Preview

Child Pagaents

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
846 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Child Pagaents
Are pageants good for kids?

As the child beauty pageants started in the 1960s, I imagine that the founders did not picture the idea of the pageants being compromised as it is today. (Nussbaum) Parents and families, of the pageant contestants, have taken it to a new extreme when it comes to beauty and perfection in their children. This can be seen in many reality TV shows on air today, but TLCs “Toddlers & Tiaras” has received more controversy than any other. In such cases as 3 year old pageant princess “Peppermint Paisley”, who made national news for what her mother dressed her as in a pageant competition. The mother thought that it was appropriate for her daughter to be dressed as Julia Roberts’s role in “Pretty Woman”. (McKay) As many know she was a hooker on this film, which is not appropriate for a 3 year old. Her mother sadly still defends her decision of the role, and says she would repeat it. This is why I don’t agree with the extremity of the parents of these children obsessing over their fame and outward beauty. In the beginning the child beauty pageants were an innocent pass time for the children and families. Now on the other hand they are a lifestyle and a danger to the children involved. It can affect them physically and mentally in the long run. These children are subjected to: hours of practice for their talent portion of their act, teeth whitening, spray tanning, fake hair and eyelashes, fake teeth, and anything to make them “perfect”. Another contestant featured on “Toddlers & Tiaras”, was Madisyn “Maddy” Verst, she was subjected by her mother to do an act as Dolly Parton complete with fake breast and butt implants. She was ordered to prance around in this outfit, and catch the eye of the judges. This also made national news, and it is even said that the mother may lose custody of the child for this action. (Murphy) The children in the pageants are affected physically through the treatments that the parents put them through. The long hours

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    The article “Toddlers in Tiaras” was written by Skip Hollandsworth which appeared in Good Housekeeping on August 2011. Hollandsworth’s report is used as an argument to persuade the readers to have a negative view on childrens’ beauty pageants. He wrote this article in response to the TLC series of “Toddlers and Tiaras” and the negative effects it has on children and adults.…

    • 1287 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Lindsay Lieberman explains how child pageantry causes emotional, physical, and monetary effects on both the competitors and the parents; this is the central claim of “Protecting Pageant Princesses: A Call for Statutory Regulation of Child Beauty Pageants.” Minor claim number one is that pageants can cause detrimental effects on a young woman such as depression, eating disorders, and body image issues that accelerate into lifetime problems. Brook Breedwell competed in pageants as a young child, and she explains that this industry caused her to suffer from stress, anxiety, and body image issues as she was raised in the industry that requires females to be unrealistic. Lieberman also states the minor claim of explain that NC House of Representatives…

    • 323 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    “Toddlers in Tiaras,” an article by Skip Hollandsworth, gives a glimpse into the world of child beauty pageants. It brings forth food for thought when one considers the “sexploitation“ of young girls, toddlers, even infants. In addition, it addresses the focus these pageants put on physical perfection and how these young ones are bombarded not only that singular focus but it questions their future development in light of the suggestive costumes and gestures they are encouraged to engage in. The article also questions the motives of parents who insist on pushing their children into these pageants and whether participation puts their children in danger .…

    • 445 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    The girls can compete and have some fun and later in life earn money or scholarships to further their actual careers in the future. The extremes though those mothers will take to get their little girls to win can be way too extreme. Toddlers and Tiaras have publicly shown that not only can these competitions be stressful but in some ways abusive and terrible acts of behavior. Multiple little girls on this Television show display no respect to mothers and one little girl was caught on film slapping her mother. Another mother had her daughter “smoke” a fake cigarette on stage to go with her outfit. Not only did these girls show disrespectful behavior but showed other little children that it is okay to act this way. Another instance is what some consider being abuse to the children competing in the pageants. One daughter was held down so her eyebrows could be waxed. The mother stood by telling the camera crew that she was only scared to get her eyebrows waxed because one time the wax was too hot and pealed her skin off. The daughter kept saying she didn’t want to get her eyebrows waxed but the mother forced her to. Clearly this was an instance of abuse, not a normal one but still you could tell the child was in pain. One very famous little pageant girl as most people know her Honey Boo Boo.…

    • 1593 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Parents have to levy heavy cost to let their children participate in child beauty pageant. According to Cartwright (as cited in Nauert 2012, para 8 ), ‘entry fees, photos and other common pageant expenses like wigs, fake tans and artificial teeth’ may cost up to $1,500 and the average total cost is around $3,000 - $5,000. The pageants and their families often get social and media’s attention as they become famous. Society will always have an eye on them causing limited freedom and invasion of their privacy. In 1996, winner of several child beauty pageants – JonBenet Ramsey’s murder case made pageants socially unacceptable to many…

    • 107 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Have you ever watched Toddlers and Tiaras on TLC and wondered about how much it cost or why toddlers or young girls are dawled up with too much makeup? Mothers force their child into competing while spending a fortune on costumes and makeup. Beauty pageants pressure these little girls to act and even look like adults.…

