We Need a Minimum Age for Child Beauty Pageants

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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. How can a child have a normal life when they spend weeks practicing to compete for a beauty pageant? Young children should be out playing with their friends, playing with dolls and wearing Disney princess dresses around the house. Childhood is the most important time in both the parents and the child’s life but those memories can be ruined with the distraction of a beauty pageant. In order to plan for a pageant, the child has to spend weeks practicing their routine and planning their outfits for the big day. Pageants can cost a lot of money and a lot of time. The average cost to compete in a pageant is about six hundred and fifty five dollars which includes the formal wear, sportswear and dance. This does not include travel, hotel and food, which can be up to an extra two hundred dollars. The dresses for sports and formal wear can cost up to twelve thousand dollars (Nussbaum, 2013).With these high costs, the family may not have enough money to give the child toys that are appropriate for their age.... ... middle of paper ... ...ed but only under certain regulations. A minimum age of sixteen is a great restriction and can help make the pageant world a more mature and fair competition. Works Cited academic, e. (2013). Child Beauty Pageants: A Gateway to Gender Inequality. uwire text, 1. Heller, E. (2011). SOME PARENTS HAVE WELL-INTENTIONED BUT MISGUIDED IDEAS ABOUT CHILD BEAUTY PAGEANTS. states news service, 1. Nussbaum, K. (2013). CHILDREN AND BEAUTY PAGEANTS. BEAUTY PAGEANTS, 1. Start ASL. (2008, August 19). Start American sign language. Retrieved from Start ASL: http://www.start-american-sign-language.com/heather-whitestone.html states news service. (2011). SOME PARENTS HAVE WELL-INTENTIONED BUT MISGUIDED IDEAS ABOUT CHILD BEAUTY PAGEANTS. state news service, 1. THE WEEK. (2012). The Five Biggest Controversies To Hit 'Toddlers And Tiaras'. BUSINESS INSIDER, 1.

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