Pros And Cons Of Child 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,

In conclusion, beauty pageants aren't good for kids at young ages. By competing in these pageants, young girls are sexualized by adults, the kids are too young to say no, and too much hairspray is bad for their health. Children should no longer be forced to compete in these types of events. It is not

Every year in the United States there are about 5,000 child beauty pageants with around 250,000 participants. Of these a shocking 6% will suffer from depression later in their lives. So that's 15,000 children suffering from depression due to beauty pageants. Girls who have been in beauty pageants suffer from high levels of body dissatisfaction which can lead to depression; they may feel that they are not beautiful unless they have make up caked all over their face and skin looking orange from fake tan. Is this really how we want children to feel? Pageant girls are also more likely to struggle to achieve perfection when they are older. This may make them more vulnerable to eating disorders. From a young age they have been taught to value outer beauty and thinness, and they will go to any lengths to achieve it.

The seven-year-old girl caught a glimpse of herself in a small, cracked mirror as she was walking towards the stage. After spending countless hours sitting in a chair getting her hair and makeup styled to perfection, she looked up to see an unrecognizable version of herself: a little girl with a spray tan, lush lashes and bright red lips. She eerily resembled a plastic barbie doll. With her face covered in cosmetics, she couldn’t help but feel that somewhere hidden behind all the layers of makeup was a small, innocent child whose thoughts and beliefs were being negatively altered due to a Child Beauty Pageant competition. Many people believe that this competition promotes self-confidence and social skills, but unfortunately, some fail to realize that participating in these contests harm more children than it does them good. First of all, Child Beauty Pageants drastically lower the self-esteem of children and adults, which then tend to bring forward a series of disorders at an early age. They also destroy the childhood every kid deserves to have, pulling them away from activities that are essential in building their character. Finally, all the procedures the contestants have to unwillingly go through can be, and sometimes are, considered to be child abuse. All these impacts play a large role in the future of these young contestants, and can possibly ruin their upcoming lives as adolescents and adults.

Most people have seen or heard of the reality television show Toddlers and Tiaras. The show is often what people first think of when people think of pageants,in fact, when it comes to the topic of beauty pageants, most of us will readily agree that they are looked down upon. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of whether beauty pageants should be banned. Whereas some are convinced that they should be banned, others, including myself, maintain that they should be allowed, considering, they build self confidence, foster girls ambitions and help develop critical thinking.

Pageants with beautiful little girls that look as if they could be in their twenties can catch the eye of anyone. Dating back to the 1960’s when beauty pageants first started out, young girls have been participating in them, showing off their looks and talents to the world. Ever since the beginning, pageants have been very popular and the popularity is always growing. Most people watch the movies and tv shows about it and even attend these pageants and do not see anything wrong with what is going on. However, these pageants are harmful to the little girls and cause body image and self-esteem issues in the adult years of the competitors. As you watch the pageant as it is going on, you never think of what the outcome of these little girls will be like in 10, 20 or even 30 years. Makeup, hairspray and spray tans are extremely harmful to the skin and health of anyone let alone a small child. These girls grow up with body dissatisfaction when they are applauded on how gorgeous they look with their hair and a face full of makeup. Sooner rather than later they begin to feel as if they are not good enough without the aide of makeup, tan skin and beautifully done hair. Whether it is a current problem or something that is going to come about later on in life, child beauty pageants are harming the lives of little girls all around us. The focus on appearance, issues in adult years and being forced out of their childhood are the three most harmful

Many Children are actively involved in beauty pageants, and many people have different opinions about them. Some feel that they are good for kids, others think that all they do is harm them. Opinions vary from person to person, and reasoning also varies. But, the real question is “Do child beauty pageants harm kids in the long run?” What comes to mind when the words “child beauty pageants” are spoken? What some people think about them are, crazy moms pushing their daughters to win, and little girls dressing up to look like Barbie dolls. What these people do not see is that beauty pageants teach girls to be confident and independent.

