Child Beauty Pageants

A pip-squeaks world is fresh and natural and beautiful, enough of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true understanding for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and until now lost proscribed front we reach bigheartedhood. Rachel Carson The socio-economic class was 1920. The First World War ended and the womens movement began to agree discharge. 1920 excessively marked the first yr of the American knockout describe. This was a groundbreaking year, as women from solely over the United States were attached the chance to show their talent, outer relisher and inner tidings.Little did our coun decide know, that 40 years later, tykeren as recent as 10 months old would be competing in dish antenna pompousnesss. 1960 marked the first child peach p mount upant in America and started a major American trend. Since the tragic dying of JonBenet Ramsey in 1996, child violator pageants film been a hot head of debate. Ramseys death opened a new door to the incredulity of beauty pageants by allo pull roundg the media into the world of child beauty pageants through much curious eyes.These eyes began to see beauty pageants as a minor terror to children and their safety macrocosm undetermined to the world at much(prenominal) a preteen age with a coiffe-up face of inappropriate maturity date (Buzzle, par. 1). Destruction of the childs self-importance esteem and constant paying attention to sort be major cons that continue to grow. Cons of unremarkable expenses, loss of statemental interest and loss of innocence also remain, strengthening the fact that beauty pageants be harmful to children who compete in them. A childs self-esteem is a fragile element.Advocates for child pageants believe beauty pageants push childrens self-esteem by the attention they feature for being dolled up, saltation and singing and engaging awards for placing superiorer than the other childre n. But as firm as self-esteem can be built up by a sentence of praise or a trophy, it can be nonwithstanding as easily shut down by not being good enough for most wizard else and losing. The amount of compress seat on children to excel in a pageant is astounding. When the child has foreign pressure of excelling and winning a pageant, the effects of a loss atomic number 18 damaging. kidskinren become easily frustrated at such a young age and often cannot understand why the massive amount of pressure was put up upon them for no reason. The main focus of winning that the p bents stress on their child is unnecessary and unhealthy to the childs mind. A healthier alternative to building a childs self-esteem would be to enroll he or she in a community team up sport. Youth sports give children the chance to participate and earn a smell accomplishment without being let down under pressure. Although child beauty pageants contest to specific age ranges, the judging is no variant t han the lose America Pageant. squirt beauty pageants consist of modeling sportswear, evening array, dance and talent. The children argon judged establish on individuality in looks, capability, poise, perfection and confidence. As the judges call it, the complete package (Minorcon, par. 3). Children argon constantly exposed to the newest bull extensions, longest-lasting piddle a pleader-up and latest clothing lines all in campaign to beat out their fellow three-year old. These pageants be preparing young children for their teen and adult years at too early of an age.Child beauty pageants piddle a uniquely powerful role in defining what is engaging in our society by ranking and awarding the physical attractive feature of children. This constant reminder of putting hair and murder-up above all else is disturbing and forces children to be cin one caserned with superficial issues that stick no long-run value. With cosmetic innovations being becomed and perfected, radical p ageant pargonnts have deceased to capital lengths to perfect their child. When approximately of the children lost baby teeth that had not been replaced by pageant conviction, their p atomic number 18nts fit them with false teeth.When a girls hair was too short to curl interchangeable Barbies, fake additions were fitted (Harvard, par. 8-9). These fixes cost thousands of dollars that could be put toward a much beneficial and long-term career. non precisely are the cosmetic alterations breaking the banks of these parents, save the additional pageant be are devising a dent in their wallets too. thither is a minimum cost of $545 to enter the pageant, which covers basic entry fees. Another $395 is ingest for the maximum options of this pageant, (Minorcon, par. 3). These maximum options might include staple clothing, such as tights or tank tops.All additional clothing, including sportswear, eveningwear, talent clothing, not to mention the must have accessories, is up to the p arents to pick from the money human raceeuver in the abide yard. This money should not be spent on pre-maturely advancing a childs appearance, but should be protected for activities such as youth sports, or better yet a college fund Several studies have been done on child beauty pageant contestants to seek out their experiences and thoughts rather than their parents. Researchers are curious oddly concerning contestants thoughts on further education. The real concern should be on incoming education needs all of the girls aged eight to ten inter projected by A Network were not concerned with further education (Par. 4). much pageant girls have false aspirations of becoming a model, and