Beauty Pageants

N/A
Professor N/A
English 101
9 December 2013
Not So Glamorous Pageants Do young girls really need to be told they are beautiful by older men and women? Do those older men and women even know the true definition of beauty? Beauty pageants have been around for many years now. The two major types of beauty pageants are natural and glitz. These two beauty pageants hold many differences. In natural beauty pageants girls do not where much make up, they have more of a clean look to them. Where as in a glitz beauty pageants, the girls wear tons of make up, fake teeth to hide their baby teeth, hair pieces to have fuller looking hair, and different outfits for each event in the competition. “Beauty pageants began in the late 1800s. They then became more popular in the early 1900s” (Pageants vs Glitz Pageants). They started off by encouraging women to be leaders in their communities and higher everyone’s self confidence not just the winner. (Pageants vs Glitz Pageants). Pageants back then did not focus on just their beauty but on their strength and goals in life. Natural beauty pageants now focus more on personality and natural charm and glitz beauty pageants were made to focus more on their outfits and their looks. Glitz beauty pageants should be banned because they are extremely expensive, they cause loss of confidence, and they exploit the young girls. A beauty pageant is a pageant in which mostly girls compete to be the most beautiful girl in the competition. One type of beauty pageant is the natural. Natural means nothing out of the ordinary. Natural is exactly what it sounds like “natural”, they keep the child looking semi natural. Another type would be glitz. Glitz would be more of a flashy and showy type deal. Despite the need for banning glitz pageants, many argue agains such a policy. One might say that the money from winning a pageant is useful. Who wouldn't want a few thousand bucks from dressing up for a day? One might also disagree with an argument like this with the counter that when a young girl is on the stage in front of lots of people, her confidence is rising. This could be true, but when a girl is transformed with false teeth and sparkly tights, how is she blossoming? She is developing false confidence. Lastly, on might refute this argument by talking about all the television opportunities that can come her way. First they believe that the chance of winning a scholarship or tons of cash is more important than all the money wasted on dresses and everything else. Furthermore, they contend that winning a glitz pageant can cause the child to gain confidence. Finally, many suggest that it gives the females many chances to get a television career started. Although opponents of glitz pageants say that they have the benefit of winning cash prizes and scholarships evidence shows otherwise. Yes, there is always the opportunity to win the money or scholarship but what happens when they are not the luck one out of the hundreds of girls entered? The prices of glitz pageants are insane. The entry fee can range anywhere from $50-500 (Sandberg). To enter a competition and have to pay a huge entry fee is just the beginning of the costs for a Glitz Pageant. Along with the entry fee there is also a $20-30 fee for each category one choses to compete in (Sandberg). The main dress and shoes together are one of the most expensive pieces to the puzzle. The dress prices vary immensely but most are in the thousands. Where as a natural pageant costs usually about $200 total and that is with purchasing a new sun dress for the beauty portion of the pageant. All the money that goes into these glitz pageants could be saved up as a college fund rather than on a dress that will be worn once. The child can be put in a team sport that they are good at and will raise their confidence rather than a beauty pageant that will make them lose confidence if they are not winning. All the money spent on these glitz pageants should be saved for the future of the participant rather than actually doing the pageant. Many assert that winning a glitz pageant can cause a boost in confidence however there can only be one real winner. A young girl who gains confidence from glitz pageants is actually gaining false confidence because of all the fake attire she has on. A perfect example of loss of confidence is Nicole Hunters story. Since she was four she had been competing in high glitz beauty pageants all over the world unwillingly. She explains how it wasn’t her dream but her mothers, she felt as though she didn’t have the option to say no. In a blog that she wrote specifically about her experiences she shares how to this day she still struggles with a low self-esteem, especially when she doesn’t wear makeup. For many years now she has been fighting anorexia nervous, and just now as an adult she feels as though she has it under control. Nicole Hunter once said “I wouldn’t recommend any mother to allow a child to