Persuasive Speech About Beauty Pageants

Zinzi Williams explains the downsides of pageantry in “Do Pageant Children Behave Differently than Other Kids?” The central claim is that there are many psychological differences between children who compete in the world of pageantry and children who don’t. Williams states the minor claims that children who compete in beauty pageants put beauty ahead of schoolwork and play time. Her other minor claim is that beauty contests affect the way the children who compete view their bodies and there overall appearance. She states that statistic that if there are 20 girls competing in the pageant, that each contestant only has a 5% chance of winning, which is very slim! Williams explains that in her research she found that on WebMD, a medical website,

Pageants world wide have caused plenty of drama and arguments, for example Toddlers and Tiaras. Have you ever realized how many arguments and disputes happen on that show? And, have you ever realized how bad beauty pageants are to our youth? Beauty pageants teach kids at a young age to think that they are better than someone else. Parents sexualizing kids by putting them in pageants the kids are too young to tell there parents no, and they use too much hairspray, are all good examples of how beauty pageants can be bad!

Title The popular show, Toddlers and Tiaras on TLC, might be amusing to watch now, but once the viewers find out the ugly truth to pageants, it will make them never want to watch again. The stress, the jealousy, and getting compared to others causes many unhealthy, life-long disorders, that all pageant parents should be aware of. For example, as these girls get judged on who's the prettiest out of their age group, they are losing confidence in themselves and building up body image issues as they don't go home with 1st place. These girls parents are paying over a thousand dollars just to get told they're not pretty enough and as the winner gets praised, they are ashamed that they weren't good enough.

First, we will talk about how child beauty pageants started. The upbringing of child beauty pageants is very interesting. It started off with “Pageants celebrating female beauty and charm being fixture at fairs and festivals the U.S. since the 19th century”(Hilboldt), and then “Their rise in popularity probably dates back to 1954, when the miss America pageants was first broadcasted on TV”(Hilboldt). “In 1960, a miami broadcaster hosted the first locally televised pageant for children, Little Miss universes”(Hilboldt). Around “The 1980’s child pageants had become an inextricable part of life in the South…”(Hilboldt). Pageants have dated back for centuries, but did not rise in popularity until it was first broadcasted on TV. Furthermore, the number of kids that participate in beauty pageants is eminence. A majority of little girls wanted to be in pageants, because “They began dreaming of one day becoming Miss America”(Hilboldt). With so many kids in pageants “It’s estimated that 25,000 children compete in more than 5,000 pageants in the U.S. each year”(Hilboldt). It is crazy how many little girls participate in beauty pageants each year just so they can hopefully become the next Miss America. While beauty pageants are still relevant and legal in the U.S. France is trying to ban them. “France is considering a move to ban beauty pageants for girls under 16 as a way to fight the hyper-sexualization of children”(“France”). While,“Under the proposal, organizers of beauty pageants aimed at young children...could face up to two years in prison and fines of $40,000”(“France”). Also, “The measure is a part of of a wider law on gender equality and was approved by the French Senate after garnering 197 votes in favor of the ban,

It is easy to say that pageants are something that girls want to do pageants because they get to wear pretty dresses and get all dolled up. But these toddlers are screaming and crying and telling their parents that they want to sleep, do not want to do the pageant, and do not want to be made up, so why make them do it? People can also say that children having a hobby is good wanting to be competitive is a good but the level of competition in pageants are not healthy for the kids. They are told not to be friends with the other contestants, that they have to win, etc. Children should not be forced to do something that they obviously do

The real question is do parents make beauty pageants bad or are they bad in general for children. The parents can emotionally damage the children, while the pageants can be very costly. Well both of them can be bad for children, but there is one that takes the cake.

If they don't win they may see themselves as ugly or not good enough. Imagine how losing a pageant can destroy a child's self esteem which may cause psychological problems. Studies have shown some children in pageants have been put on diets as young as age three which can lead to eating disorders. “Eighty percent of 10-year-old girls in the U.S. report they have been on a diet, according to a recent study "Eating Disorders Today — Not Just a Girl Thing." More children in pageants show signs of body dissatisfaction than children that are not in pageants.

