At some point every single one of us was once an innocent child without a care in the world. The only thing that mattered was to make sure we had fun. There are many different things children do to have fun. Some children love to go outside and get dirty, others prefer to stay indoors and play pretend. Some girls love to play tea time or pretend to be princess. In some cases those pretend fantasies become true. Little girls get the chance to actually become a small little princess for a day. The only place that allows little girls to become a princess is at a child beauty pageant. Unfortunately throughout the years these pageants for little girls have been criticized and rejected by other people. There are many articles that discuss the reasons why child beauty pageants are rejected but there are also some that discuss the importance of them.
Michelle Healy's "Could child beauty pageants be banned in the USA?"(Article A) appears in the USA Today on September 25, 2013. This article gives a response to the issue of France's proposal to ban beauty pageants. “Instead of following France’s proposal to ban child beauty pageants, researchers in the USA say safety regulations and education about how the competitions affect children are needed.” Healy uses persuasive techniques such as logos, pathos and ethos to convince people that it’s the parents’ responsibility to take responsibility on how they betray their daughters. The article also shows both sides of the disagreement therefore convincing other people even more since it shows that there are many reasons to agree or disagree with beauty pageants for children under the age of seventeen.
An example of the persuasive technique is Ethos that is used in the article is, "The problem '...
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...g a reality but by banning child beauty pageants is keeping them from it.
At the end, both arguments are very effective in convincing people child beauty pageants effect children either directly or indirectly. Article A uses ethos, pathos and logos to show both sides of the argument about pageants for children, but it uses that to show that pageants effect children indirectly since it’s the parents who make certain decisions that affect children in more than the pageants itself. Article B uses mostly ethos to persuade people that that pageants effect children directly but in a positive way. That is getting a lot great qualities that are very useful in life and doing something that they love which is attending beauty pageants. Overall in any type of sport, including beauty pageants, there will be complications and benefits that people may or may not agree with.
Child beauty pageants are a quite controversial topic, not only in the United States but all around the world. Beauty pageants teach young girls bad lessons and causes them to grow up too fast. The people who are strongly opposed to child beauty pageants view the children involved as being objectified and treated more like eye candy than little girls. Many people have had enough of the exploitation and are starting movements for change. Some countries such as France, have even gone so far as to ban children under the age of sixteen to compete in pageants. Anyone who violates this law faces heavy fines and possible jail time (Could Child Beauty Pageants Be Banned in the USA?). The United States should also look into the possibility of a law prohibiting the participation of children in beauty pageants. Beauty pageants exploit children and applauded them for their looks. Many people believe that “it’s human nature to be drawn to beauty”, but have they taken it too far (Holland, Kristen)?
Until the death of 6-year-old beauty queen Jonbenet Ramsey, the child pageant circuit was never fully recognized on a national scale. In the past 17 years, many shows have attempted to give the country a glimpse into the the life of a child beauty queen, however, they are quite over dramatic. Although some sources of media may mislead a viewer to believe the child pageant system is exploitive and sexualizes the young contestants, research shows the decisions of some parents are truly to blame, not the pageants themselves.
In “Toddlers In Tiaras” Skip Hollandsworth purpose is to get readers to understand that pageants are teaching young girls to young women that the sexualization of their looks are their main value, leaving a negative effect on contestants physically. He believes parents are usually the main reason why young girls join the pageants to begin with so, he targets parents as the audience of his essay. To get readers to understand his point of view and to persuade them to agree with him he displays evidences from reliable sources using ethos, pathos and logos throughout the article.
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.
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
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.