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Toddlers and Tiaras Essay

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages

    I believe that these mothers are living vicariously through their daughters, hoping their girls will receive the attention and praise they do not get in their own lives. The moms try to cure their poor self-esteem and hunger for admiration by making up and dressing their young girls in inappropriately scanty clothes. They put make-up on their daughters, without realizing that they are, in effect, pimping out their own child. To be a contender in these beauty pageants these children are getting spray on tans, wearing "flippers"—fake teeth to hide the gaps that normal girls have from losing their baby teeth, fake fat hair, and loads of make makeup. One four year old contestant was dressed by her mom donning fake breasts and a padded bottom to follow her idol Dolly Parton.…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Toddlers and Tiaras affects childrens’ self-esteem around the world who believe that they have to live up to this “beauty” that is enforced by their Mom’s and they have to be as pretty and perfect as these other kids who they see in beauty pageants. I cannot find it in me to support little girls judged this way. Beauty? Talent? Making them stand onstage in front of a crowd of people where one girl's dream comes true and the others are crushed? This cannot be good for their self-esteem and with children that young, they never really know what could end leaving an emotional scar. Today there are more than 250,000 children who compete in pageants and 100,000 of those children being under the age of thirteen. At a young age you are influenced by things you see, people around you, and tend to have role models who are older. Some children also…

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The idea of child pageants creates much conflict and discouragement to others whom do not have children. Young girls whom participate in this activity are portrayed as sex objects just as women are as models because they are subjected to looking older and much more sensual. However, in some cases having children in child pageants creates social skills along with comfortability performing in front of others. The idea of little girls being entered into child pageants is intimidating to most people due to the fact that children are not supposed to look like adults until they are old enough. Many people frown upon the whole concept of a child being exposed to older men and women having them wear makeup and flirtatious outfits. As older women are also involved in beauty pageants, they too go through extreme acts of body changes making it harder for parents to fathom. Restricting little girls from engaging in beauty pageants or contests protects them from dangerous people along with remaining pure with their self-worth, learning to live as a child and not a woman, and retaining a healthy emotional mind.…

    • 1117 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Children's beauty pageants have been around for a long time. Toddlers and Tiaras is a show, based on mothers living their dream lives through their children. The mothers dress their young girls as if they are grown models. My out look on the whole situation is that little 5 year old girls, should not be competing in beauty pagents. Fake teeth, tans, eye lashes, and hair make these children look as though they are in their teens.…

    • 490 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As a parent it is a job to teach your children to be confident in who they are. With television shows that contradict this message it is tough to be confident in oneself. TLC has found if you put that group on a reality television show you can gain viewers thus make money. The popular show many know is Toddlers and Tiaras. Toddlers and Tiaras is a show about these beauty pageants all throughout the United States, and the show will focus on three participants and the journey to the pageant day then you will see the performances. Where the biggest issue is shown is leading up to the actual pageant. All of the preparation, to make a young girl look “beautiful”, this includes fake hair, teeth, eyelashes, smiles, and even fake attitudes. This does not at all represent self-confidence. If one cannot show themselves naturally in a beauty contest how are they to feel confident about their body and appearance. When a young girl first sees a show like Toddlers and Tiaras it may affect her in one of two ways. One she could think it is amazing and want to try it for herself. Or two she may feel intimidated by these girls who look “perfect”, because at such a young age you cannot always pick out what is fake and what is real. Seeing the girl when she is in stage is…

    • 1702 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Annotated Bibliography

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Beauty pageants made their first appearances in America during the 1920’s, where women flaunted around casinos, determined to win a crown for their physical attractiveness. The owner of the casino where these activities occurred, figured that this would attract more tourists. Throughout the years, more modern pageants were formed, like Ms. USA and Ms. America. Following in the footsteps of its adult form, child beauty pageants merged into the 1960’s. Child beauty pageants usually consist of modeling sportswear, evening wear, and showing off any special talent they may have. Judges critique the girls individually, based on their physical looks, poise, confidence, and perfection. To the judges, this is called “the complete package.” Although the objective of most child pageants is to build confidence and self-worth, beauty pageants can be considered exploitive to minors by causing them to believe in unrealistic ideas about beauty.…

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    When you picture young children growing up, you imagine girls being interactive in gymnastics and dance and boys are playing rough in sports. But days in this time and era have girls becoming involved in beauty pageants. Parents are enrolling their children as young as six months old into pageants all around the United States. Obviously, parents are the ones to blame and children really don’t have a choice in the matter. Toddlers and Tiaras is a show on TLC that shows exactly what children have to go through. They have to sit through many sleepless hours of getting fake hair, nails and tans to end up becoming someone they don’t even know after a look in the mirror. What is that image teaching a child growing up in today’s society? To physically look beautiful and have the perfect, fake body image? Beauty pageants don’t need to be intense. If parents took the time to slow down and understand how serious they were acting, they would see how these children are stressed out. Parents seem to worry more about pageant life then to actually put their kids into school. After so many years psychological problems start to develop within the child which can end up being disruptive to family relationships and harm the natural course of the young ones’ childhood.…

    • 1843 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Over Sexualizing Children

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages

    TLC's "Toddlers and Tiaras" has been mired in controversy since it debuted in 2009, and much of the distaste for the series stemmed from concerns about whether we were feeding the stage mothers' desire for attention, or about the insensitivity in taping and televising children in the middle of a meltdown or temper tantrum. But whether you think child beauty pageants are just a chance for little girls to play dress-up, or a training ground for superficial, self-centered princesses in the making, everyone should agree that sexualizing a 3-year-old little girl is wrong.…

    • 694 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Of course all these pageant moms say they are doing this for their kid, but teaching their kids to being superficial and fake is not the right way. They want their kid to win, they make it important for their kids to win and these young kids are being pressure to win “beauty” contest. The parents usually say it makes their daughter feels beautiful, confidences and get use to pressure, what if they lose? What does that do to the…

    • 769 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays