Ultimate Grand Supreme and Mini Supreme, does that sound over-the-top amazing? This is the title that everyone from 0-18 years old want. Parents are a big part of pageants because without them there wouldn’t be any contestants. Pageant environment is not good for children because it is stressful and there’s a lot of pressure. There is pressure to be perfect and pretty whenever the contestant is on stage. Some of the kids fail to do what they have to do on stage and when they don’t do it right it upsets them.”I felt awful for that girl. I reflexively gave her a sympathetic smile. She responded to my kindness with a dirty look and a combination grunt/whine.” says Tracie Morrissey when she witnessed a girl asking for her mother’s approval, but failed to do so. Children under the age of 18 should not be able to join beauty pageants because it is a bad environment and it sends the wrong message to girls.
Pageant parents believe that their children gains self-confidence from joining pageants. Different portions of the pageant will help them develop some skills they might need for the future. Dominic Donaldson said in his article, “For instance, the interview round can teach the participant about enunciation, voicing their opinions and general public speaking skills.”(Donaldson, Dominic "Toddlers in Tiaras - The Benefits of Child Beauty Pageants." ) Public speaking skills plays an important role in the professional world because the speaker’s way with words is how they are going to get clients or patients. When the speaker is confident about their opinion the audience will more likely listen and feel confident that they are making the right choice about whatever it is they are there for. The talent portion Donaldson says, “The talent po...
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...Baby in a Beauty Pageant and Lost My Mind." Jezebel. Web. 12 May 2014. .
News, ABC. "‘Toddlers and Tiaras’ Controversy: Mom Defends Feeding Daughter ‘Pageant Crack’." ABC News. ABC News Network, 08 Feb. 2012. Web. 12 May 2014. .
"AWARDS." The Beauty from within Beauty Pageant. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2014. .
Donaldson, Dominic "Toddlers in Tiaras - The Benefits of Child Beauty Pageants." Toddlers in Tiaras - The Benefits of Child Beauty Pageants. 20 Aug. 2009 EzineArticles.com. 12 May. 2014 .
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.
Many mothers who allow their children to participate in beauty pageants would argue that performing in the pageants isn’t as stressful and serious as the television shows portray them. In fact, “the pageant industry promotes this idea by advertising pageants as family affairs that are great for a child’s self-esteem and poise” (Wolfe 445). Also, in an article written by Lise Hilbodt-Stolley, a mother of a pageant princess stated “that while pageants may be ‘politically incorrect’ they are drug, alcohol and gang free” (3). However, many parents push their children to win because they are either greedy for the money and fame that accompanies a win, or are living through their young children because of their own feelings of inadequacy. These same parents who are blinded by the possibility of their baby...
It’s pathetic how these parents live through their children. Every parent says they allow their child to decide if they want to compete. But these are the same parents who say their daughter has been in pageants since she was in diapers! So how did she voice her opinion then? I have been watching clips of the “Toddlers And Tiaras” and just about every mother says, “Yes I am very competitive I want to do good at everything I do!” Why is this when they aren’t the ones competing. Jordan’s (a child on Toddlers and Tiara’s) mother said “Yes I’m very competitive, when my daughters on stage she represents a product of me.” Or the one parent who said they see pageants as a great investment. How disgusting. Not only are these little girls exploited, but also it’s usually for the parents benefit. Ther...
"How Do Child Beauty Pageants Affect a Child's Development?" Everyday Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Feb. 2014
who have their children in beauty pageants say that their children gain confidence through performing. They also say that they are more prepared for life and will be more socially comfortable. They argue that their children mature at a younger age than "normal" children do. Why would any parent want their children to grow up any faster than they already do? Beauty pageants are not the only way that a child at such a young age can gain confidence.
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...
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?"
" 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 ... ...
Lieberman, Lindsay. "Protecting Pageant Princesses: A Call For Statutory Regulation Of Child Beauty Pageants." Journal Of Law & Policy 18.2 (2010): 739-774. Academic Search Complete. Web. 16 Feb. 2014.
Beauty pageants have been a competition in society as long as anyone can remember, whether it is formal or informal. From one girl comparing herself to a magazine, judging another when changing in the locker room, or attending a full, all out, extravagant and official pageant; it is really all the same. In this case, the direct topic being discussed is if beauty pageants are exploitive for young girls. Considering the stories on the news and reality television shows that display the craziness of it all, it is safe to say that entering in any young girl to beauty pageants is a brutal way of raising a child and does not hold any positive benefits in the long term.
...le do thing that they do is a good way to prepare for such a career.” In the end, pageants have their good ways and their bad ways. Some parents put their kids in pageants to prove that they are better than others, but other parents do it for their kids to make lifelong friends. (Cromie, 2000)
" 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.
“Three parents who were interviewed put their children into pageants because they have birth defects. ‘Her plastic surgeon thinks it’s wonderful because he sees parents hide their children with a facial defect,’ according to one mother, whose daughter has a cleft palate. ‘We don’t go for competition or for her to win. We go to meet other children and parents. We don’t want her to think she’s different, that she isn’t beautiful.” (Cromie). The main reason people participate in pageants is the benefit of gaining confidence. (Shappert). Parents enter their children into pageants when they are young so they can learn to be comfortable with who they are and meet many new people. (Cromie). The downside of placing a child into the pageantry world is that it can become very costly. Parents can spend hundreds up to even a thousand dollars just on the dress, this is not including the hair, nails, fake teeth and coaching, if the parent wishes to increase their chances of winning. (Cromie). Another disadvantage to putting young children or even young adults into pageants is that the thought of winning can get to their head. The competition can become too serious for them. On television shows like Toddlers and Tiaras children are often shown throwing tantrums when they do not win.
Imagine waking up early to get ready after weeks of rehearsals and spray tans, hours and hundreds of dollars spent on a short, sparkling dresses, heels, and at times revealing outfits. Kids are seated for hours to do hair and makeup, and last minute preparations; parents make sure they do not become impatient so, they hand their child a juice box to calm them down. However, this isn’t helpful for a 5 year old being forced to participate in pageants in order to make her parents happy and boastful that their child has won the “Grand Title”. Some parents, in order to win these prizes, have to hide their childrens’ imperfections with heavy make-up, spray tans, and flippers (fake teeth) to make judges see them as a flawless. Parents have entered their children into these activities before the age of one!
Today there are many new extracurricular activities that occupy a lot of young Americans minds. One trending activity is beauty pageants. It is more common in children where the ages may vary between eight months and even older. The trending debate is whether or not beauty contest serve any purpose in society. While many Americans feel as though pageants are helpful to a child’s self esteem, many feel that the effects of the contest have a very harsh effect on child development by devaluing a child. Researchers have found that beauty contests are effective for women to help make platforms for their careers and also create new jobs for women to create like mentoring children.