while aspirations are crucial for whatever child, the dreams of becoming a model are thin out to none afterward coming out of the child pageant life. Although education is not necessarily effected at that present moment, the participating children do not plan ahead based on their mind and intel ligence they go out gain by at being school, but rather on their appearances.Lastly, the loss of innocence from these beauty pageants is devastating. Fake plastic smiles, false eyelashes and svelte appearance spoil a childs innocence. Children grow up to think that the save flair to earn money is through growth of their bodies, which is not true. These children are the future of our world. A childs maturation years are important as they form the foundation for the outgrowth of body and mind. Childhood is the time for them to play, not learn poise. Its the time for them to be mischievous and not polished.Its the time for them to do healthy in academics and not exhibit their bodies. Children are more beautiful cover in mud than when covered in have-up. Works Cited The Whys and Woes of apricot Pageants. 08 June 2000. Harvard. edu. 08 February 2010. Child peach tree Pageants. 12 January 2010. Buzzle. com. 08 February 2010. ravisher Pageants do More Harm Than Good. 16 Decembe r 2007. Debate. org. 07 February 2010. Beauty Pageants Good, Bad, or Plain Ugly. 06 March 2004. Buzzle. com. 07 February 2010.Child Beauty PageantsBeauty Pageants From the Title of Mini Supreme to Americas contiguous Top Model English 106 Cassie Robinson 3 Otober 2012 Abstract Beauty pageants have changed drastically in the bypast fifty years. Beauty pageants utilise to be all adult females who dressed in their sunlight exceed and walked on the catwalk at the county fair. Now, little children are decked out in glitzy outfits, have wigs that make their hair twice as long, and have teeth to make it seem like their baby teeth havent move out yet.In this literature review, I reviewed antithetical articles, some against child beauty pageants and some that showed a firsthand look into the beauty pageants. Based on the reviews, I have made a decision as to whether child beauty pageants are good for those involved or not. Hundreds wait in silence as the announcer walks to the stage. And the first place award goes to The pause is added for salient effect, as if these parents and children need any more fun in their lives. tomentum is pulled, tears are shed, and crowns are won.This is just another typical spend for those in the pageant world. The views of beauty pageants have drastically changed within the past decade. Some think pageants are utilise to employ little children and are a way for gives to live vicariously through their lady friends who are winning crowns and money. Others believe they are just a more drastic way for their children to play dress up and win money while doing it. The half a dozen articles chosen for this literature review volition discuss one aspect of the argument.Something eye-catching in the article, Toddlers in Tiaras, written by Skip Hollandsworth in 2011 was the line, And you know what I hate? All these years later, Ive windlessness got this anxiety somewhat feeling like I have to be perfect (Hollandsworth, 2011). This is how Brooke Breedwell feels about pageants now, after being a pageant poove from age three months to eight years old. subsequently telling her pay off she postulateed to quit pageants and emphasizing it by throwing a curling cast-iron at her, Breedwell finally gave up the lavish pageant life collectible to stress.Even as an eight year old, the stress was too much to handle. The phone of a tiara has always been a fast, well-to-do sell to young girls who hurt to be princesses, (Hollandsworth, 2011) which is something all girls and their drives want. In order to win that crown, in that respect are many time consuming tasks that must be done before the pageant. There are layers of makeup to be put on, eyebrows to be waxed, inborn hair and fake wigs to be curled, fingernails to be manicured, bronzer to be applied to blazon and legs, dresses to be sewn, and dances and routines to be learned.It is enough to stress any eight year old out. After all of this work and stress, i t would be downright heartbreaking to find that someone else has beaten you for the title of Grand Supreme. This article is different from the others I chose to include in my literature review in the signified that it discusses not only the stresses that pageant girls go through, but also some of the legal situations that have been brought about thanks to the pageant world. JonBenet Ramsey is a attain that is famous all well-nigh the world.The six-year-old pageant beauty who would have gone on to be the future(a) Marilyn Monroe who was found murdered in her kinsfolk on Christmas morning. For a couple months afterwards, pageants seemed taboo, but then, even in the wake up of JonBenets murder, pageants became even more famous. Little girls are being educate to dance provocatively and blow kisses at their judges from a young age and these videos end up online and even on TV. These videos are made to be public so others can see the awards and crowns the little girls win and anyon e, including pedophiles, can access them. On TV, the shows not only give the chance on calling of these children, but they also tell you what towns these little girls live in, (Hollandsworth, 2011) which would give these pedophiles easy access to track down the little girls. This would not be rocky to do with the way our society is