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Positive and negative effects of beauty pageants
Positive and negative effects of beauty pageants
Why childrens beauty pageants are wrong research paper
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Recommended: Positive and negative effects of beauty pageants
To begin with, about 250,000 children participate in around 5,000 pageants in the United States every year. Hence this, beauty pageants impact a child to have unhealthy values. Consequently, adolescent females could be oversexulized. Henceforth, youths are more at risk for eating disorders and body dissatisfaction. Child beauty pageants can result in unhealthy values, sexualization of young girls , and potential risk of eating disorders and body dissatisfaction.
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.
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Usually, during the beauty portions of the pageants, contestants ordinally perform risque routines and wear provocative outfits. Generally, the typical preparation includes, “ fake eyelashes, fake nails, hair extensions, teeth whitening, eyebrow waxing and grooming, heavy make-up, and most recently, breast and butt padding to enhance the look” (Lindsey). The young girls imitate older woman by putting on risque outfits and sometimes adding breast and butt padding to enhance their outer appearance. For instance, on Toddlers and Tiara there was a routine when a 3 year dressed up as the prostitute played by Julia Roberts in the 1990 film, Pretty Woman which caused controversy around the country
“ I remember thinking when she was killed I was going to get killed to as well”(Hollandsworth). Pageant girls were scared to sleep and perform because they believed pedophiles were at the competitions seeking out who to kill next. Which lead to cause girls to feel what they claim to love will be the end for them. Being a concerned writer he adds a reported statement that is distasteful, believing it would hit parents to reconsider what they have their daughters involved in. “ Parents who put their daughters in pagaent can contribute in direct and concrete ways to the precious sexualization of their daughter”(Hollandsworth). People will see it as bad parenting and consider the consequences the young ladies may face by exhibiting unchild performance, but girls are only doing as they are told will help them win. "They are always applying makeup to their girls ' faces, dressing them up, and dyeing their hair...the message these little girls take away is that natural beauty isn 't enough — that their self-esteem and sense of self-worth only comes from being the most attractive girl in the room”(Hollandsworth). Confidence levels of young girls are low so they try to cover themselves with makeup to hide who they truly are and what they look like naturally. The comfort of their skin is not wanted they want to be seen as
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.
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...
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...
Dr Robyn Silverman says “It hurries them along and asks them to grow up and adhere to a standard that isn’t natural to them- that’s what natural and beautiful is being older than they are.” Not all beauty pageants are negative because when girls feel happy about themselves, it can be easier to deal with challenges in their lives in years to come. But this single reason is nothing compared to the downsides of beauty pageants; being pushed to be perfect can cause the child to struggle with not being good enough to win which I believe should not be the
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?"
Beauty pageants are linked with an immense variety of negative effects. These children are trying to be someone that they are not. The effects on these children can escalate quickly and affect them their entire life. When a parent first enters their child in a pageant, they do not think about the negative consequences they could have on their child. No parent wants to experience the tragedy that the Ramsey family did. Although some children do gain things from these pageants, the majority of them are harmed. The effects from these pageants range from eating disorders and body image problems to social and psychological problems. If there are not regulations put on these pageants in the near future, our young children are going suffer from growing up to fast. When will people learn that looks are not everything and we should let the kids be kids?
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
These little girls prance on stage in expensive swimsuits and are expected to have adult like bodies at such a young age, when baby fat is still a factor! In Psychology Today, Martina Cartwright explains that before presenting the young female on stage, that the parents carved visible abdominal muscles into the girls' stomach with a bronzing spray. The problem is with such demands like this, which the root of body image issues begins. Although, pageants for young children have bad effects, and cause body image issue, beauty contests for young adult women provide confidence and promote healthy living for the contestants!
"Children who consistently compete in beauty pageants miss the chance to make friends during and after school and are at risk for developing problems in their social interactions" (Eder). Kids will spend so much time thinking about these beauty contest that they will miss out of a lot of their development skills "A 6-year-old beauty queen is put at risk for problems in most major areas of development: cognitive development, peer relationships, adult relationships and self-concept" (Eder). When they miss out on all these skills they miss a lot. No one realizes how much this could change a person development and relationships with others. Girls also don’t have a good self-esteem because of these consents they do.
" 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 ... ...
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.
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.
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?