Beauty Pageants: The Damaging Effects Of Beauty Pageants

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Damaging Effects of Beauty Pageants
One would believe that a life of glamorous hair and make-up, beautiful gowns, and sparkling tiaras would be every young girls dream, unfortunately, for numerous, this dream often turns into a nightmare. In today’s world, little girls are being subjected to the world of pageantry. Beauty pageants in America have seemed to multiply over the years. Now, these pageants are so popular with little girls. They will do anything and everything they can to do pageants. Although the kid may want to enter, the parents take as much blame as the children do. Numerous parents fall in love with the idea of their children being in pageants. So is it really the child who wants to participate in such a demanding lifestyle?
Beauty pageants first came into the American society in the 1920’s. It was first used as a marketing tool for a hotel. Pageants grew more popular over the years but were soon shut off because of the Great Depression. Once pageants came popular again, they served for educational and entertainment purposes. Contestants were offered scholarships and other beneficial programs. When Miss America first started, it introduced beauty in all people. It didn’t require you to look a certain way or be the “total package”. In 1983, the first African American takes home the title of Miss America. Americans realized that race should not come into play when deciding the winner of the Miss America pageant. The positive factors of pageants expanded numerously. In 1994, Miss America was crowned to a handicapped person, the first one ever. Pageants told people it does not matter so much about the looks. It taught others to look past the little things that often get caught up in peoples mind. No matter your ethnic...

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...to be a teacher or a brain surgeon, your parents should accept your choices. Beauty pageants diminish the children’s vital life skills. They take away their love for themselves and make them live in a constant fear. Anorexia nervosa and bulimia affect numerous girls every year; some admit they get them from beauty pageants. Pageants only judge your outside appearances and never anything that is meaningful to life. No kid should ever have to feel self-conscious about their bodies. The lesson beauty pageants teach kids is that you have to be near perfect to be beautiful in our society. As the children are not all to blame, they contribute to some of the factors. Parents also need to realize that their kids are not perfect and they should love them for the way they are. If they cannot love their kids for the way they are, how are the kids supposed to love themselves?

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