Toulmin Essay

Lauren W. Wages
Toulmin Essay
September 29, 2013

1.) What was the purpose of the essay? In your response, explore the deeper meaning of this question. The goal is not just to complete the assignment but instead to convey a message. What do you plan to accomplish with this essay? What do you hope the reader takes away from this argument? The purpose of me writing this essay is to persuade the reader that placing a young child in a beauty pageant can have negative effects on that child for several years to come.

2) What did you learn from completing this assignment? Did you experience a new understanding of the topic? Did you change your perspective after completing the research?
I actually learned a lot from this assignment, I learned a lot more about the effects that these young beauty pageants can have on children. Not every child will suffer from some of the things but there is a possibility that some of the children will and with the effects that I have discussed it would not be a risk I am willing to take. 3) What difficulties did you encounter during the research, writing, or editing phases of the assignment? I was able to find a lot of information on this topic but a lot of it is was the same information over and over again. It also took me a little longer to find the sources that I wanted, and those were sources from doctors and psychologist who are familiar with the effects as well as them being familiar with children that are suffering from the things that experts say children who participate in these beauty pageants at a young age and suffer from. 4) What did you enjoy about this assignment? I really enjoyed this writing assignment because I actually learned a lot more than what I thought I was going to. There are so many more negative things to come from these pageants than there are positive. Actually I don 't believe I found one thing positive for the children involved. 5) What made you decide to write about this particular topic? Is this a topic that you are discussing in another course? Is this a topic that concerns you in particular? I decided to write about this topic because I had seen/heard about it on the news or in a recent article somewhere. I also have a 3 ½ year old daughter and I see these realty tv shows like “Honey Boo Boo and Toddlers and Tiaras and it makes me sick to my stomach to see these mothers and how they treat their own children and it also breaks my heart for these little girls. 6) Is there anything else you would like for me to know before reading your essay? No

The multi-million dollar industry that is made up of putting little girls on stage with their make up done, fake eye lashes glued in place, spray tans freshly sprayed, and hair done just to strut their stuff in their pageant gown or dance to today 's latest hip hop music. This is the multi-million dollar industry that is destroying the images that little girls have of their selves. A child 's beauty pageant is made up of contestants ranging from ages as young as three all the way up to eighteen years of age. Depending on what type of pageant it is, the competition will have several categories ranging from talent, swim wear, interview, evening wear, sports wear etc. When we get past all of the glamour and beauty, what is it really doing to these young girls participating. One of the number one things that is seen from young children who participate in beauty pageants at a young age is eating disorders and body image distortion. These pageants main focus for the young age is centered around “cuteness”. These pageants are teaching young girls that people are going to judge them on their appearance which can lead to what is known as body-image distortions. Body-image distortion is “is a brain condition where the person is unable to see herself accurately in the mirror and perceives features of her body size to be distorted” (Collins). Most of the parents who register their daughters to participate in these pageants are forcing their daughters to also participate in what is known as a “crash diet”. “A “crash diet” is one that consists of mostly sugary snacks and sports drinks for several days” (Zawn). These diets are put in place so that their daughters will gain the energy and enthusiasm that they need for the pageant. What these mothers are also giving their daughters is a higher risk of short term and long term health issues. They are also teaching their daughters unhealthy eating habits, which on top of an already body-image distortion will only lead these young girls into an eating disorder of their choice, whether it is bulimia and anorexia would be the one choice their mothers would not be able to make for them. People hear or see the word sexualization and they would not put that word with a child 's beauty pageant, but when you look at the meaning of the word you will see they go hand and hand with each other. Sexualization is “the tendency to view oneself as a sex object” (Zawn). These girls are required to dress up in the provocative costumes or skimpy dresses so that they will gain the attention of the judges and the audience why they are shaking their rear-ends to the latest hip-hop song, or as they are prancing across the stage in a pair of stilettos. These children are taught that they will get the attention if they dress like this, which is teaching these young girls that this is how their own worth is going to be determined on and off the stage. “In 2007, the American Psychological Association (APA) linked eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression with the early sexualizaiton of girls” (Dr.Sharon). With the statement that Dr. Sharon Maxwell makes, why in the world would any mother want to put their child at risk for such harming and detrimental statistics, the answer is money. These mothers are selfish and are using their daughters to gain the reward at the end of the pageant. These pageants can have very substantial prizes for the winners and these mothers are willing to put their daughters through anything no matter what the long term effects are to be the winner at the end of the day. The fact that any parent (mother or father) would put their child in a beauty pageant is beyond me. There is no amount of money or no amount of fame that could come from putting our children in harms way for a life that could lead to complete destruction. Parents need to take a moment and look at the society that we live in today and realize that the better life for their children is going to be teaching them about self respect and dignity. Parents need to step up to the plate and take responsibility for their own actions when it comes to raising their children. In the future when these mothers have a 17 year old bulimic, depressed daughter on their hands, they have no one to blame but their selves.

Annotated Bibliography

Cartwright , M.. N.p.. Web. 29 Sep 2013. .

Zawn , Villines. N.p.. Web. 29 Sep 2013. .

Collins, L.. N.p.. Web. 29 Sep 2013. .

Dr. Sharon, Maxwell. N.p.. Web. 29 Sep 2013. .

Bibliography: Cartwright , M.. N.p.. Web. 29 Sep 2013. . Zawn , Villines. N.p.. Web. 29 Sep 2013. . Collins, L.. N.p.. Web. 29 Sep 2013. . Dr. Sharon, Maxwell. N.p.. Web. 29 Sep 2013. .