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Toddlers and Tiara’s: Feminist Criticism
Every once in a while when channel surfing, I have come across a show called “Toddlers and Tiaras”. This is a TLC hit reality TV show that follows families as they prepare their children to compete in a “glitz” beauty pageant. Not only are these children contestants between the ages months old and ten, but they are contestants that give off the self-image of a teenager. Stage moms are seen choreographing dance routines or hiring a choreographer to get the job done, to do what they came to do, which is to win!
When watching this show, people may make the assumption that it is just a beauty pageant that is supposed to be fun for the children with lots of laughter and smiles. Many have thought wrong.
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With this show going on its sixth season airing from January 2009 to October 2013, it has opened many people’s eyes to how young girls and even babies are being manipulated by mostly their mothers with a statement “It’s on you, the whole thing, all the work, all the money – it’s all on you”(Hollandsworth). This is what draws the audience in, “achieving an average of 1.3 million viewers each week” (Tamer, 86). When zooming in on the bigger picture when the contestant first walks onto that stage in front of the judges, many photographers have noticed laughter and smiles are rarely the case, instead they witness tears, puffy eyes and a sad face. Until it is show time, where they have learned to put whatever is bothering them behind them, put a smile on their face whether it is pretend or not just to win. This TLC hit is an attention getter to most. One either loves it or hates it, for some, they see this show as addicting to watch and full of entertainment but, for others they are disgusted at the extent a mother would take their child just to earn a little extra cash and a trophy. Many viewers and outsiders believe that “little girls are supposed to play with dolls, not be a doll” (Triggs). This controversy is huge for many people, looking at their five year old on the ground playing with Barbie dolls and looking on TV and seeing a look alike of “Barbie” and knowing that the your child and that look alike are the same age. Not only is this a controversy but to look like a “Barbie” does not come cheap. As for a little girl by the name of Eden Wood, she has earned about forty thousand dollars’ worth of cash prizes during her career, but that is only a quarter of what her mother Mickie spends on her pageant life. Mickie admits, “My husband and I have spent probably close to $100,000 on Eden, our six year old daughter’s pageant life” (Hollandsworth). There are many cases of parents spending their life savings on these beauty pageants hoping that in the end their little girl will win big and reimburse them for the money they have spent and planning on one day to become rich from these pageants. Toddlers and Tiara’s trigger an audience that is into fashion and beauty pageants.
By doing this they draw in photographers, news writers who post blogs and critics who are the judges. Cameras are flashing and scores are being written down about each contestant, than being reported in the daily blog online for all to see. This draws people interest and allows them to learn more and persuade them to join in on the beauty pageants. From broadcasting pageants and airing this show many children who now enter pageants take them more seriously meaning the cost of the pageant itself and the accessories for the children have skyrocketed. Market research studies have found “nearly half of today’s six to nine year olds are already using lip stick, lip gloss, eye shadow and eye liner” (Hollandsworth). They have also drawn in an audience that includes, low poverty families, persuading people to enter their children into these pageants and take a shot at winning prize money. Of course, television shows and blogs only show the upfront scenes, when the child walks onto the stage looking nothing but fabulous, when in reality the audience does not see the background work of the money being spent on outfits and makeup. News broadcaster Andrea Canning states, “It’s an extreme like we’ve never seen before. And it all started with the hit show, “Toddlers and Tiaras,” it brought beauty pageants to a new level, spotlighting pushy moms and preschoolers, made up like show girls, a lot of attention …show more content…