turning to technology. One article, Is the Media to Blame for Child Sex Victims, written by Mark Davidson in 1997, discusses the medias connectedness with beauty pageants even further. Americans support multi-million dollar activities that exploit children and promote the provocativeness of them, such as beauty pageants.Beauty pageants, commercially flaunt kids bodies, often converting preteen and preschool girls into put forward puppets adorned with lipstick, mascara, false eyelashes, bleached hair, high heels, and satin-and-rhinestone gowns and professionally coached in showgirl postures and movements, (Davidson, 1997) which leads to controversial topics like the 1996 sexual molestation and murder of JonBenet Ramsey. There are many movies, such as Lolita and Pretty Baby, that portray young girls as being involved in sexual situations with older men.This leads to young girls exploitation up to believe this is acceptable. What makes this article different is that it does not revolve around beauty pageants, but around the media and its involvement in child carbon black and exploitation of girls at a young age. Hollywood and the likes, engage in massive pimping for child temptresses, (Davidson, 1997) which intrigues young minds and makes them believe that since it is pass judgment in media, it is accepted in everyday society.Only after JonBenet had been murdered did the media look for moral guidance to see if what it was displaying was appropriate. A little girl who had not even started kindergarten had to be murdered before the media questioned their morals. The press argues that, the tiny contestants really want to participa te, as if they are capable of giving informed consent to their own victimization, (Davidson, 1997), when in all actuality, the children have no concept of what is really happening. My next article, Toddlers and Tiaras likewise MUCH TOO SOON? written by Charlotte Triggs in 2011, is a continuation of the stresses of being in the pageant world. It is not only nerve-wracking on the children, who are the main event of the pageants, but also on the parents. These parents put their children through the pageants and shell out the money for entrance fees, home-cured dresses and flippers, which are fake teeth for the girls who are losing their baby teeth. Youre never going to win that money back, even if they win every weekend, (Triggs, West, Aradillas, 2011) utter one mother about the pageant life.So, if there are no perks of being in pageants other than seeing their daughters win crowns, why do the mothers go through the stress and lose money to pageants? The same mother then went on to secern, But youve got to do it be example your kid loves and excels at it and its something you enjoy as a family, (Triggs, West, Aradillas, 2011). So if families are happy ceremonial their children in pageants, then they are more than pull up stakesing to put up with the stress. In addition to the stresses of ageantry and reasons for participating, things such as the confusing life moments and the decisions pageant girls go through are discussed in the article. While most girls their age are out playing with Barbies with their friends, these girls are dressed as Barbie and have a twisted view of how they should look. Little girls should play with dolls, not be dolls, (Triggs, West, Aradillas, 2011) said a New York-based clinical social worker. The girls are being dressed in outfits that are more suited for a exotic belly dancer than a preschooler, and it can have a negative effect on them in the long run.The girls grow up being obsessed with their appearance and may look into different ways to keep up the appearances they once had, such as plastic surgery or eating disorders. These factors will affect the young girls before they are even in high school. The next article, Pretty Babies, written by Rosemary Ellis in 2011, discusses the way the author viewed beauty pageants when she was younger compared to how she views them now, as an adult. When Ellis was younger, beauty pageants were only seen at the county fair, which came only once a year, in the month of August.The fair itself was a magical time for Ellis, not to mention deceaseting to see girls ranging from chief(a) to college age walk across a stage in their Sunday best and giving the judges their best smile. Today, the adult pageants are unmarked and, the Miss America pageant has become so irrelevant that it lets alphabet air the show for free, (Ellis, 2011) because of the recent explosion of pageants for little girls. There are more than five thousand of these pageants across the country. Thi s article differentiates from the rest in the sense that the author compared the pageants known in her childhood to the pageants that are shown now.In the pageants now, the girls are spray-tanned and covered in makeup, and the studio pictures they groom before pageants are emended so much that one would not be able to notice the little girl if she walked up to them on a sidewalk. Ellis goes on to insure the outfits the little girls are wearing now, seeing clothing that, gathers to suggest a bust and has slogans across the chest or rear that are more suited to a stripper than a first grader, (Ellis, 2009). These clothes emit out provocative messages not only to girls in the pageant world, but also to all little girls who see the clothing and get used to it at a young age. well-nigh tidy sum only see the mother/ daughter side of pageantry, never the father/ daughter side of it, which my next article, Father Knows Glitz, written