Child Beauty Pageants, Negative or Positive?
February 2nd, 2009 by Veronica
Child Beauty Pageants, Fun Or Foe?
Are Child Beauty Pageants harmful to our children? Some argue it has the potential to be dangerous to a child’s development. Others argue it gives children an early advantage by learning them to be competitive.
They Sport the finest make-up, their cheeks blushed with beauty and their smiles are one in a million. Thing is that there still in the third grade. We all have heard the stories. Children in their fragile stages of development participating in beauty pageants. Is it all or fun? Or is it more poisoning to a child’s upbringing?
There are many different type of feelings about this topic. Many good and others bad. Should a child participate in a competitive atmospher sporting a face full of make up, fake smiles and gleaming tiaras? Are they allowed to act as kids, is this what they truly want or are they just being pushed into a career which their mothers seem to be forcing them into.
We have to weight the good and the bad of the situation.
The Good: These pageants require a form of disipline and practice. It also forces the kids to be poised and graceful. It also is actually a good bonding time for the mother and daughter and some girls leave with a boost of confidence.
The Bad: The social interaction these children are getting may not be a good one. Kids are forced into perfection. They are minors, so their guardians are suppose to make the decision for them in order for their own betterment. A lot of these children develop a negative image of themselves, despite how truly gorgeous they are. Eating disorders and promiscuity are often developed in the child’s later years due to the constant emphasis on their physical attributes, leading them to believe that that is the way they can get somewhere in life.
Our environmental factors shape us many times into who we are as adults, so why rush growing up when these children don’t have a clear understanding of who they are as yet? Is it Innocence Vs. Winning?
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- Posted in Beauty Discussion
April 4th, 2009 at 10:25 PM
I do Beauty Pageants and I am 6 years old (My mum is typing this for me). I love to go on stage and perform. Is there anything wrong with that? My mum used to do Beauty Pageants but quit when she had me. My mum and dad are split up because of my pageants. I started pageants when I was 3 months old. I won my first pageant. But when I went to this one pageant when I was 1 years old, I lost. I did not get a crown, money or a trophy. My dad was more upset then my mum and I. He was more upset because I did not win the money back. Because I did not win the money back my dad was sad because we spent alot of money on that pageant. My dad was so sad and angry infact he started fighting with my mum because they would not have enough money to pay for bills and things. My mum did the write thing and left my dad. I have not seen him ever since. We dont keep intouch either. I am glad because my dad hurt my mum alot. When he left when I was 1 and a half I started pageants again. I won the next won and re invested in the next pageant. After that I just kept winning untill we came to another hault. I lost a pageant. I was so sad and so was my mum.Ì could not beleive I lost. But we decided to keep going even if we did loose some pageants. “ÏT DOES NOT MATTER!” I yelled when i lost that pageant. My mum thought the same thing too so we decided to keep going with the pageants. I am glad my mum got me into pageants because I get to wear really nice clothes. Once i went to a glitz pageant and I won a car and $2500 dollars. I was so happy. When i have kids I want them to do pageants because it is really fun and they get to do what there mother says. I hope my husband does not start hurting me. If he does I am gonna do what my mum did. GET OUT! I have got another pageant coming up in 4 days and I want to win the money so I can get a better phone then I have now. I have to go now and get ready to pack ‘cuz tomorow we are driving to Florada. I can’t wait!
April 19th, 2009 at 8:48 PM
okay,did your daughter ask to be placed in a pageant at 1? no, you forced her to be in it. no one year old child would say they wanted to be in a pageant.
your child won a car, what does that say about the pageant? its directed towards the parents, which mean alot of those children are being forced into the pageants for the parents benefit,not all, there are few that want it themselves, but a 1 to 3 yr old child doesnt ask for things like that and i doubt the money you win is going to the child either?
you cant say you entered that pageant and were planning on giving the money to your child’s future and you prob used the money you won to pay the taxes on the new car she won you. that or you prob pocket it for yourself and maybe get her a toy or two.
“When i have kids I want them to do pageants because it is really fun and they get to do what there mother says.” —what their mother says? like your going to be in pageants because i miss them and im trying to live through you? or to force a smile and flirt with the judges so mommy can get a new car?!
im not wanting to be mean but you dont need to be acting like your child is saying all this-its you or whatever ideas you put into their heads because children are very impressionable and easily mold into whatever you want them to be.
April 30th, 2009 at 10:52 AM
Wearing this amount of make-up is even too much for an adult! Some argue that these discustingly fake competitions boosts the young girls confidence? Shouldnt their confidence be boosted by their mothers praising them for doing well at school?
Kids pagents are f***ing stupid, end of.
June 3rd, 2009 at 2:50 PM
personally in my opinion kids pageants are the worst things ever. i mean how can you define beauty? and how low must the poor girls feel who arnt in the pagents? watching tv and looking through magazines thinking if only i was prettier. they think to themselves i cant be in a beauty pageant because im to ugly. would we really want to hurt our children like this? no we dont. i say stop beauty pageants. dont just focus on the outside but the ture quality of a person. their personality, good heart, intelligence, faith, will power, friendship and an all round good moral person. to me that is so much more beautiful than the fake tans fake nails and foundation plastered on to little girls faces.
June 13th, 2009 at 2:41 PM
I think that just maybe some folks are forgetting to see this as a child sees it. These kids are not adults nor do they look like adults. Adults do not wear pretty little dresses with short cupcake skirts, now that reality has been exposed lets move on to the rest of the hobby. The look, the makeup the hair the teeth the eyelashes. This is worn maybe once a month by all of the girls in the pageant. Competition standard, the girls are then judged on performance , poise and presentation. It has allot less to do with looks than you think. Unless you are at a natural pageant. Natural pageants are subjective in nature and the winners are chosen on looks not ability. I will not take my daughter to a natural pageant. At a glitz pageant I have never had to explain to my daughter why she did not win, she is usually aware of where she made mistakes. At a natural pageant I would have to tell her that the judges did not think she was pretty enough, not interested in that thank you. The pictures are RETOUCHED to look the way that they do. They are for the most part a digital artists portrait of your child more than a true photographic representation. The kids have fun with this. It is for the most part mommy and me time and extra fancy dress up with neat prizes. My daughter competes three or four times a year and practices about two hours a week. She also has other hobbies like horseback riding, voice lessons, and Harry Potter.She is a straight A student because she knows that pageants do not get attended unless the grades are top notch. My hobbies are on the complete opposite side of the spectrum, the only interest that she and I truly have in common is photography. As a parent I consider this a true success. She is growing to be who she is and not a mini me. My hobbies include Grateful Dead concerts and Rainbow Family gatherings. She is 11 and the proud owner of 24 crowns including state and mini national titles. She has no aspirations of becoming a star and she will not wear makeup if it is not for the stage or pictures. She is not skinny and this has never prevented her from winning. Arbitrary criticism of the hobby is a misplaced effort. Most of these kids see it as simply a hobby, and I can assure you place none of the adult views on what they do that I have seen mentioned here. This is a kids hobby and try to look at it through the eyes of the children that are participating in it before you make rash judgments based on editing done for a tv show.
June 16th, 2009 at 1:52 AM
i agree. beauty pagents should be fun and a hobby.. don’t listen to what the media may dictate all the time.. it isn’t as bad as people might make it seem.
June 22nd, 2009 at 4:35 PM
I think they are good fun to a certain point. Once they start getting bratty and meanish, it’s not fun anymore. I should know because I was in plenty of beauty pageants but not the ones that go all across the country. It was fun because my mom didn’t let me get too tangled in a mess of overly dressed too into it kind of people. My sisters did it too and they knew some people who made it sound terrible and a bad thing to do. It’s not bad at all.
June 23rd, 2009 at 6:23 AM
beauty pageants are soo much fun! i live in australia and here we dont have as many pageants as in the U.S. My sisters are doing them to0 and its a chance for us to get dressed up and be pretty and feel pretty for a day! we make new friends and we feel happy for eachother when we loose! i wish to compete in pageants in the U.S and i am going to next year! my mum doesnt force me to do them! i have now been in the pageant industry for 14 years and have won over 150 crowns!! i love wearing the makeup and wearing the pretty dresses and so do my 3 youner sisters (ages 1, 4 and 8)! if you look at the children on stage in a sexual disgusting way you are crazy! when we all go to pageants we look at how the beauty from the inside comes out through their personality and their beautiful faces!
July 13th, 2009 at 5:02 PM
I am ten years old. I love pageants! I started last October and have already competed in 3 pageants. On my first pageant I didn’t place, but it doesn’t matter. On my second pageant I won 2nd runner up. And on my latest pageant I won 1st runner up. My parents did not fource me to do pageants. Accually, I begged them to do them. We do not go overboard with make-up and things. Never in my life have I worn fake teeth. Well I am going to be in a pageant in August. Wish me luck!
July 18th, 2009 at 3:53 PM
This is absurd. If your little girl wants to dress up, go find some old clothes and let her play dress up and throw a tea party with her friends. It will save you tons of money and she can have real social interaction with children her own age. Instead of spending thousands of dollars to parade little girls around and have them judged on appearance (which will happen for the rest of their lives… why not give them a break in childhood!?)… put the money in a college fund so the girls can have a real future. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with children learning poise and discipline, but there are much better ways for that to be taught to young girls. No child under the age of 7 is going to voluntarily enter a pageant because SHE wants to. That’s the parents, 100%.
July 24th, 2009 at 7:43 PM
If a child likes to participate in beauty pageants, IT’S OK! If you child doesn’t like to participate in the beauty pageants and you force her into doing it, it is not ok. Lots of little girls love playing dress up and looking like princesses. They enjoy it.
August 12th, 2009 at 3:43 PM
My Girl USA is a great pageant. The girls have so much fun! Their website is http://www.mygirlusa.com
August 19th, 2009 at 4:42 PM
Apparently it’s acceptable in the United States to dress toddlers up like full grown women and parade them on a stage in their swimsuits so they can be rated on their body, face and outfit by a panel of judges. This is not only a waste of time but it’s totally twisted. I sure these pageants are swarming with dirty old men too.
http://doodiepants.com/2009/08/19/pedophiles-wonderland-the-world-of-kiddie-pageants/
August 25th, 2009 at 5:32 AM
This is an outrage! You’re all twisted psychos. We don’t think forcing your baby into this slutty hobby is very moral, even less tarting them up to look provocative. There are enough sluts in the world without encouraging them from an early age. What kind of sad parents are you for having to live this life through your child? Have you not considered how many sweaty dirty old men come to paede on these little fake barbie dolls?
Oh and we can spell. Unlike some of the ‘mothers’ here.
August 25th, 2009 at 11:53 AM
i think that pagents are not a bad thing when you give your child the choice to do it. being 10 years old and asking to do it is one thing. Being 3 and younger your child isnt doing it because they want to. At those ages little girls should be interested in barbies and dress up not fake teeth fake makeup and spray tans. so i agree that the parents force their children at young ages.
December 31st, 2009 at 1:38 PM
ok whats the big deal some people love pageants and some dont, my mom is not a fan of pageants and for years i have been trying convince her to let me try one, but all the negative people keep telling her no there bad because you have to wear fancy clothes and make-up and act all fake! this is not true, you were clothes that make you feel even more prety then what you are you wear make-up because you want to and think hey i look good like this and you smile! whats so wroung with a smile?! i think beauty pageants have there ups and downs but as long as you know you are beautiful with and WITHOUT make-up and fancy clothes then your ok. pageants are fine people are just only focusing on the negative when really they should just give it a chance, i mean if you talk to girls off stage there so happy to be doing pageants.
February 8th, 2010 at 3:32 PM
Pageants are not bad. Many girls enjoy them! All the press about child beauty pageants is nonsense. I am a pageant girl and have done pageants since age 2. When I was little I did not like to practice my routine. When i was older i was glad i did them. Pageants are a BIG CONFIDENCE BOOSTER! Pageants make you feel pretty and when you lose it’s because you messed up your routine, not because you aren’t pretty! They do not cause eating disorders, they are just fun! Yes, some people involved in pageants are, unfortunately, dangerous. There are very few of them and they are in every sport, so everybody, pageants are a good thing. If a parent makes their kid play soccer it’s the same thing. i wish everyone would stop saying pageants are bad. PAGEANTS ARE GREAT!!!
February 8th, 2010 at 5:39 PM
Okay so me and my best friend are in a debate class. We have the topic “Beauty Pageants do more harm than good.” We are con so we disagree with that. Im starting to agree with that even though i was agreeing with it before we got the topic. Im in the 7th grade and really need research so if you are in a beauty pagent thing or whatever its called leave a comment or email me.
Email: ilovecheer112@yahoo.com
Sooo yeahh. Thanks if you email me or comment
March 17th, 2010 at 12:57 PM
I have grown up in pageants and now I have grown into a beautiful young lady. At 13 I have won enough money to pay for college. Pageants have urged me into becoming a great student-a 4.2 GPA! Did you even know that was possible? They have also helped to become a great athlete-a state swimmer, the tenth grade basketball team, and varsity track-remeber I am only in eighth grade! I have a great image of myself so I do not understand the “negative” image.I also have great social interaction. Whether it is between my fellow contestants, my acquaintances, my friends, or respected adults. This is because pageants give me great people skills.
March 17th, 2010 at 1:00 PM
I forgot to include that my mother and father never forced me to be in pageants-I actually had to beg them!