The Influence Of Child Beauty Pageants

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What do clouds of hairspray, false eyelashes, glamorous dresses, overbearing mothers, and youthful faces caked in makeup all have in common? Most of these things can be found at child beauty pageants. Every year hundreds of thousands of hopeful children compete to win crowns, trophies, and money. These children range from as young as six months to sixteen years of age. This multibillion dollar industry has gained fame rapidly in the past decade with the TLC show “Toddlers & Tiaras” and also America’s hyper sweetheart and star of her own TLC show “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo”, Alana “Honey Boo Boo” Thompson. While dolling up young girls and boys to strut on stage is becoming the norm in America, the French have already banned child beauty pageants …show more content…

Children should be taught that there is more to beauty than physical appearance. Beauty pageants can push children too far with the Barbie ideal in ways other than physical perfection. Beauty pageants can often hyper sexualize the young female contestants. Children are often seen wearing revealing clothing while performing mature dances. These girls are being exposed to sexuality at outrageously young ages. Making a child dress in short skirts and shirts that expose their midriff, while they dance on stage is a toxic form of entertainment. Moreover, this teaches girls that they are sexual objects. Girls are taught that to be loved or admired they are required to look and act in a way that is pleasing to the judges, and the audience. A child’s body is not an object to be mulled over and discussed by strangers. Furthermore, treating them in this manner can be disastrous to their physical …show more content…

This development can be negatively affected by beauty procedures and the process of being a contestant. Firstly, the majority of young female contestants wear high heels during their routines. According to Natalie A. Nevins, an osteopathic physician, extended use of heels, even for adults, can cause chronic pain in the feet, ankles, calves, knees, and back. Wearing heels forces the body forward so in turn the wearer has to lean backward to maintain balance. This accentuates the bust and bottom, however it also puts unnatural pressure on the hips, knees, and ankle joints as well as misaligns the spine. Nevins says; "The change to the position of your spine puts pressure on nerves in the back and can cause sciatica, a condition where nerves become trapped, triggering pain and numbness as far down as the feet". She is also quoted saying, "High heels have also been linked to overworked or injured leg muscles, osteoarthritis of the knee, plantar fasciitis and low back pain." (Nevins, Natalie.) Moreover, a possible danger with the young contestants wearing high heels is the increased risk of sprained ankles. Sprained ankles are not only painful, if left untreated they can lead to a condition called chronic ankle instability. “Left untreated, ankle instability leads to cartilage deterioration with resultant degenerative arthritis. If a ligament does not heal, joint instability occurs and the end-result is arthritis

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