came with even more criticism”(Stephanopolous). Beauty pageants to many people are not perceived how they used to be. It is all an enormous competition that replaces the fun, the only eye candy left is the prize money and the trophy in the end. This show was mainly created for young girls who like to participate in beauty pageants and show off their talent, but this is not just any little contest anymore, it is big for them and is not even about the prize money, but it is about winning and being number one. These are not just any ‘normal’ children, they are children that have been coached into looking pretty, performing, and winning. Kailia Deliz announces sitting in the makeup chair backstage “I’m going to do my eyeliner, Mommy, and I’m not going to blink!” (Triggs). These mothers make their own little “Barbie” insisting that their child be spray-tanned, adorned with French-manicured press on nails, fake eyelashes, a wig with hair extensions, waxed eyebrows, fake eyelashes, a flipper which is a pageant lingo for fake teeth that snap in place to make the teeth look straight and perfect, leaving no gaps. Last but not least, comes the high heels for the ages of these young girls. They are trained to walk in these high heels and a “glitzy” dress. In Avery’s case, the five-year old contestant, a normal dress wear for her is “a 3,000 dollar hand-sewn bubble gum-pink dress covered with sequins and edged with lace that billows out, tutu-like, just below her waist” (Boykin). Not only is it all about the dress and makeup but it is mainly about the performance on the stage. This does not come naturally, parents; mostly mother’s claim “without the criticism the pressure of the pageantry are enormous, you have to be dedicated if you want to run with the big dogs, practice makes perfect!” (Triggs). Mother’s choreographing dances and routines or paying someone to come to their home a few times a week to make their child a perfect routine to higher the chances of them taking home the prize money and trophy. Pageants are taken very serious not only by the parent but also by the contestant competing. There are many disappointments and many cheers at the end of these competitions when the scores and placements have been released, some contestants’ hard work and money have paid off! Research Question 1. When tying “Toddlers and Tiaras” into the third wave feminism (the wave we are currently in today), how is it demonstrated by radical feminism? This TLC hit show “Toddlers and Tiaras” explores the controversy of how the image of little girls between the ages of two and ten are being portrayed as “Barbie” dolls. This reinforces feministic criticism, speaking as these little girls are portraying the self-image of what a pretty and perfect person should look like with straight teeth, long luscious hair, a ‘perfect’ tan, nice skin etc. I analyzed this television show “Toddlers and Tiaras” using feministic criticism. Feministic criticism focus’s on the taken-for-granted as normal roles and rules for women in society. While this show arises issues when dressing daughters in short, low cut dresses looking as if they are sexualizing their child is a feministic issue. With the help of media, shows like “Toddler’s and Tiara’s” try to emphasize what society’s perception of what beauty is or should be. With this show it rewards a child for not portraying the actual image of a little girl but the image of an ‘adult’ and what she should be represented as. Beauty pageants can and have corrupted society’s belief of what beauty truly is. It is corrupted by promoting all the wrong lessons for little girls as well as women. The dependence purely is on looks, the image of one’s body and how it is being degraded for the looks resembling sexual appeal, and the extent that the child will go and do to continue altering her body after winning the “Grand Supreme” tiara better known as the ‘Grand Champion’. Most would agree when stating “In examining the young children on “Toddler and Tiaras,” one of the most striking impressions is how unreal they look—a toy doll rather than a human being—this dehumanization is yet another damaging consequence of pageants. The natural state of these young girls have been painted over to create seemingly flawless skin, unrealistically long eyelashes, and artificially shaped eyebrows—all in pursuit of a false and unachievable vision of beauty” (OSG). With portraying this self-image it is nearly impossible for one to look stunningly beautiful without makeup, or by changing any physical attributions that one has. These children competing will one day grow up and not feel as valued and beautiful as they should, because of all the glam and makeup they once used to portray a ‘fake’ self-image of ‘someone else’ that does not bring to mind how they actually look. Portraying self-image comes firmly from the society and what media has set out as the “perfect girl” and what she should reveal. Many agree that the “perfect girl” resembles what we all know and loved as a child, better known as ‘Barbie’. The self-image of ‘Barbie’ takes after a thin, fit, perfect skinned, ‘sexy’ female. This portrays hegemony, as media and society dominate the self-image of what a female should look like. As for four-year old Maddy who “sparked the judges attention when she appeared on “Toddlers and Tiaras” wearing breast and derriere enhancements to complete her Dolly Parton Costume” (Wolfe, 429). This is introducing to a four-year old the image of someone fifty or more years older than her; not to mention that a four-year olds body is not full developed at this time, causing her to resemble something that she is not. Bloggers who have covered this story have agreed that the toddler’s parents have not had it shy of easy. Bloggers state “You are teaching your child that self-worth is tied to what other people think of her, and turning her into a total [expletive] monster. Thousands of viewers have visited online forums to voice concerns that these