...characteristic if you could?” Miss Lopes then amazed the judges and was crowned Miss Universe 2011 by replying the answer “I consider myself a woman endowed with inner beauty, I acquired many wonderful principles from my family and I plan to follow those throughout the rest of my life.” Miss Leila Lopes laughed and smiled as she hugged the runner-up Miss Olesy Stefanko, then felt a crown carefully placed on her head. I fully congratulate Miss Lopes upon her achievement, being crowned miss Universe is an admirable goal that many young women dreams of doing. This is just is a simple example to all those ladies out there that everyone has the potential to do what they want. Participating in pageants is not an easy task to overcome. Ever since I was a little girl I have always disliked pageants because I hated the idea of loosing at anything. In my response Miss Leila Lopes was crowned miss universe 2011 due to her intellectual bravery, efforts and her talents. When I was twelve years old my mom got me to participate in a dancing contest that was talking place in my village. I had agreed to take part at first but when I got...
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...In middle school and high school, I was quite insecure until I started competing in pageants. For me, pageantry is empowering. It seems like an oxymoron. Anyone who knows the slightest bit about Toddlers and Tiaras can tell you that the institution is about superficiality and objectification. However, reality TV portrays pageantry as realistically as it does housewives in Orange County. When I tell people that I am involved in this, they are shocked. I, as a well-educated feminist, simply don’t fit their stereotype. I don’t compete to be judged on my beauty. That’s an antiquated idea that most systems have moved past and it’s not a quality I care enough about. I do it to represent my community, promote causes I care about, and improve my confidence....
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...Why Beauty Pageants are Harmful to Young Girls “Since I was three I was pressured by my mum to be perfect. But living up to her expectations was impossible.” This is a quote from national pageant star, Brooke Breedwell. In 1855, a national contest that circus entrepreneur, businessman, huckster, and all-around exploitation artist P.T. Barnum orchestrated, called the "National Baby Show," attracted 143 child contestants and 61,000 viewers nationwide. This was the first child beauty pageant. But what most people don’t know, is that Barnum attempted to orchestrate a teen pageant, but failed because society found that it was immoral. So why is it okay to but babies in pageants but not teens? Child beauty pageants are harmful to young girls for...
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...EXECUTIVE SUMMARY There are many different kinds of beauty contests these days. The contests are held for both men and women and range from infants to adults. But do beauty pageants really have any relation to any kind of social issue? Do beauty contest serve any purpose in the society or is it a mere form of entertainment? A long 5-6 hour of program with numerous rounds and questions that the world watches with extreme excitement. But what is the purpose of beauty pageants apart from being a platform for young girls to the career of modelling and acting. Do the contests have any relation to the society or is it just market gimmick? Beauty contests have been going on for ages and centuries now, but have these contests been of any good to the society? The purpose of the survey was to understand common man’s view on the beauty contests held today. The questionnaire survey was taken from sample size of 50 people selected randomly, from varying age groups. During analysing the data collected various interesting facts came forward. People today have a mixed opinion about such contests held. Different individuals had a different take on the idea of beauty contests, there were mixed reactions received. The majority of population was of the students. Though the other population cannot be completely neglected, however majority assumptions of the survey could be made considering the ‘young minds’. 68% of the population were aware of the beauty contest held and 58% of the population...
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...Child Beauty Pageant There are lots of extracurricular activities for girls and boys, like baseball, basketball or soccer and the parents drive to and from their games. Some time they have more than one child to take them to their games. Lots of parents get son involved and start cheering and sometimes get to an arguments if the referee or judge makes a bad call. Then the mother or father starts a fight, because they get so into it. It no difference when parents want their child to complete in a pageant show, because there is competition and sportsmanship their also. Beauty pageants stated in the U.S. in 1921, with the introduction of Miss America pageant. Child beauty pageants did not start until the 1961 in New Jersey. The first was started at amusement park in Bergen County. It was intended for 13-17 year olds, but got more participants and they started to split the contestants by age. The little Miss American pageant was...
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...Elizabeth Fechtel is no rookie when it comes to pageants. The former Miss America’s Outstanding Teen 2012 is now this year’s Miss UF. The 19-year-old telecommunication sophomore was one of 18 contestants at this year’s pageant and said she saw it as an opportunity to do what she loves. But when asked whether or not she thought she was going to win, Fechtel’s immediate answer was no. “Because I’d done pageants before, some of my friends thought, ‘oh, easy breezy,’” she said. “But I knew how difficult it was walking on stage in a gown.” Miss UF is a preliminary pageant to Miss Florida, which is preliminary to Miss America. “There are so many pageants, but there is only one Miss America,” she said. As Miss UF, Fechtel will uphold the four pillars of the Miss America...