Imagine you are at home, watching tv. Flipping through the channels, you see a preview for next week’s episode of Toddlers & Tiara’s. They show the girls dressed in frilly, sparkly attire, fake teeth, fake hair, fake tans, and makeup that could transform their faces into someone in their 20’s. These children are usually misbehaving, disobedient, overdramatic and they are between the ages of four and six. Any person could see that this lifestyle is incredibly harmful to these children not just because of what it does to their appearance, but what happens when these little girls’ minds become tainted with the thoughts of needing to be beautiful and talented in order for people to like them. They also learn that being beautiful means doing whatever it takes to make yourself look perfect, even if it means that everything about you is fake. At the same time, when these little girls are dressing up for these shows, they are being put in outfits that could be worn by strippers. This draws attention to sex offenders and pedophiles, which could potentially end up in something tragic. Claude Knights, the director of child protection charity Kidscape, says, "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." In the end, children’s beauty pageants are essentially harmful to both young girls safety and minds.
...re for flawlessness leads to lifelong side-effects and triggering girls to expect that natural beauty is unsatisfactory. We should be teaching little girls that beauty can be seen in everyone and not by how much make up someone wears. Superficially the pageants can be seen as entertaining for those watching, but the long-term effects on the young girls involved are very damaging. The way these children see their body in a negative way is a major after-effect from the desire to look picture-perfect. Young girls can become ill due to the type of diets required for pageants and affect their eating habits for the rest life. Child beauty pageants may appear, at first glance, to be beautiful and stylish, but when examined on a greater level, the hazards and negativity that these children face become increasingly obvious and ultimately changes their lives for the worst.
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...
Child beauty pageants started in Miami, Florida in the 1960’s, and since then have spread all across the country and even worldwide. During that time they have been influenced by how America has changed over the course and how women are seen. These little girls “strut” across the stage in sportswear, swim wear, formal clothing and showing off their hard working talent. America has contributed greatly to the progression of child beauty pageants and although not all bad, it is clear to see what aspects of beauty pageants are influenced by American culture.
Therefore, there are also serious dangers that come with the mentality that beauty is everything. According to a 2005 study by Anna Wonderlich in the Journal of Treatment and Prevention reported that girls who have participated in beauty pageants during the majority of their adolescent years, grew up to acquire increased body dissatisfaction, difficulty trusting personal relationships, and intensified impulse behavior which could indicate feelings of ineptitude (qtd. in Tankard Reist 79). Girls with body image issues are becoming more common in today’s society and pageants can be considered a stimulant to this body dissatisfaction. Judges instill the idea in the young contestant’s heads that if they do not walk out of a pageant with a crown, they are not pretty enough. Consequently, critics argue that pageants will lead to girls wanting plastic surgery and Botox injections (Overington 13). Parents are putting unnecessary pressure on their young daughters to look flawless and do
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.
...ey run out of money or can’t afford everything, they are forced to use fake flowers or even everyday objects (#2). Some even hand make their costumes/outfits. Beauty pageants are a lot to keep up on, which is negative of the contestants/parents.
Dancing on stage in tiny, sequenced outfits, consuming tons of sugar and energy drinks, and being embellished with spray tans, fake hairpieces, and heavy makeup seems like a lot of fun for young girls. The chance to dress up like a princess and win tiaras or money is every little girl’s dream. Sadly, they do not know any better and are getting involved in activities that they should not be attracted to. According to Martina M. Cartwright’s article, “Beauty pageant participation has skyrocketed since the late 1990’s, and today more than 16,000 natural and glitz child pageants are held annually in the United States, with an estimated 290,000 contestants” (1105). Writer Lucy Wolfe, states in her article that many bloggers have scolded the parents of young girls for “pumping [their] young daughter full of uppers, teaching her that self-worth is tied to what other people think of her[,] and turning her into a total [expletive] monster” (429). She also describes a situation in January 2012 with a mother filing a $30 million lawsuit due to a public article that “[a]s a result, Isabella is now perceived sexually, erotically[,] and pornographically” (430). Unfortunately, Lindsay Lieberman states, “though commonly criticized for such outlandish and destructive practices the child pageant industry enjoys heightened success and widespread popularity” (745). The negative effects of children’s involvement in beauty pageants are becoming evident in their growth and development as young women. Examples include the physical, emotional, and societal lifetime challenges including body shame, perfectionism, depression, and eating disorders. Beauty pageants are brainwas...
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?