Top-Rated Free Essay
Preview

Childhood and Pageants

Satisfactory Essays
370 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Childhood and Pageants
Can participating in pageants affect your toddlers’ self-esteem?
Self-esteem and dignity damaged when not receiving the big crown
Heavy makeup, face eyelashes, and cupcake dresses that cost up to thousands of dollars. The typical outfit for a little diva ready to perform in front of the judges. Parents say they put their toddlers in pageants to show their beauty to everyone. But is all this trouble really what your child should do? Pageants are something your toddlers shouldn’t participate in. Toddlers should not be able to participate in pageants because toddlers should be toddlers!
Pageants don’t allow toddlers to enjoy their childhoods, but also can cause problems at home. If your daughter is not an only child this might cause the other child (not participating in pageants) feel jealous and might fell that you favor one child over the other. To enter your child in pageants it cost up to thousands of dollars! A coach, a makeup/hair stylist, and the perfect cupcake dress… It all adds up! Not every child wins the loot, the crown, and the glory.
Your child would only care about their appearance and think that is the only thing that matters, It might cause your child to want to be “full glitz” 24/7. While they are not performing in front of the judges they might think their true/natural self is “ugly” leading to a low self-esteem
Some people think this will allow their children to perform in front of a crowd, and adapt to a large group of people. Also, it will let them peek out of their “shell”. But is that all worth it? Not allowing your child to enjoy their years being so young? They are plenty of more ways to let your child shine and let them get used to crowds.
Toddlers should enjoy their lives as toddlers and should not be able to do pageants. Children play “dress up” at home like a kid, which is cute and just for fun. But is dressing up as grown women, is that really necessary? Pageants cause stress and anxiety. If you lose, you don’t feel beautiful or worthy to anyone and it can really make you feel bad about yourself.

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

    Many critics and viewers see this show as controversial for its “sexualization” of young children. Most pageant moms dress their children with opulent, alluring, and elaborate dresses and outfit that can be seen as nothing, but innocent. Controversy arose when Wendy Dickey, a pageant mom, dressed her three year old in a prostitute costume; she argued that it was nothing but a comedic costume. Well at least she didn't put her daughter out on the streets with just fishnets and hooker boots. Four-year old Destiny took the pageant stage dressed in Sandy’s “cool” leather jacket (from the movie Grease), but the costume wasn’t complete without a prop cigarette; the judges were outraged of the fact that she had a fake cigarette, however, she won the pageant competition that day, at least it wasn’t a real cigarette, not that would have been inappropriate. Maddy Jackson, now five, made headlines after appearing in TLC’s Toddlers & Tiaras, wearing a Dolly Parton costume; people claimed that her mother was sexualizing her daughter by making her wear a long opulent pink gown, a white wig, and fake breasts. Even…

    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good 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

    According to ABC news, 3 million young girls around six months to sixteen years enter beauty pageants. Cheryl Critchley explains that other mothers try to challenge each other to see whose child is best with glitz and glamor. Imran Jalal, the author of “Strut, be Smart” informs us that parents often buy fake trophies overseas to boost their kids self esteem. Mothers who force their child into competing can be emotionally or physically abused. They are often overweight and usually go over the top to coach dance routines and win trophies towering over the kids reports Vernon R, Wiehe, author of “Beauty pageants are not appropriate for young children”. Justin O’Neill then describes that most mothers feed their daughters with 10 pixie sticks to help gain energy. Many parents also deny nap time or breaks from pageants because the parents often are scared that naps or breaks will ruin makeup and hair but most importantly pageant…

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The little girls (or sometimes boys) participating in these pageants seem to be interested into it. Majority of them say that they love pageants and that pageants make them feel special until they get spray tans (which are super cold), Hair Extentions (pull onto your hair), lots of hairspray, tons of make-up to the point where they look 20, fake acrylic nails, fake eyelashes extentions and a super expensive outfit for their pageant they they must win and they kids start crying because they’re tired. What happened to natural beauty? Think of the messages that these kids are getting from their Mom and Dad’s: “The only thing that matters is winning first place.” “Being beautiful is the…

    • 737 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This could cause a child to have social problems, very few friends, Communication problems, they won’t want to talk, and feel very emotional about it.…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    David Isaacs said “let children be children,” is a good way to understand the concept of a child’s life and that their fate is to be set free and have no care in the world. This is taken too lightly when parents realize that they could earn money for their child winning a pageant. The only desire for a child to become interested in saying no is if they really had the education of what is about to happen to them. Taking this sort of opportunity away from a child could potentially save their lives, and their emotional…

    • 1117 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Annotated Bibliography

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Parents spend an enormous amount of money to prepare their daughters for just one pageant at a time. Expenses go towards hotel, travel expenses, evening gowns, beauty, and maintenance. “Parents also hire pageant coaches, who charge hourly rates to polish kids’ competition skills.” (ProtectingPageantPrincesses) Children are often placed under enormous pressure to perform flawlessly. They often experience long practice sessions that interfere with sleep, school, and other social activities. Seeing a four, five, or six year old girl get on the stage and prance around with false teeth, spray tan, make up, big hair, and wink at adult judges is very outraging. Seeing their over enthusiastic mothers is shocking as well. It may not be understandable to a four, five, or six year old that the cute and fun stuff that they are doing is really showing off sexuality. But they do have parents that have extremely more knowledge than them to…

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    I’m sure you all have seen the TV show “Toddlers in Tiaras.” It is a show about young children competing in beauty pageants to win a place in a higher ranked pageant, money, and the ownership of a winning title. Many people think differently about the show and the pageants. Some are all for the pageants and some are against them.…

    • 559 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Toddlers and Tiaras

    • 1718 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Since it’s debut on TLC in 2009, Toddlers & Tiaras has captured the attention of audiences of all ages across the country. This reality series gives viewers an inside look at the extremely competitive world of child beauty pageants by following contestants and their families as they prepare for various shows. With the youngest competitors starting at two years old, it is evident that most contestants did not choose this life for themselves. As a result, the show becomes just as much about the parents as it is about the children. As the saying goes, a little competition never hurt anyone, but after watching the extensive, exhausting process each girl goes through before each pageant, a big question arises as to why any parent would ever chose this life for their child? With competition this big and contestants this young, someone is definitely getting hurt.…

    • 1718 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Oppisition Arguments

    • 305 Words
    • 1 Page

    Beauty pageants are a fantastic way for young girls to increase their self-esteem, practice public speaking and cultivate their talents.…

    • 305 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Child Pageants Analysis

    • 386 Words
    • 2 Pages

    While that may be true, is the cost of spending so much just to prep them for it and having them put out there on the shady media worth it? God only knows what kind of creepers lie within the depths of the internet. Also, the supporter of child beauty pageants goes on to say the following, “The players and beauty contestants must have the willpower to eat properly and stay in a healthy, but also, top physical shape to perform their best.” (Glitter and glamour: Inside children beauty pageants,P.9). So apparently, they should cut (meaning to be more defined) and have strict diets? This goes back to my point on CHILDREN NEED TO BE CHILDREN! They should be able to have some McNuggets every once in awhile, not be restricted from foods like it! The supporter then goes on to state the following “This teaches children whether they compete on the field or on the pageant stage, that to be successful one must have self-discipline.” (Glitter and glamour: Inside children beauty pageants, P.9-P.10) Last time I checked, isn’t it the parents job to teach their kids discipline, and influence their self…

    • 386 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays

Related Topics