overcome their shyness in facing different types of people.
East St. Louis High School Children Beauty Pageants Should Be Banned Bernice Dorris AP Language and Composition Ms. Morris March 09,2018 Outline I. Children beauty pageants should be banned A. Cause the children to be too advanced B.Lower children self-esteem at a young age C. Could be beneficial D.Conclusion II. Cause the children to be too advanced A. Inappropriate appearances B. Disrespectful behavior C. Loss of childhood experiences D. Attract older friends and audiences III. Lower children self-esteem at a young age A. Can make a child try to meet “society” standards
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.
So in the end, they may not be terrible. I do not think little kids should be allowed to do pageants, but when they are older and know better it is okay. We have talked about pros and cons and whys and woes and why pageants should be banned and whether or not they are exploitative or beneficial. So the question still remains; Are beauty pageants harmful or beneficial to young children? Who is to say whether or not they are good or bad? Maybe one day down the road, all these tiny tots that are doing pageants now will grow up to be doctors and lawyers and help for greater good.
Beauty pageants have long been a form of entertainment, exhibiting beautiful women with ideal bodies competing with their talent and their 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.” (University of Kansas,
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?