I recently saw an episode of Toddlers and Tiaras, some ridiculous show about child pageants. I had a really hard time watching it and my heart just broke for little girls being forced into child pageant shows.
I’m not really sure what possesses mothers to put their children through this, but is it really worth it? Honestly, it’s hard for me to see mothers as anyone other than people who are trying to relive their glory days through their small children, taking advantage of their youthful skin and beautiful smiles.
My aunt’s young daughter goes through beauty pageants, and my aunt knows I can’t stand it. However, in my aunt’s defense, her daughter doesn’t put on trashy clothing, wear heavy makeup or get her eyebrows waxed. She just sings and wears age-appropriate cute clothing. Maybe there are other women out there like my aunt — and I am positive there are — but I still don’t support the idea of child beauty pageants. (Little Miss Sunshine is probably my favorite movie, by the way).
Another problem I have is that these kids are from the same parents who bitch and moan about pedophiles and perverted men watching their kids. Yes, these men are disgusting creatures and every parent has a right to not want them near their children. However, why are you vehemently boycotting pedophiles and other sick people all the while doing this to your kid:
Yes, predators are fully responsible for their own actions; these mothers aren’t telling them what to do. It just wouldn’t be a bad idea if the parent would reevaluate their actions when they start wondering why their child is being stared at by an adult. Our children are not trophies to slap on a bookshelf, or to be documented for the entire world to see so we can make a pretty penny. Our children are still developing, still so fragile and in need of being cared for by a loving adult. This is just disgusting exposure and girls are being used as real-life dolls by their mothers.
Kids are supposed to be happy and carefree, running around in the backyard with soccer balls or having tea parties. I’m not nuts about Barbie, but even she’s better than what these little girls, these children, are actively being put through.
My step-daughter has recently dabbled in makeup and her father and I refuse to let her wear anything but lip-smackers. She’s eleven and already she’s surrounded by kids in eyeliner. It’s normal for little girls to want to grow up fast, but it’s not normal to let them, let alone make a sport out of it. That kind of make-up is for women. That clothing in particular is for women. Ten cans of hairspray? For women.
Why, why, why are mothers doing this to their little girls? Why do people watch it other than for pedophilic jollies?
I’d also like to point out that a little girl screaming, begging her mother not to “tear it off” as she’s held down in a chair for a brow-waxing is not just insensitive on the mother’s part — it’s abusive. Putting your four year old child through hours of hair-dying, waxing, extreme dieting, tanning, and who knows what else is so she can look like Cindy Crawford is child neglect. Why this is even legal is beyond me. I don’t see a difference between repeatedly ripping your kid’s hair out in the name of beauty and repeatedly hitting your child in the name of authority.
Put a pretty sash on it, walk it down the aisle, dress it up how you want — child beauty pageants are child abuse and we need to legally prosecute all adults involved in this industry.
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why people insist on deciding something must be banned because a few people do it to an extreme just cracks me up…don’t like it? don’t participate…simple….
a “few” people are extreme? No, I don’t quite agree with that. While there are most definitely kids who are fine after this, and parents who fit into the minority of perfectly sane and non-pressuring people, a vast amount of people are insane at these pageants and take their kids to extreme, inappropriate levels. It’s not just a “few” people ruining it for everyone else – it’s an entire onslaught of psychotic parents. And while I agree that there are crazy soccer parents, they’re not stripping their underage children down into bikinis, tanning, or waxing them against their will. I played and refereed soccer for ten years. There is a difference.
All you see is what you want to see. No matter what anyone says you’ll only believe your version of the truth. But you don’t really know what it is like because you weren’t in them. If you would have been you would realize there are many parents who aren’t extreme. Just like in sports when you have parents that take it too far but the majority or just regular parents. And soccer parents train their kids day and night until the child is so exhausted you’d swear they will pass out on the field. Like I said you will only see your side of the truth and not other people’s including people who have been in beauty pageants.
I will agree that I’ve not experienced their brand of torment or pleasure from the pageants, as I’ve already acknowledged, but know various people who were in them and the majority of those people were traumatized and hated the pageants. There are most certainly girls who love them and don’t feel any torment from doing the pageants, which is wonderful – but many, as my example above, don’t walk away the same.
And, like I said, I played and refereed soccer for ten years. I’ve seen the ins and outs of soccer thoroughly and know exactly what those kids go through, as I went through it, myself. Not only in my post, but in my response comments, I credited parents who aren’t extreme and have acknowledged their existence. Regardless of that, this post mainly centers in on those who are psychotic and extreme, and is not meant to compare beauty pageants to other sports.
I was in them when I was a child and I enjoyed them. It was like extra fun dress up except I would win for prettiest dress or what not. I’m not scarred from it if anything I learned important people and talking skills. My skin is perfect so the makeup didn’t ruin it. I’ve only ever seen kids that enjoy the pageants. I have to say reality shows aren’t really reality they only let you see what they want. And to compare beauty pageants to child neglect is pretty messed up. My mother and I bonded a lot when I was in pageants. Just like my dad and I bonded when I played soccer.
I totally agree with this person. I was in pageants as a child – loved it. Bonded with my mom all those times. It was amazing to feel like a big girl and dress up and wear makeup. It’s sort of like a princess party, you know? You get dressed up.. you wear makeup there. But anyway, I also did sports such as soccer, softball, cheerleading, etc. I wasn’t sucked into pageants and only did pageants.
Yeah its sad to see kids acting and dressing older than they really are but society is so different now than it was when I was younger. Most of the kids really want to do all this stuff. they like the dresses,the hair the make up, and winning the crowns and prizes. Im not all for this but there are some pros to pageants. when they kids get older they can earn full paid scholarships which is so useful more than ever now. Ive known people that have done pageants all their lives and the worst that has happened to them is they are now high maintnance. yeah their are those that are not happy because of it but look at every detail of pageants before you think they are totally evil.
kids arent dress up dolls. kids should be kids. if they arent, they’ll definitely regret it. you only get one chance to be a kid, to get away with it all. to blame your parents and have nobody blame you.
its giving kids mixed messages that you have to look a certain way to even be known.
Lol, one of my best friends, Evelin, was a pageant child & she’s not fucked up. She’s pretty normal. & She said she actually enjoyed them.
I’m relieved to hear she’s fine. I know someone who was in one of these extreme beauty pageants when she was a child, and she’s been scarred for life by it. She hated it. This is the reaction I’ve seen more often than not.
Child pageants that feature little girls such as the one you pictured are just… CREEPY. It’s sickening. That kid isn’t even developed yet, and people use makeup as a way to attract the opposite sex – it’s a biological thing. Why do you think male bugs and peacocks and things like that are so flamboyant and attractive? TO ATTRACT MATES.
This is disgusting. I am so against it.