children are being trained to act like hookers, pole dancers, and/or strippers” (Wolfe, 429). These children develop a blatant reading as they are presenting themselves on stage caked with foundation, lipstick and glitzy dresses. There is no hiding the depth that these contestants have gone to ensure perfection. When going further in depth; Toddlers and Tiara’s does not only have children that portray the self-proclaimed image but their actions and how they implement themselves sexually to not only the judges but the viewers watching. Being in a beauty pageant many would think that the children would be trying to represent the cuteness they bring to the stage. These mothers and contestants had something else in mind. In episode seven, walking onto the stage two-year old Ava is told to “mime taking off her clothes and to “shaky shaky” by her father while on stage” (Palmer, 132). In other instances, a five-year old starring on episode eight; “Faith literally strips on stage, removing her wrap to reveal a bikini underneath” (Palmer, 133). Toddlers and Tiaras have worked its contestant’s competition up to the max, always having to win and in this case these contestants are not competing for the cutest look, or the cutest smile. Now what is in demand is the contestant that can portray themselves as a model with barely any clothes on who can run the stage. Everyone in society who has their eyes glued to the television whether they like watching the show or watch it out of disgust are not the only ones suffering in this case. When seeing these “Barbie” look-alikes come to compete, no one really sees their true colors whether at home or simply in the dressing room. Many contestants get tired of having a full time ‘job’ at such a young age. Always making sure they are doing every move and motion perfectly. Many girls even put the blame on themselves stating “winning is very important, said nine-year-old Brooke McClung, who added when she doesn’t win she feels sad. “I should have done better, I should have done better, and I should have nailed it!” (Canning). Not only do these girls get upset when watching the first place trophy get handed to someone else, but they also give up. Mother’s turn to bribing their child to get the competition done and to do their absolute best, “The woods traveled to Austin to defend Eden’s title as reigning queen. If she won she was promised a puppy” (Canning). The ones that are hurt in the end are the contestants themselves, “In February 2007, the American Psychological Association released a report on the sexualization of girls that found that girls’ exposure to hyper sexualized media content can negatively impact their cognitive and emotional development; it strongly associated with eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression; leading to fewer girls pursuing careers” (Henson). With this being said, these girls are growing up with the self-image of taking their clothes off, performing in a sexual manner and as a child under ten this is seen to be careless not only by them but by the parent. Similarly, in this age in a child’s life hypothetically speaking in a young boys life this is the point in time where they learn to value women. With a show like this they are “learning to value women only for their sex appeal, which the report says can lead to increased incidents of sexual harassment and sexual violence and increased demand for child pornography” (Henson). With more and more children competing in these pageants it is downgrading on the children, teaching them that they are not valued for who they are but valued as how they look. Contestants on Toddlers and Tiaras are blindsided by how the world is seeing them.
To the contestants they learn that it is nothing shy of normal to dress and look like a Barbie in this case. To them everyone looks and acts the same; the parents are in the crowd are in the background performing the contestants routine to make sure it is on point. As the contestants behind stage are having their hair done, lipstick applied and mascara touched up. These girls are blinded to the outside world and what children there age are doing. These contestants are girls who should be at home playing in the neighborhood with their friends, or playing with Barbie dolls; not portraying the look of a Barbie doll walking out onto the stage and being judged for their routine. With these pageants, these contestants should be able to stand out as who they really are, showing off their unique personalities and beauty. Pageants today are nothing but competitive sports when really it should be a lighthearted event where people are able to display their talents. Correcting this could be a step in helping these little girls step foot in the right direction and not have to grow up dealing with negativity based on how they looked against how they once portrayed themselves to look. These girls have the ability to be role models therefore they should be displaying the right message to their viewers, helping little girls just like them grow in a positive
direction.
Bibliography
Boykin Batts, Lisa. "Girl appears on 'Toddlers and Tiaras' ad." Wilson Daily Times (NC) 23 Jan. 2013: Points of View Reference Center. Web. 7 Oct. 2014.
