...Picture it. A beauty pageant has just ended a young girl walks off with a crown on her heavily hair sprayed hair. A wide smile on her face that has been pounded with makeup. How old is this girl? Fourteen to sixteen years old maybe?, wrong. She is 7 years old, Are children's beauty pageants damaging or beneficial? Child beauty pageants are competitions with different categories in which girls compete to be the prettiest, the most talented, or the overall best. They have been popular and have had several shows based around it. For example “Toddlers and Tiaras” on TLC. They originated in 1950. They have gained popularity in recent years. Currently 5000 child beauty pageants are held annually in the United States. There is a lot of controversy...
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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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...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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...English 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...
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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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...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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...Child beauty pageants should be banned It is a major problem and concerned in our society today the many women and girls who are dealing with low self- esteem. Beauty pageants are not leaving anything positive to our little girls. Little girls all covered under makeup, big hair, color treated hair, teeth whitening treatments just to name few, only learning how to compete with other little girls at such a young age when their main focus should be to enjoy their childhood and spend quality time with their love ones. This type of pageants it is a form of abuse to those little girls, knowingly or not by their parents. Little girls have been trained to believe they are better than other ones and they have to be in order to win a crown and prices. There are only two lessons a child can learn from a beauty pageant: either they are great, beautiful and confident with a big ego issue later on in life or they will deal with frustration, emotional distress and low self-esteem. Submitting children from ages as young as three years of age to have eyebrows done, hair dying, dieting, tanning, and much more it is a type of child abuse, and it has to stop. There is no difference between hitting your kid from having her for long hours having all kinds of adult beauty procedures in order to be better than any other contestant and brain wash the child’s mind with a “you have to win attitude”. The way these young girls are exposed to be sexualized is insensitive and should not be legal. That...
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...Child Beauty Pageants: Are They Moral? Com/172 March 12, 2011 Ron Tatum Child Beauty Pageants: Are They Moral? They say that beauty comes from within but if this is true why do parents parade their young children around and make their five-year-olds dress, look, and act like they are 18 years old. Child beauty pageants are very upsetting. “It aggravates the average viewer because how can a parent put their child through that emotional roller coaster and get upset when they do not win; make up excuses on why their child did not win because heaven forbid their child has a flaw. Child beauty pageants are upsetting to the child also because if they do not win it is like the end of the world. They through fits act like complete brats, and they think that maybe their parents are lying to them because their parents tell them that they are beautiful but now the judges and other people who did not vote for them to win are saying in not so many words that they are ugly.” (Becky Adams, personal communication, March 12, 2011.) Something is wrong with this society that is absolutely frantic to the point of obsession about pedophilia so much so that it is to the point of parents passing their beliefs on to their children who most likely have no notion of it whatsoever and would rather be outside playing. Over half the population accepts this form of pedophilia as morally correct. They allow these children to prance around in barely anything at all and think that is cute. They...
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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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...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...
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...Research 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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...With events like “The Miss America Pageant” being nationally televised, movies like “Little Miss Sunshine” being produced, and shows like “Toddlers and Tiara’s” and “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo” being watched by millions, children’s beauty pageants are becoming more popular than ever. Today more than 16,000 child pageants are held annually, with an estimated 290,000 contestants (Bowling). Behind the popularity, however, follows the controversy. There are essentially two types of children’s beauty pageants, the “natural” pageants and the “glitz” pageants. In natural pageants, children under a certain age are not allowed to wear make up or fake teeth (flappers), spray tans and big hair are discouraged, and there are specific age appropriate dress guidelines that the contestants must follow. In contrast, at a glitz pageant you will see fake smiles, fake tans, heavy stage make up, and wigs on almost every girl. Advocates of both types of pageants argue that they are a good source of friendly competition and healthy for a child’s self esteem. Critics of child beauty pageants, however, argue that the glitz pageants, more so than the natural pageants, could potentially have damaging effects on the child contestant. One of the most significant reasons parents cite for entering their children into beauty pageants is to boost their child’s self esteem, and to teach poise and confidence. A group of parents interviewed by TODAY contributor Michael Inbar claimed that putting their children...
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...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 how they should be treated appropriately. This being said there are also other factors that would exhibit...
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...taught to respect education, and that appearances do not define a person. However, beauty pageants interfere with this mindset. 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 pageant were designed for ages thirteen to seventeen, but since there were too many people, they had to make age groups. By entering a child in pageants, parents are teaching children that they have to go far and beyond to look better than everyone else. Although beauty...
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...Diana Aldana Eng. 1301 Sanchez-Hatch 2/12/14 Beauty is Pain John Ramsey and his family made the top on national prominence in 1996, when Ramsey's 6-year-old daughter JonBenet, a frequent child pageant contestant, was found murdered. John now regret putting his child in pageants and says they are bad for young girls. Beauty pageants are beautiful but they can cause pain in different ways. Children beauty pageants are bad because they are sexualize young girls, wear high heels, cause cognitive and emotional problems. French lawmakers want an all-out ban on child pageants. They are accusing the media and reality TV of promoting stereotypes that transform young girls into sexual morsels. Look at the growing number of schoolgirls as young as 8 who wear padded bras, high heels, or makeup, and strike suggestive poses. What is that telling the children about how they present themselves to society? In the other hand, children in pageants can carry over into a multitude of other activities, like dance, drama, music recitals, and future public speaking. A pageant girl usually learns to be comfortable in front of strangers, giving her self-confidence a big boost When little pageant contestants wear heels it unnecessarily pushes their weight forward, causing lower back pain and hindering proper development of the feet. In some cases, these girls are forced to continue wearing heels outside of pageants because their feet have grown in a way that makes wearing other kinds of shoes...
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