Evans 1

Alyssa Evans

Catherine Gibbs

English 1101

01 March 2023

Child Beauty Pageants

When JonBenét Ramsey was brutally killed in 1996, she was just 6 years old. She was a

young beauty queen who had competed in a number of beauty pageants. Every news outlet in

America broadcasted the breaking news of her atrocious murder. JonBenét's passing prompted

harsh condemnation of child beauty pageants and discussions over whether or not they ought to

be outlawed. Although most people are influenced to believe that beauty pageants help show

leadership and engage a healthy competitive lifestyle within a child, the effects can also be

misleading and cause downfall. Parents should not involve children in beauty pageants until they

are old enough to make the decision themselves, because it creates the process of becoming over-

sexualized as a child, decreases mental health, and is very harmful to how the child matures

physically.

Recently, society has come to the idea that child beauty pageants increase leadership

skills as young girls age. Children demonstrate their social abilities and stamina while

competing. “These leaders are immersed in experiential learning, an invaluable opportunity that

cannot be replicated through theoretical knowledge” (Williams). Additionally, these children

receive prizes and cash that they can put away for future expenditures like college. For pure

amusement, parents subject their children to flaunt their abilities and aesthetics. As a result, the

child's attitude is strengthened and these children become more assured of who they are. They

must dedicate time to their daily rituals, hairstyles, attire, and makeup. In addition, what these
 Evans 2

people fail to realize is that involvement in activities like these can encourage kids to do

worthwhile activities rather than spend hours on the sofa. A lot better use of one's time than

being glued to a screen is to spend hours studying and practicing.

Furthermore, these pageants have grown increasingly popular as the years roll forward

and have become mainstream. The youth are evaluated based on creative talent, dance skill, and

how well they promote the diverse clothes and accessories. As these girls continue to participate

in the competition, they must put forth a great deal of energy and acquire assertiveness.

Individuals competing for pageant entries are encouraged to achieve excellence to have a chance

to win. In addition, it teaches them that there are a variety of competitions they can participate in

even if they may not always come out on top. This can educate kids to still be humble in the

midst of difficulties and assist them in acquiring good sportsmanship. Learning how to be a good

sport is something every child should be taught. After all, failure results in resilience and people

are taught how to get back up. Child beauty pageants teach children that not every contestant will

go home with a trophy. The good thing is that young competitors learn that with hard work and

determination, they can earn a trophy, and when they do, the win is that much more valuable to

them.

Without a doubt, to become "attractive" in this day in age, people feel they must work

tirelessly to meet the standards that society sets for beauty. Although the concept of "beautiful" is

subjective, beauty standards are socially created and heavily influenced by societal norms,

culture, and interpersonal relationships. Children in beauty pageants frequently invest more time,

effort, energy, and emotional resources in the never-ending drive to change their physical

characteristics and appearance in order to conform to these culturally prescribed standards of

beauty influenced by society (Sy). Young girls in pageants are made to stand out more than their
 Evans 3

peers, pushing their limits. Some even end up starving themselves, overworking their bodies, and

exceeding the limit in order to achieve perfect competition. Over time, these kids grow up, and

still put so much pressure on themselves, not allowing their bodies to fully recover. The author

Wonderlich claims, “Eleven women who participated in childhood beauty pageants were

matched on age and BMI with 11 non-participating women. Childhood pageant participants

scored higher on body dissatisfaction, interpersonal distrust, and impulse dysregulation than non-

participants, and showed a trend toward greater ineffectiveness” (Wonderlich). If they are not

selected for the final round or lose to another participant, this may cause the girls to feel

unworthy and unattractive. This could result in a variety of behavioral changes, including acting

exaggeratedly to draw attention, acting distant or hostile, desiring solitude, and expressing

sadness.

The more often beauty pageants are held for children, the “more inappropriate” control

they can get. Many in the public are concerned that these girls are being displayed "as sex

objects on stage" (Kelly). Even after numerous concerns, nothing has been done to solve any

issues. The attire that young girls are obligated to put on is not appropriate for minors. Children

really should not wear nightgowns or revealing swimwear to show off their body to the world.

The kids have been under continuous parental pressure to behave and appear perfect like Barbie.

The children are exposed to ludicrous grooming sessions, including bleaching their teeth, styling

and coloring their hair, and plucking their eyebrows to shape them.

Several psychology studies have shown that contestants in beauty pageants may have a

wide range of mental health problems. There is a lot of pressure on the children to perform

according to the standards set by the parents and the pageant. The frustration of not winning

several times can lead to depression and other psychological complications. The effects of which
 Evans 4

can be disastrous on the child’s body and mind. (Blevins) They are being forced to act more

mature than they are around people they know and even strangers. The fundamental competitive

characteristic in beauty pageants is physical appearance, which can make contestants feel

physically and psychologically inadequate. Competitors' self-esteem and ego may suffer as a

result of these feelings of inadequacy. Younger competitors may experience this effect more

strongly. These feelings may follow them far into maturity. Alternatively, candidates who

consistently succeed in beauty pageants may experience superiority complexes and an excessive

sense of their own value.

Conclusively, children shouldn't participate in beauty pageants until they are competent

enough to make their own decisions. It induces the process of a child becoming overly fetishised,

affects mental health, and has a serious negative impact on how the child develops physically.

Although it is said that child beauty pageants have increased children's leadership skills and

encouraged them to do worthwhile activities, such as studying and practicing, they are evaluated

based on creative talent, dance skill, and how well they promote diverse clothes and accessories.

which can lead to body dissatisfaction, interpersonal distrust, and impulse dysregulation, which

can lead to unhealthy eating and mental health. Beauty pageants can also cause behavioral

changes and mental health problems in children, such as acting exaggeratedly to draw attention,

acting distant, desiring solitude, and expressing sadness. The 5 seconds of fame is not worth the

years of self doubt and long lasting damage both mentally and physically that participating in

beauty pageants cause.

Works Cited
 Evans 5

M Blevins. “Child Beauty Pageants Pros and Cons: Awesome or Awful? You Decide.” Apt

Parenting, 12 Jan. 2010, https://aptparenting.com/child-beauty-pageants-pros-cons.

Kelly, Jessica and Garmon, Lance. “Perceptions of Child Beauty Pageants and Their Impacts:

What Really Lies behind the Tiara?” Atlantic Journal of Communication, vol. 24, no. 4,

Sept. 2016, pp. 201–15. EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.1080/15456870.2016.1208528.

Sy, Michael, Martinez, Pauline, and Twinley, Rebecca. “The Dark Side of Occupation within the

Context of Modern-Day Beauty Pageants.” Work, vol. 69, no. 2, June 2021, pp. 367–77.

EBSCOhost, https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-205055.

Williams, Caroline. “‘They Grow as Speakers, as Leaders’: A Case Study of Experiential

Leadership in the Miss World Eskimo-Indian Olympics Pageant.” American Indian

Quarterly, vol. 43, no. 2, Spring 2019, pp. 204–35. EBSCOhost,

https://doi.org/10.5250/amerindiquar.43.2.0204.

Rivera, Alicia. “Are Child Beauty Pageants Good or Bad for Their Development?” Musikholics.

February 07, 2019. https://www.musikholics.com/are-child-beauty-pageants-good-or-

bad-for-their-development/

Wonderlich, A., Ackard, D., and Henderson, J. (2005) ‘Childhood Beauty Pageant Contestants:

Associations with Adult Disordered Eating and Mental Health’, Eating Disorders, 13(3),

pp. 291–301. https://doi:10.1080/10640260590932896.jiu