There is nothing wrong with little girls wearing cute pink dresses and walking down a stage to perform a few adorable stunts or tricks. However, there is everything wrong when these actions could potentially lead to long term damages in young girls. And therein lies the problem with child beauty pageants, they have the potential to create long term issues for the many of the female children who are asked to participate in them. This is the stance that “Toddlers and Tiaras” takes regarding the issue of child beauty pageants; the author of the article, Skip Hollandsworth, asserts that “many psychologists believe that developmental and emotional problems can stem from pressure and value system that pageants embody” (493). Hollandsworth in her

The most important factor of these pageants, beauty. When competing in and watching beauty pageants at a young age, girls believe that their outer beauty matters most. Girls who watch Toddlers and Tiaras focus on the contestant’s beauty, causing them to do the same with themselves. The skinny girls hidden under piles of makeup on tv make both the contestant and viewer think that this is normal. Before a pageant, a mom injected botox in her 8 year old daughter’s face to take away her wrinkles. Another mom fed her daughter tapeworms to make her skinnier. Soon after, the girl was in the hospital. In no situation should little girls have to go through this just to improve their outer appearance. If this is what it takes for a girl to win, then we are better off without these pageants.

Each year, around three million children, ages 6 to 16, will compete in a beauty pageant. When a child enters to compete in a beauty pageant, it not only damages the child now, but as well as later in life. Also, the standards that these children are held to while competing in a beauty pageant is affecting their development.

In modern day society, people often tune into TLC’s hit show Toddlers in Tiaras. Most see it as a harmless pastime for the children, but child beauty pageants are far from harmless. In recent years, child beauty pageants have become increasingly popular all over the U.S, making it a 5 billion dollar industry. Almost 5,000 pageants are held with 250,000 children participating with the majority of the contestants under the age of twelve (“Child beauty Pageants”). Unfortunately, what most viewers do not realize is that many contestants will suffer from sexual abuse and eating disorders by the time they are teenagers. With that being said, beauty pageants have a negative impact on female adolescents.

“Mommy I am tired, and I don’t want to perform,” a young girl pleads as her mother urges her to go up on stage. At the tender age of four, children are not independent enough to make their own decisions, and many parents take advantage of this by forcing their young kids to compete in pageants. Money prizes, trophies, and praise overcome the better judgement of many parents who continuously spend thousands of dollars on glitz and glam for their children. Childhood beauty pageants are continuously on the rise due to reality shows that follow pageant children and their families. Many parents seem to find nothing wrong with having their children compete in them, but beauty pageants are not great activities for young kids to partake in. Childhood beauty pageants should be banned because they sexualize young children, force children to use artificial means to gain self-esteem, and can lead to long term psychological effects.

Nine Year olds in mini skirts. Pageants in America are very popular, especially Children´s. What parents do not realize about them is that it makes their children want to look a certain way. Another is the predator potential of having their child exposed in little outfits. Children are still worried about how they look today, but they start younger. As early as the 1960´s The Little Miss America began. Although pageants were meant for teens thirteen to seventeen they started  having younger competitors. Now they can compete as young as babies. They can grow up with thinking it is good to wear pounds of makeup so young and with the standard of having to be so skinny. Pageants are still relevant today and are still going on causing the little girls to still deal with this problem. Children in Beauty Pageants are affected negatively by leading to body image issues, the overall cost and wanting to reach perfection.

Despite the obvious disadvantages, some opponents claim that child beauty pageants is one of the most important ways, who can learn child's self-confidence. Moreover, dependability as adults, we know the significance of being convinced in kids abilities. Having a healthy standard of self-confidence helps them achieve their target, make connection with others, and several other things. Constructing confidence starts at a young age and kids beauty competition are a great vehicle for children to begin constructing self-confidence (Clark, 2011). However, child beauty pageants should banned because of the risks which affect the children in many ways. In addition, this kind of competitions may seem frolic and wonderful from the outside, but it is

Beauty Pageants over sexualizes little girls at a young age. As it seen in “Toddlers and Tiaras” a show by TLC show, little girls are being sexualized at a young age, by introducing them to hair extensions, make up, flippers (fake teeth), sexualized dresses. According to Paul Peterson, president and founder of A Minor Consideration, beauty pageants are “feeding the sex industry (Agadoni).” Girls are not physically ready to wear make up or hair extensions, and all of that just hides the natural beauty of a child making them more self conscious about themselves at such a young age. Little girls are going to think of themselves as not beautiful because they hide their real selves behind a ton of make up.