THE

EFFECTS OF BEAUTY PAGEANTS 1

The Effects of Child Beauty Pageants On Young Girls

Nicolette Omelczuk
James Madison University
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Abstract

My research question is: Are child beauty pageants harmful and demeaning for young

girls? In recent years, child beauty pageants have increased in popularity. This can be attributed

to a series of reality television shows that dramatize and glamourize child beauty pageants. The

fame of these shows has turned the pageant world into a huge industry with hundreds of

thousands of participants. I chose this topic because many people do not realize the stress these

young girls are under to perform well and essentially be perfect. It is hard enough for girls to

accept themselves and feel comfortable in their own skin without anyone judging and critiquing

them. This topic is extremely relevant and is more important now than ever because of the

increasing number of participants in the pageants. Bringing attention to the negative effects of

the child beauty pageants could potentially make parents realize what they are getting their kids

into.
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The popular reality show Toddlers and Tiaras has glamourized child beauty pageants and

sparked a global phenomenon. Not only are parents putting their children in these pageants;

theyre going to extreme measures to perfect their image on stage. This includes, but is not

limited to, fake teeth, hair pieces, spray tans, acrylic nails, dramatic makeup and extremely

expensive dresses and costumes.

Child beauty pageants are nothing new. They have been around since the early 1900s

where babies were paraded around and judged on their appearance. Nowadays the child beauty

pageants are much different. An era of glitz pageants have become extremely prevalent. Not

only are parents exposing their kids to harsh criticism from judges but they are turning their kids

into essentially miniature adults with the array of fake accessories and provocative outfits and

routines.

Society and more importantly the parents of these young girls, need to understand that

exposing our youth is damaging their self-esteem and body image and is hurting them in the long

run.

In many other countries child beauty pageants are being banned. So why does the United

States continue the pageants? The article The Evolution of American-Style Child Beauty

Pageants by H.L. Friedman explores the roots of American child beauty pageants. It explains

how the origins lie in parades that were held in Asbury Park where babies were judged in

competition for the title of the most beautiful baby. Even then some spectators viewed the

pageants as a deplorable exploitation of childhood.(para 12). It also dives into the competitive

nature of The United States as a whole and where other countries are putting an end to the child

beauty pageants, The United States most likely will not.

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Another article titled Child Beauty Pageants Give Children Unrealistic Expectations by

M.M. Cartwright details the reality of child beauty pageants and how they affect children. Many

times, because of the competitive nature of the pageants, these children end up thinking that their

appearance is the most important thing in life. They struggle with self-identity and self-esteem

because of how the pageants objectify the body. School also ends up coming second to these

pageants which effects their education and levels of competence. This can eventually lead to

things life depression and eating disorders later on in life. The author suggests that a balance of

activities is important to make sure a child is well-rounded.

A third video source titled Toddlers and Tiaras Under Fire made by foxnews.com

explains a situation that happened on the child beauty pageant reality show Toddlers and

Tiaras. A 4-year-old child is seen reenacting a scene from the movie Grease. She is wearing a

tight bodysuit and is smoking a fake cigarette. The Fox commentator rationalizes how

inappropriate the actions are and how it not only effects this child but other children as well.

All three sources agree that the pageants are demeaning and convey mixed messages to

children. The article by Friedman even states, In addition to insider complaints, outsiders

attacked these events saying that they exploited children and treated them like objects.(para 12).

Even way back in the early 1900s people were able to realize that these innocent children were

being exposed.

The article by Cartwright states Cries of "how young is too young" to model, be "sexy"

etc. have ignited controversy about early sexualization of children.(para 3). From this one can

see a common trend; people recognize the immorality of the pageants and are trying to voice

their opinions to spread their viewpoints.

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A commentator on the Fox News video rationalizes that These little girls dont

understand why some people in the audience would be looking at them with confusion.(2:22).

They literally have no idea that the outfits they are wearing and the routines they are performing

might be inappropriate and therefore it is up to the parents to make these judgement calls.