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...childhood. Is Childhood disappearing? Introduction I am interested in this subject area because childhood is a social construct which seems to be diminishing from society. This is of particular interest to me because childhood as we know it has only been about for the last century but now it seems that it is once again diminishing from society. I say this because when looking at childhood from 50 years ago and comparing it to childhood today there is a huge difference. Today toys seem to be targeted at children of ages 1-10 years old but not for children above that age (Manhattan Institute for Policy Research). Children seem to be pushed into the spotlight of adult activities such as the fashion and glamour world in the case of beauty pageants (Daily Mail Online 2011). There also seems to be more of a focus on older children playing on computer consoles with violent games which depict realistic and gruesome actions. These computer games also depict real life situations such as the war in Afghanistan and give these older children the opportunity to play as a soldier in this scenario. Content What is childhood? Childhood is not to be confused with being a child, it is a completely different idea altogether. In modern day society, childhood is a social construct which is not seen as a natural or biological stage of life, but as being created out of the idealism of socio-cultural values. This creation is shown in the way that children are taught to behave, how to dress, and...
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...Makeup, big hairdos, spray tans, gowns, high heels, and a lot of glitter – this is what child beauty pageants consist of. At a very young age, little girls are exposed to the world of child pageants and often forced to participate in the contests. The popular television show, Toddlers and Tiaras on TLC which aired first in 2009 exposes viewers the life of young pageant stars. It entertains viewers by displaying how the young girls and their families deal with child beauty competitions which is not all fun, as it consists of tantrums and attitude. Toddlers and Tiaras displays how the young girls wake up early on the day of their competition, get dressed up with their big gowns, apply heavy weight of makeup, and walk down the stage in front of...
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...irresponsibly. Today, child beauty pageants opened kid’s eyes on things they are not supposed to encounter in their early childhood. Kids now act like adults; they have unleashed their innocence and pure minds for the sake of beauty.Child beauty contests resemble young kids, under the age of 18. Contestants are usually divided into groups according to their age. Very young aged kids are usually not interviewed dude to their very little knowledge, so only outer appearance is considered. Kids are shown up on stage in different outfits typically wearing make-up and overage hairstyles.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/child beauty pageant )In 1921, the owner of Atlantic City Hotel struck upon the idea to help boost tourism “Most Beautiful Child”. Business owners adopted these competitions, because it increasingly bought about a billion dollars a year. People loved the idea; they encouraged their kids to attend such contests.(zinzi williams, 12/6/10)The murder of Jon Benet Ramsey, born August 6,1990 turned the public spotlight in the late 1996 into child beauty pageants. JonBenet was murdered in her house, the six years old girl was found in the basement with her hands tied up and strangled after nearly 8 hours from being reported missing. However, this case remains unsolved. Critics began to question the ethics of parents who would present their child in such a way.( kareen nussbaum, http://www.minorcon.org/pageant.html ) Parents may think that beauty pageants are helpful for their kids in...
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...Beauty pageants Thought out America many people argue that beauty pageants for kids should be legal because it helps little girl feel bit more confident, and beautiful, and on the other side people think it should be banned because it rottens little girls minds and over sexualizes little girls. Kids beauty pageants should be banned because, it over sexualizes young girls, teaches young girl a bad message, and lastly unhealthy attitude shown by the child regarding her self-esteem. In the United States, legal adulthood and ability to give consents around age 18, yet in child beauty pageants, the children's consenting guardian allow them to participate. Beauty pageants are not inherently sexual, but when a child wears a ton of make-up, wears high heels and skimpy clothes, and after that makes flirtatious poses it pretty hard not to say people end up sexualizing little girls at such a young age. Beauty pageants took part in the American society in the 1920's, but child pageants started later in the 1960's. Child beauty pageants consist of modeling, dance and talent, but above all else Beauty. Young girls are taught that beauty is the most important thing at such a young age, and how what’s in the outside is more important than the inside. “Contests promote physical beauty as a main value, complimented of course by the “special talent” and “warm hearts”. A child, especially a female that is going to pay so much attention to her looks and that knows she is being assessed for...
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...At the age of 16 months to 16 years old, it is estimated that 3 million children compete in beauty pageants(“Beauty Pageants Draw Children and Criticism”). Some parents enroll their children into these pageants in order for their children to follow the steps of celebrities like Kendall Jenner and Kylie Jenner, who began modeling at a young age and now have a successful career. Parents enroll their children at a young age to get the urge of starting to become famous at a young age to be cast into acting and get movie parts; however, the child may not want to participate and is forced to. Enrolling children into beauty pageants at a young age is not acceptable. Parents should stop the enrollment of their children into beauty pageants due to the...
