Childhood Beauty Pageants Interfere with Healthy Child Development

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Childhood beauty pageants interfere with healthy child development in many different ways including physically and mentally. More than three thousand pageants a year are held in the United States in which more than one hundred thousand kids under the age of twelve compete (Giroux 39). Some pageants are known to last up to half of a day. With the pageants being so long, contestants resort to drinking energy drinks to stay awake. Some mothers give their children energy drinks and excessive amounts of caffeine so they stay alive and prepared for the judges. “A 2011 study by the American Academy of Pediatrics reported that excessive caffeine intake could lead to neurological and cardiovascular problems for young children. Psychologists also warn that caffeine can have behavioral and mood-altering effects on children (and may cause anxiety, lower attention spans, and create dependency)” (Wolfe 434). When children are contestants in beauty pageants, they learn to believe that those might be the roles they play in the adult society in the future years. Many people argue that child beauty pageants are a disgrace and should no longer be allowed because take away the innocence of the child competing. “Karen Steinhauser, Around the time of JonBenets murder, Karen Steinhauser, Denvers chief deputy district attorney, stated “It’s impossible to look at these photos and not see a terribly exploited little girl” (Hollandsworth). Denvers chief deputy was talking about the photos she saw of young JonBenet with a face filled with make up and hair done up like a grown woman. The feelings that Denvers chief deputy had felt are feelings that many people still feel today about child beauty pageants.
William J. Cromie says that “mothers on lower and hi...

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...d who is not a true-crime author and media analyst, says, “I found in the course of my work, pedophiles who had gone to great lengths to obtain videos of little girls””(Hollandsworth). Not all pageants are harmful, but most harmful pageants are the most popular.
Beauty pageants have held a special place in American culture. They started and may or may not be ending in the coming years. There have been many arguments about the negative effects that beauty pageants bring to their contestants and to society. Many mothers of toddler contestants and adult contestants themselves spend more money on beauty pageants and preparing for beauty pageants than they do on education. Beauty pageants bring emotion and societal harm to their contestants. They should be stopped because they cause body dissatisfaction, self-esteem issues, and interfere with healthy child development.

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