Child Pageants

Throughout the average kid’s childhood, children are taught to respect education, and that appearances do not define a person. However, beauty pageants interfere with this mindset. A Beauty pageant is “a contest in which people judge a group of women or girls and decide which one is the most beautiful”("Dictionary."). There are 2.5 million girls that compete in the hundred thousand beauty pageants held each year. Child pageants were first started in 1921 when the Atlantic City hotel owner came up with the idea that would help tourism. The Little Miss America pageants began in New Jersey in the 1960’s. Originally pageants were designed for ages thirteen to seventeen, but since there were too many people, they had to make age groups (“Statistic
With the amount of makeup, photoshopping profiles, exuberant quantities of hair extensions, and the constant perfecting of a child’s body, people are forcing adulthood way to early. Children at this age don’t understand what a contest means and what they are truly putting themselves up for (Padmore). The parents of these children are responsible for educating their child the difference between what's right and what is wrong. Instead the parents of pageant kids are teaching the young girls that behaving and dressing like an older women is appropriate (“Stonybrook”). “Sexualization is the tendency to view oneself as a sex object”(“Dictionary”). Sexualization is shown when young children are being thrown on stage in costumes that are presenting a sexual impression to the audience that causes unwanted attention. Many of the dresses worn by these young girls are barely covering their thighs and most of the swimsuits worn are body wear that even grown women should not be presented in. Costumes are also making young girls appear and behave more like a grown-up than their true age(“Stonybrook”). While it may seem that the crowds at these beauty pageants are only consisting of only family and friends, there's no promises that strangers with bad attentions are at these pageants. The guy in the back of the room videotaping could be a relative, but also could be
Confidence is built in pageants because of their performances and interviews in front of large crowds. Performing in front of large crowds allows the girls to get rid of stage fright. Also recognition is valued in pageants to help build confidence because contestants are rewarded for their hard work. Pageant rewards include talent, speech, commercials, modeling, and community service (Shappert). These rewards show that you have to have some talent to win. Also these young children have to have a huge amount of discipline to succeed in beauty pageants. Self-control and discipline are necessary for these girls if they want to continue to follow the strict dieting and exercising they are responsible for each pageant. Another reason pageants can be considered good is that they teach the same values as sports. The values promoted by contests include goal setting, dedication, and sportsmanship ("9 Chief Pros and Cons of Beauty Pageants”). Although young girls gain confidence when they win the pageants they participate in, children who never win pageants self-esteem becomes lower. This can cause further damage to the child's mental stability in the future. Also confidence can be built without putting a child out and sexualizing them in public. A boost in confidence can also make them become selfish and eager to win, while not worrying about