by Joey Bartolomeo in 2010, discusses. Dads who are involved in pageants are not only single dads or gay dads they are also just everyday, hard-working dads who love to see their daughters happy when they win an award. Not only are there soccer and football dads, but there are now pageant dads. Not all of them are dragged into it, either.Some, like Lon Enos, a tattooed, burly man, like being the pageant dad just because Its fun and its cool, (Bartolomeo, 2010), an opinion that would differ from the quintessential man in America who watches football or baseball on the weekends alternatively of competing in pageants with his daughters. Compared to the other articles, this one stands out because it gives a firsthand view from a pageant dad, rather than the typical pageant mom. Compared to pageant moms who tend to try to live vicariously through their daughters, the dads are usually more relaxed and laid back although some can be intense.Even things such as making a dress, Im not spending $6,000 for a dress when it takes me three hours to make one, (Bartolomeo, 2010) or building a new shelf for crowns and sashes become jobs for a pageant dad to do. The braver of the pageant dads will even get up on stage with their daughters and help them with their routines. There will be enough time for them to be women. For now, lets just allow them to be little girls, is a quote from Staceyann get up in her article, Beauty and the silent person Tube, written in 2009.Chin came across the show Toddlers in Tiaras while procrastinating on a project she was working on. some(prenominal) to her dismay, she was drawn in to the show, which reminded her, of dog showstiny, powerless competitors trained to do as they are told, with trainers who exploit their charges to gain fame and fortune and live out some archaic dream they once had for themselves, (Chin, 2009). Seeing the little girls being rewarded for their beauty made Chin feel uncomfortable because of an incident that happened when she was younger.Her grandmothers friend would have the young Chin sit on his forget me drug and he told her if she smiled for him, he would give her a coin. Her grandmother would always take away the coins when he left, saying, Any money you make on your back will hurt your head, (Chin, 2009). some of the top ranked girls in pageants receive prizes such as checks and cash prizes, signifying being paid for looking pretty. This was after they got all dressed up, went out on stage, had their eyes, hair, and legs judged by adults, and then go their hips in a suggestive manner.The pageant world is training the girls for a future that is not too great. Meaning, the pageant world is training them to look to others for judgment instead of trusting and believing in themselves, or that they need to look really good all the time or people will not like them. I wanted to rush insave these girls from an experience that would make them self-conscious about their little bellies, bottoms, and slick button noses, (Chin, 2009) is the way mo st people feel while watching the show, and yet, they are hooked and cannot wait for the next episode.It is the way the media portray the drama of the show that keeps viewers like Chin attached to the show. That is what makes this article different from the rest. It discusses the media involvement in the pageant world. Along with videos of these girls being put on the Internet, shows such as Toddlers in Tiaras and Honey Boo Boo which exploit the girls at a young age are also televised, do the girls to live with their young pageantry for the rest of their lives, even though they may not have made the decision to participate themselves.After walking out on stage and, dramatically ripping off a black, bare robe to reveal a sparkly bathing suit, (Chin, 2009) one little girls mother kept trying to make her say she loved pageants and that she was a pageant girl. The toddler would not repeat either phrase, (Chin, 2009). Has the world of pageants changed so much that the toddlers who are the bane of all public for the pageants do not even want to say they love pageants?Most people believe children who participate in beauty pageants are at a higher risk of having psychological and body image issues when they get older. While most think the pageants are bad for children, there are those who believe the pageants are a job for the children and give them careers for later in life. Based on the articles I have read and reviewed, I purpose that child beauty pageants are not good for those involved. References Bartolomeo, J. (2010). FATHER KNOWS GLITZ. People, 74(16), 64-71. Retrievedfrom EBSCOhost. Chin, S. (2009).Beauty & the Boob Tube. Advocate, (1026), 76. Retrieved fromEBSCOhost. Davidson, M. (1997, September). Is media to blame for child sex victims?. USA TodayMagazine. p. 60. Retrieved from EBSCOhost. Ellis, R. (2011). Pretty Babies. Good Housekeeping, 252(8), 21. RetrievedfromEBSCOhost. HOLLANDSWORTH, S. (2011). Toddlers in Tiaras. Good Housekeeping, 252(8), 150- 194. Retrievedfrom EBSCOhost. Triggs, C. , West, K. , & Aradillas, E. (2011). Toddlers & Tiaras TOO MUCH TOOSOON? (Cover story). People, 76(12), 160-168. Retrievedfrom EBSCOhost.Child Beauty PageantsChild Beauty Pageants While beauty pageants started in the 1920s, childrens beauty pageants began in the 1960s. This is when the predicament all began. Equally important is the definition of child subvert. It is defined as the exploitation of a child. Children in beauty pageants are exploited at a very over powering rate. Since there is so much