Canning, Andrea, and Deborah Apton. "Pageants Behind the Scenes: Toddlers, Tiaras, Tempers and Tantrums." ABC News. ABC News Network, 11 Aug. 2009. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.
Recent female contestants they will understand the dangers of pageants and become more aware of what they need to do to protect themselves. Some will not care and believe it will not happen to them, that they are the one who can survive in the game. Economic classes are spoken to; upper class all they see is the glitter and trophies so they go to the extreme to go for the prizes of thousands of dollars and don’t care about what they need to do in order to get it. “Parents, many of whom have only modest incomes, pay for high-glitz coaches ($50 to $100 an hour), high-glitz photographers ($300 per session, with $150 for retouching), high-glitz wig makers ($150 to $175 a pop), and high-glitz spray tanners ($25 per pageant)”(Hollandsworth). Middle class they don’t see it as you have to have money to do it they can do just as good as those who have lots of money and do it better. Fans who support the pageant will consider how they perceive the girl as the model and perform their talents on
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...
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.
When I hear the word toddler I think of little girls walking around in mommy’s shoes, and miss matched clothing (because she’s getting to the age where she likes to dress herself.) And of course a cute smile that’s missing a few teeth. The word glitz, glamour and sashes don’t come to mind. Nor does the image of a little girl who’s fake from head to toe. Wearing wigs, flippers (fake teeth), inappropriate /reveling attire and fake tans. I don’t think of little girls dancing around a stage in front of hundreds of people getting judged on their “beauty.” Well, that is exactly what children’s pageants consist of. Pageants exploit a child for their outer beauty, their talents and over all perfection or as pageant judges would call it having” the whole package.” I bet pedophiles think the same thing and find these pageants very entertaining. And most of all, I don’t want to see a mother trying to live out her dreams through her three-year-old child.
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.
In one episode of the now discontinued tv show that had 103 episodes (IMDb, 2013), Toddlers and Tiaras, a 3 year old girl dressed up in an outfit modeled after Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman. This 3 year old, dressed as a prostitute flounced along the stage waving to the judges with hands on her hips. (Canning, 2011). Another example of celebrity mimicry for these pageants which sexualize these children that has been aired on Toddlers and Tiaras is when a 6 year old was stuffed into a padded bra in order to dress up as a busty Dolly Parton (Adams, 2012). These pageants then become a breeding ground for dangerous predators, Kidscape, an organization which attempts to prevent the bullying of children, CEO Claude Knights tells the Guardian Magazine ‘"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."’ (Day, 2010). The phenomenon of sexual predators making child pageants unsafe has even infiltrated pop culture and has been spoken about in TV shows like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and in many documentaries such as America the Beautiful: Sexualizing our Youth. These young girls are put on stage and are given things like fake teeth, fake eyelashes and spray tans in order to look older, this is a thinly veiled opportunity to make children look sexy in the same way that 25 year olds looks sexy. Ignoring the looming threat of abuse, dressing and giving a child other beauty enhancements in order to make them look attractive in a way that America traditionally sees adults as attractive robs the children of childhood and will cause them to
There are two popular types of pageants, natural and glitz. All pageants covers by “Toddlers and Tiaras” are glitz. In a glitz pageant anything goes. Girls show up to the pageants will a beauty dress worth thousands of dollars, clippers, which are fake teeth for children missing teeth, multiple hair pieces and suitcases full of make-up, hair supplies and back-up outfits.
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.
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
Child beauty pageants began in the 1960s, but the modern glitz pageants first garnered public attention in 1995 with Painted Babies, a documentary that followed two 5-year-old glitz contestants and their families. The 1996 death of JonBenet Ramsey introduced the world to tot beauty queens and 2001 brought the documentary Living Dolls. Toddlers and Tiaras launched in 2009 . "high-glitz" pageants like the ones featured on Toddlers & Tiaras is a potential source in child body impairment, low self esteem, and pressures children to grow up too fast. The pint-size stars on that TV show are often pumped with sugar as they pile on fake hair, heavy makeup, and even false teeth before taking the stage. Many kids wear revealing outfits that critics say
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)
" 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.