While there are many similar aspects of the three sources, some differences lie within

them as well. The sources by Cartwright and Fox News provide some support for pageants while

the Friedman source is completely against them. The source by Cartwright declares that

Youthful participation in pageants and dance competitions can be a wonderful experience and

may lead to a rewarding career.( para 11). In this sense it justifies that not all child beauty

pageants are harming young girls, but instead, when performed appropriately, can be a fun

activity. Additionally, the Fox News video verbalizes, How could a 4 year old child remember

any of that?(1:46). This is an attempt to justify putting these young girls into pageants because

there is a good chance they wont even remember them when their older and therefore they cant

do any harm.

Friedmans source also focuses on the history of pageants and some negativity in those

while Cartwrights and the Fox News Video focus on modern child beauty pageants. This can be

seen in the quote from Friedmans article stating, The historic Asbury Park baby parade was

arguably the most famous of the baby parades and contests that started at the turn of the

twentieth century. It was the first baby parade ever held on the East Coast and in its heyday, in

1893, it drew 30,000 spectators.(para 4). The history of child beauy pageants is recounted in the

article to clarify their origin in the United States.

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As previously stated Child Beauty Pageants Give Children Unrealistic Expectations by

Cartwright and Toddlers and Tiaras Under Fire, by foxnews.com both take a more modern

approach to the topic at hand. Cartwright divulges that, Today, television is peppered with

reality shows that feature pint-sized beauty queens decked out in pricy gowns, full make up and

big hair.(para 1). Modern day child beauty pageants have been popularized by television and

reality T.V. in particular. In agreement with this is the title of the foxnews.com video which

contains Toddlers and Tiaras, the modern reality T.V. show.

Each source analyzed and annotated contained useful information with varying levels of

strengths and weaknesses. Friedmans source titled The Evolution of American-Style Child

Beauty Pageants was very useful because it gave a historical overview of topic and could be

used to compare and contrast modern day child beauty pageants to past ones. At the same time

some weaknesses were that it doesnt really touch on modern pageants and it talks a lot about

pageants in other countries which was not a main focus.

Child Beauty Pageants Give Children Unrealistic Expectations by Cartwright was

valuable in listing a variety of negative consequences that arise from young girls competing in

child beauty pageants. Some positives were that it is a very current source and it has a very

qualified author who is a phycologist that deals with these behaviors. Some weaknesses were

that it contained some fallacies that made her sound like she had 2 different opinions including

that pageants are demeaning and sexualize children and these pageants can be a wonderful

experience.

The last video source, Toddlers and Tiaras Under Fire by foxnews.com was useful in

extracting details from a specific event that occurred in the pageant world. The source was
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reliable because it was from Fox News. At the same time Fox is known to be a biased source in

terms of political standpoint which could have made the source one sided as well.

From researching this topic and analyzing these sources I have learned a lot about how these

pageants work and even the history of child beauty pageants in the United States. While I did

have some knowledge of pageants I did need to research more about the history of the pageants

in order to understand where they stemmed from. Before researching the topic, I was guilty of

watching shoes like Toddlers and Tiaras as a form of entertainment. My view did change once

I researched more because I realized just how detrimental they are to the well-being of young

girls. Pageants promote negative self-body images and have horrible effects on young girls. Now

that I know the demeaning and negative aspects of the pageants and how they affect young girls I

would like to see an end to them.

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References

Cartwright, M. M. (2014). Child Beauty Pageants Give Children Unrealistic Expectations. In T.

L. Roleff (Ed.), At Issue. Beauty Pageants. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press.

(Reprinted fromPsychology Today, 2011, August 12) Retrieved from

http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/EJ3010601221/OVIC?u=j101920006&xid=b75e16cd

Friedman, H. L. (2011, May 10). The Evolution of American-Style Child Beauty Pageants.

Retrieved March 16, 2017, from

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hilary-levey/the-evolution-of-american_b_860261.html

Toddlers and Tiaras under fire. Retrieved March 16, 2017, from

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1817632945001/#sp=show-clips