The Dangers Of Child Beauty Pageants

According to Dr. M. Cartwright, “many of the young women with eating disorders were trained at an early age to value, physical perfection, thinness, athletic powers and attractiveness.”(2011). A study in 2005 showed that former childhood beauty pageant contestants had higher rates of body dissatisfaction (www.psychologytoday.com, 2011). This statistic is growing every year and needs to have an end to it. Child beauty pageants have a negative impact on children because they lead to mental issues later on, make kids shallow and make kids unsafe.

Girls being exposed to beauty pageants have a higher risk of insecurity issues as they grow older. The girls have no time for school, they focus only on physical beauty-everyday. It is proven that hairspray,

One can spend up to $1500 and even more if one were to hire a hairstylist, makeup artist and clothing stylist. Some people have spent so much they lose their cars and houses sometimes they are forced to sell their trailers to afford these pageants, all this financial stress can be taken out on the child. One mother said, “my daughter looks like a Barbie...I tell her to exploit it. This is your life; you take what you have and run with it” (www.harvardgazette.com,2000) This is said to many other young girls, putting pressure on them. One feels that if he/she does not win one's mom sold the car for nothing (for example) this may lead to self acceptance issues later on. This is why beauty pageants have negative impacts on children. Almost 5000 child beauty pageants are held every year and 250 000 child contestants are participating. Mothers and trainers are putting so much time, energy and pressure into their child's pageants career that there is no time for school. One of Dr. M. Cartwrights clients had a dance career, her mom gave her unconditional love and instilled confidence in her, he career got cut short by an injury so she went back to regular school...she was one of the only

If that is true, then explain why pageants girls face self esteem issues because they are always going through rejection from the judges and the pressure to be perfect (www.theharmsofchildpageants.weebly.com). In addition others may believe that fitness is improved. Your fitness will not improve if you are constantly being put on crash diets. Do not be deceived by the “abs” and “toned thighs” because most of the time, they are sprayed on. Also, mothers claim that it helps their kid set goals, if that is the case how come a recent BBC survey showed that “half of girls aged eight to 12 want to look like the women they see in the media and six out of 10 thought they’d be happier if they were thinner” (www.theguardian.com, 2010). All this does is make girls feel insecure. This is why child beauty pageants have a negative impact on contestants and should be