Why Should Child Beauty Pageants Be Banned

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Child Beauty Pageants: Should They Be Outlawed?
The USA pushes to ban self-expression in young children, restrict basic parental authority, and deny youth opportunities for growth and success. Anyone would find that statement a bit disconcerting. Thankfully, it isn’t actually the case, but it could be if we decided to outlaw child beauty pageants. When speaking about the morality of child beauty pageants, concerns for the oversexualization of children is often brought up. Additionally, the public believes that beauty pageants are teaching children the wrong values all together. The motivation to outlaw the competitions is understandable, but it is not the answers to these concerns. Child beauty pageants promote confidence and high self-esteem …show more content…

For instance, Anna Berry compares well run pageants to other sports, suggesting that it would be unfair to ban one and not the other. In other sports, there are nationwide rules set in play to keep things safe, something pageants lack currently.Tish Howard also says, "I do believe we could set guidelines on what does and does not constitute promoting sexual exploitation of children as far as routines and dress." In order to protect the children without punishing them for their hobbies and interests, beauty pageants need to be modified, not banned. To keep those who oppose pageants happy and away from protest, as well as keep the children safe, effective acts working towards a solution that addresses the issue, need to be set in play. Individuals who care about protecting young children from exploitation and oversexualization and also see the positive side of beauty pageants, should start and sign petitions pushing towards nationwide rules and …show more content…

Saying that all beauty pageants oversexualize young children just isn’t true. It’s important to realize, that natural beauty pageants are hardly taken into account by the public. These pageants focus on the interview, talent and community service aspects of pageants. Competitors are even docked points for wearing make-up. A pageant with rules and standards to prevent the oversexualiization of children, shouldn’t be outlawed due to other pageants that take things too far. Point often overlooked, it is reality shows like "Toddlers and Tiaras" and "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo" that are the ones introducing millions to the pageant world. These shows aren’t accurate depictions of what child beauty pageants are all about. On the positive side, individuals like Anna Berry and her daughter Ashley, long term pageant competitors, consider pageantry a hobby and suggest it’s not all the media makes it out to be. In Berry’s perspective, reality tv shows provide the public with a sensationalized view but fail to reveal the positive aspects and effects that can be seen within young girls who choose to do pageantry as a hobby. "I understand why public perspective tends to be so negative about the competitions, because they are little girls. I wish the public saw more about the experience we get,"

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