participate in pageants especially as a child” (Long Term Effects on Women). Winning first place is every girls dream. Not only is there a cash prize or an unaffordable toy, but they get praised for looking like someone they are not. “Losing is the same as being told that they are not pretty enough to them.” (Long Term Effects on Women). The real question is, who is the little girl behind all the make up, but no one truly knows. Beauty pageants inevitably are creating a standardized beauty. Emitting expectations and standards for the girls almost telling them what beautiful should look like makes many feel like they can never achieve it, psychologically in many cases this can scar a child (Long Term Effects on Women). Loosing contestants don’t fully understand that losing a competition doesn’t mean they aren’t beautiful or even less beautiful than the others. Children haven’t yet grasped an understanding that beauty pageants are a competition, not a rate on who is more beautiful than they are. Though some may think that entering glitz pageants gives them a high chance at a career on television, it ends up having a negative affect. Everyone knows about the hit show “Toddler's and Tiaras”. Everyone also knows all the negative controversies that have come along with it. “Toddlers & Tiaras mom Lisa Christian sent her daughter sashaying on stage in a Grease-themed costume — with a candy cigarette in her mouth as a prop” (Toddlers And Tiaras Controversies). This mother is exploiting her daughter. It is said that her daughter is a 4 year old. Who sends their 4 year old on stage with even just a candy cigarette? Lisa even went to the extent of telling her daughter before she went on stage, “Don’t forget to smoke sweetie” (Toddlers And Tiaras Controversies). Another prime example of the show having a negative affect is the young girl who went on stage with fake boobs. This scandal has caused a mother to pull her daughter from competing until everything is resolved and noted that this is far from ok. One very well known contestant in glitz pageants is “Honey Boo Boo”. She was considered a “regular” on the show. Honey Boo Boo’s mom shared their secret to keeping her energy up on stage: “Drinking lots of "Go-Go juice" (a mix of Mountain Dew and the energy drink Red Bull), and eating lots of "pageant crack" (really just Pixy Stix, a powdered candy)” (Toddlers And Tiaras Controversies). The reasoning behind this is because she believes that she has to do anything and everything to keep up her daughters personality alive. The moms on this television shows get their young daughters eye brows waxed. These moms are causing their daughters to look like someone they are not and taking it to far. “In January 2011, TLC aired an episode in which a mom forced her "absolutely terrified" daughter to get her eyebrows waxed in a salon. As her daughter screamed and trembled, the mother confided to the camera that her kid was scared because once a salon worker put on wax that was too hot, and tore off her skin.” (Toddlers And Tiaras Controversies). The mother then followed to tell her shaken up daughter, “there, now don’t you feel pretty?!” (Toddlers And Tiaras Controversies). A mother should always feel as if her daughter is beautiful with or with out any bodily changes. These mothers on this show give their daughters the idea that being beautiful comes with effort, when in reality beauty is effortless. The television show makes sure to never miss an argument whether it be between moms or daughters. They are showing every little inch of drama they possibly can and proving that glitz beauty pageants are nothing but little girls prancing around acting and looking 10-15 years older. When you think of a 4 year old you think of a little girl dancing around her room playing dolls. When you see these little girls on the television show, they are nothing but little skinny spoiled brats who need to constantly hear that they are beautiful. Clearly, because of the expense, the low self esteem, and the fact that they exploit the girls, glitz beauty pageants should be banned as a whole. The expense of glitz beauty pageants is a crazy amount and could be saved for a better reason. It is highly likely that the money spent on the beauty pageant itself will almost be more than the money earned with a win. Also, losing a beauty pageant is where the low self esteem comes in. Yes, winning will cause a boost in confidence but what about the hundreds of other girls who go home without a tiara? There is only one true winner in a glitz pageant. Lastly, the television shows that have come from it give the girls and their families a bad name. All in all, these types of pageants need to be banned. Anyone who wishes to be in a beauty pageant should have to go on to a natural pageant and win because of their amazing personality rather than because they went off and got the best make up and hair stylist and bought the prettiest dress known to man kind.