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...The ugly face of child beauty pageants Leslie Cannold May 21, 2011 OPINION * A child beauty pageant participant. DO AN internet search on "child beauty pageant" but be prepared. Not just to be depressed by images of overblown, cap-toothed, heavily made-up under-fives but the obvious yet rarely commented upon fact that all these kids are girls. This issue is red hot in Australia right now, as the June date for the first American-style child pageant to be held in this country approaches. But as psychologists predict future insecurity, eating disorders and depression for participants, and religious pseudo-feminists rhapsodise about lost childhood innocence, it's critical we separate the hyperbolic wheat from the chaff. What is the real problem with child beauty pageants and what, if anything, should be done about them? Hard data is thin on the ground and so far doesn't support the future mental illness thesis. But what one US study found when interviewing 41 pageant mums – and it is nearly always mothers who push girls as young as one into competition – is that often social class and female life experiences are behind the choice. Some pageant mums are living out their own dreams of "go[ing] somewhere in life", as one mother put it, rather than being "stuck at home" due to early childbearing. While self-focused female ambition continues to be stigmatised in Western societies – with the ambitious working woman always contrasted unfavourably with the mum who sacrifices...
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...Paper (Spring 2013) All Dolled Up: The Effect of Child Beauty Pageants on Contestants Reality TV shows like Toddlers and Tiaras and Little Miss Perfect expose the growing popularity of child beauty pageants. These shows have turned pageants into an industry that is valued at $5 billion (Cartwright 1105). This newly created pageant industry has changed the child beauty pageant system—contestants are competing at younger ages, they are wearing more makeup, and the focus is shifting away from natural beauty towards glitz and glam. The emergence of a pageant industry has changed the pageant system, but what affect does this industry have on contestants? More importantly, do pageants’ effects on young contestants warrant regulation? As more young girls compete in pageants, answering these questions and determining the effects of child beauty pageants becomes more important. These questions need to be answered so that the well being of pageant participants is ensured. The issue of regulation is of particular importance since parents, pageant companies, and the media all contribute to the growing pageant industry. Some regulation is needed to protect the young participants. Generally this regulation would be the parent’s responsibility, but in this paper I will argue that the industry merits specific regulation. In order to prove that regulation is warranted, I will analyze the negative impacts of the pageant industry using research from psychologists and sociologists...
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...102 Dr. D. Pineda 10 December 2013 Child Beauty Pageants: What’s The Harm? Although there are many adults who suffer various consequences of child pageant participations, they still look back at their childhood and have some good memories of fun. Some even enter their own children into these pageants. Unfortunately, however, the damage is still the same and the cycle continues. Child beauty pageants are detrimental to the psyche of young children because these pageants promote sexualization far beyond their years and lack regulations to govern the actions within these contests. Because these children are being pushed into time-consuming, grueling preparation for these pageants, and because their performances are considered to be far beyond their years leading to self-objectification or sexualization, and the lack of regulations within these pageants there should be some boundaries set to minimize the psychological effects of participation within these contests. As we approach the Christmas holiday this year there are many who remember the horrific murder mystery of JonBenet Ramsey, a former child pageant star, and wonder if her participation in the beauty pageant world is what ended her short life. It’s been 17 years since her body was found in the basement of her parents’ home and her face was plastered all over the news. When the name JonBenet Ramsey is heard doll-like images flash through our heads from her pageant photos. Would she still be alive today had she not...
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... Lullabies for Little Criminals is a tragic, coming-of-age novel written by Heather O’Neill which focuses on the life of the protagonist, Baby. Near the beginning of the story on pages 8 to 9, the readers first experience the many different themes, and symbols that occur. At this point in the book, the readers receive a sense of understanding of Baby as a character and her traits. Moreover, these few pages are essentially a microcosm of the entire story, as it highlights the overall theme; innocence and how easily it can be taken. It is also clear that Baby wishes she had still had her innocence, and eventually regrets her mistakes. The theme of innocence is eminent throughout the novel considering the experiences Baby encounters, such as living with her drug-addicted father, becoming a prostitute, and doing drugs, all at the age of just twelve years old. The first time the idea of innocence can be seen in this passage is when O’Neill uses symbolism to introduce Baby’s level of naivete. She uses the metaphor “Each candy was like taking a chick out of its egg too early” (O’Neill, 9), which may suggest that the chick symbolizes Baby as she quickly loses her childhood innocence. The experiences and temptations of the adult world, rapidly manifest, spiraling her into a world she is not yet prepared for or should have to be. This is presented through the line Baby states about a chick coming out of its egg too early. Baby continues to unknowingly express her innocence when she...
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