This makes girls be less confident in them and be more self conscious about their looks. Having a low-self steam then leads into depression. According to Martina M. Cartwright, a professor of nutritional sciences at the University of Arizona, teens that used to participate in beauty pageants are more likely to develop eating disorders and have body problem images (5 Reasons Child Pageants Are Bad for Kids). In the long run, girls could get into many eating disorders because they try to hard to achieve a rocking body and they can develop anorexia or bulimia.

Child Beauty pageants should be banned because they put pressure on the children, forces them to grow up too fast, and sometimes lead children to lose sight of what inner beauty is. While others argue that pageants help children gain confidence, pageants are causing children to lose their innocence.

Are child beauty pageants detrimental or beneficial to children who participate in them? Contestant’s, primarily young girls in different age divisions, are evaluated in a variety of categories by multiple judges, with the end result being the crowning of the winner who possesses, in pageant parlance, the complete package. There are usually multiple runners-up as well. The winner in each age division typically moves onto the next pageant in the series from the regional level to the state level or to the state level to the national level. Like other extracurricular activities, child pageants are meant to be enjoyable learning experiences. The history of beauty pageants began in the U.S. in 1921, with the introduction of the Miss America Pageant.

Beauty pageants are a hobby, and help young girls develop ladylike skills. That is, until some mothers take them to extremes. At a beauty pageant, girls are judged for their looks against their peers. This is a form of competition. Pageants have other positive roles also.

Being in beauty pageants takes a lot of money. The outfits for the pageants can cost thousands of dollars that can be used for college and family time like vacations. All the money used in these pageants can break families apart because the family uses all their money for the pageants and if they never win than they won't have any money left.

This is a logical argument, as the point of these pageants is to recognize the “best” contestant, and award them. Though the winner of the contest would be winning a generous amount of money, there would be a lot of money being spent as well, and for contestants who do not win, it would be a waste. For example, entry fees to contests usually cost as much as 400 dollars, dresses and costumes cost hundreds of dollars, and coaching lessons cost money as well. On top of all that, is it really worth risking health issues for a chance to win a beauty contest? There can be only one winner, so the rest of the contestants are going to think that they are not good enough to be victorious, which causes low self-confidence. This is going to lead children to compare themselves to others and try to change. Studies have shown that about 50% of previous beauty pageant contestants between the ages of eleven and sixteen have considered getting cosmetic surgery, trying to look like others, or changing what they do not like about themselves. It is not worth to jeopardize all the health issues that can be caused by these contests just to have a chance to win

Have you ever wondered what it’s like backstage of a beauty pageant? Millions of girls compete in pageants. Childhood pageants should not be a thing anymore. The narrow beauty standard is you got to wear fake nails and get a spray tan to get the narrow beauty standard(O’Neill 20). Kids can also wear very inapropriate clothes like bathing suits in a pageant. Some pageant outfits can cost up to 5,000 dollars just on an outfit(O’Neill 20). But on the bright side some pageant winners get a lot of money that could go towards college.

Imagine seeing a little girl, no older than eight, walk on stage with her beautiful, blonde hair curled so perfectly behind her, her teeth as white and flawless as those seen on dental commercials, and an impeccable mound of makeup caked on her face making her appear to be in her early twenties. She is wearing the most stunning pink, shimmery dress that has been tailor made to fit every detail of her body. The reaction of most people is, wow she is a very beautiful young girl, but what most people do not realize is that behind that beautiful little girl is a young child who does not get to live a normal life like the average eight-year-old. There is no going to the park and swinging so high that she gets butterflies in her stomach or hanging out with friends and playing with dolls. Instead, it is long, countless hours of rehearsals and dress fittings, hair and makeup, and time spent in a tanning salon to create the perfect golden skin color. Children beauty pageants should be banned because of the sexualization of young girls, risk of mental and health problems, no time to just be a kid, and the sole factor that these kids are too young and unknowledgeable to say no.