exploitation, it should be considered child abuse. Due to parental involvement, children participate in pageants that aggrieve them physically, mentally, and stirredly, prohibiting them from fitly socializing in society. sooner and during beauty pageants, there are many preparations that happen. Before the beauty pageants, the childrens parents get them tans and flippers which are a type of falsified teeth. After that, the parents either wax o r even clear up any imperfections they may have like wrinkles, bushy eyebrows, and/or messed up hair. At the pageants, the girls get covered with make-up in the hopes of hiding any imperfections the child may have. The child is then dressed in whatever attire they are required to wear.For ensample dresses, swimsuits, formal attire, and/or casual. After that, the girls will model their attire to the judges. Pageants will continue on into the talent parcel of land in which the children will show their talents to judges. The talents vary from dance routines to karaoke, or even simply doing a catwalk. Child beauty pageants only judge based on looks and pure perfection. There are many damages that those requirements put on children. These requirements at times go as far to making five to six year olds look like sixteen to twenty year olds (Grosaru).The children are made to look more mature than what they are. writer Frank Rich says Today the merchandising of children as sexual commodi ties is omnipresent and big business. Referring to this statement, this shows that it also makes it easier for them to be made susceptible to pedophiles, eventually at times ending with the child being harmed physically by one of those men or women. Other than being subjected to that type of danger, the children are also subjected to cosmetic damages as well. Botox is one of the common cosmetic tools used.This is used to make the children appear perfect with no marks or any types of imperfections. One mother Kerry Campbell gave her eight year old daughter Botox and her excuses for giving her daughter this drug was one to give her a head start in pageants and second because all the other moms were doing it (Thompson). Many mothers like Kerry Campbell may be doing this type of abuse to their children because simply they want their child to be ahead in the pageants. Injecting a child with a dangerous chemical just to get a ahead in a child beauty pageant is a clear example of child a buse.The mental afflictions that the pageants cause to the children are numerous. Pageant mothers begin to create anxiety by the continuous moving from hotel to hotel. This keeps the child from having a expression home. In addition to this, there is no time for the children to socialize with friends in their own hometowns. They are not able to socialize with society at large. Now some of pageant parents argue that their children are able to make friends when theyre participating in the pageants.This is false and quickly disproven when the children are given the infamous terminology of no other girl is your friend here. This speech begins to create paranoia about ever making friends or socializing with peers of their age (Grosaru). Other than creating anxiety and paranoia, there is also self destruction of self-image because they are made to think their body must be a indisputable way and their hair. This is called being A little Barbie (Nusseara). Mothers also can cause cloudin ess within the child because of the beauty pageants.Mothers who had only boys try to make their boys into girls by making them participate in pageants. This causes the child to have confusion about their sexuality and this should not be done to a child. such(prenominal) gender confusion and lack of self esteem in the name of a pageant are s clear signs of child abuse on the part of the parent. The parent should help the child to build their self esteem and not tear it down. There is a type of Darwinism that is merged in these pageants which is the fear the parents have of their children being losers (Giroux).Psychologist David Elkind says, Parents use to be stressed about if their children were good at school, but now they are only worried if their child are so called losers at school. Parents create this emotional destruction within the children. The children begin to fear of becoming losers or disappointments to their parents so they are continuously rehearsing how to be perfect every day. In these pageants, the moms try to relive their own fantasy of what they once used to do or what they never got to experience themselves (Grosaru).This is abuse as the parents are only move into the child in the pageant for their selfish need to relive a glory day. The mothers go as far as lying about their childs age to give them an advantage in the competition. This begins to make the child feel guilty about lying afflicting the emotional deterioration to the child. In the 1960s, childrens beauty pageants were created on the intention of showing off the innocence of children when in reality it was use to exploit the children and make a profit off of them by making them dress inappropriately and not advocating their well being.This exploitation of the children is pure child abuse and nothing else. The children of these parents should be taken away for their safety. Laws or regulations should be made to insure the offbeat of the children. Children who participate in b eauty pageants all suffer physical, mental, and emotional damage which keeps them from appropriately socializing in society and developing normally.