(Closed) How do you feel about children’s beauty pageants?

• Future Mrs K
• 9 years ago

• Wedding: April 2012

Why do people want to dress their 5year olds like they are 20+?? Its just not right!! That show on TLC is terrible!

• Steampunk Angel
• 9 years ago

• Wedding: September 2012

@AirForceWife78:  AGREE x10!  Its so disgusting, and the mothers say “Oh my honey boo boo child WANTS to do it!”  No, she doesn’t want to dress like a hussy and prance around a stage, she just wants to PLEASE HER MOTHER!  Kids that young aren’t mature enough to make decisions for themselves yet…It sickens me at the thought of perverts out there using these images and videos of these children in who knows what sick and twisted ways…little girls shouldn’t have to worry about if they are pretty or not, every little girl is beautiful WITHOUT makeup and skimpy clothes.  They should be allowed to be kids.

• SuperPrincessPeach
• 9 years ago

Beauty pageants aren’t the only event a child can be forced into. If a child chooses to do a pageant, or to join a dance team, or to play soccer or take music lessons, more power to them. I’m only against a child doing an organized activity if their parents are the ones making them do it.

The pageants of today are something that are new to me, I’ll admit. When I was a child, I was in a couple of beauty pageants. I was about seven years old so I was old enough to understand what goes on with them and I was able to tell my parents yes or no. They would’ve had no problem with me not doing them. The first pageant I was in wasn’t even really what you could call a pageant at all, it was just some cute event at a flea market that all the girls came dressed in their Sunday best for and everyone received a small trophy. The second one, though, was a full-blown pageant that could’ve evolved into something on the national level for me if I had taken the title. There were poise lessons a few days beforehand in a hotel conference room and a huge party for everyone competing and their parents the night before. Even so, the pageant itself was still very tasteful. There was no swimsuit division, only casual and formal wear, as well as an interview portion. If there had been a talent division, something tells me quite a few of the routines you see on Toddlers & Tiaras wouldn’t fly. The only makeup I wore was some pearly light pink nail polish, matching lipstick, and mascara. In other words, I still looked like a little girl, only a bit more spiffed up. I won third runner-up, but my parents were even happier about me winning Miss Congeniality. And, from what I could tell, all of the other girls there were happy to be there too. 🙂

If any future daughter of mine wanted to enter a pageant like that, I’d have no problem with it. But these “glitz” pageants like what you see on Toddlers & Tiaras should be outlawed!

• SuperPrincessPeach
• 9 years ago

Beauty pageants aren’t the only event a child can be forced into. If a child chooses to do a pageant, or to join a dance team, or to play soccer or take music lessons, more power to them. I’m only against a child doing an organized activity if their parents are the ones making them do it.

The pageants of today are something that are new to me, I’ll admit. When I was a child, I was in a couple of beauty pageants. I was about seven years old so I was old enough to understand what goes on with them and I was able to tell my parents yes or no. They would’ve had no problem with me not doing them. The first pageant I was in wasn’t even really what you could call a pageant at all, it was just some cute event at a flea market that all the girls came dressed in their Sunday best for and everyone received a small trophy. The second one, though, was a full-blown pageant that could’ve evolved into something on the national level for me if I had taken the title. There were poise lessons a few days beforehand in a hotel conference room and a huge party for everyone competing and their parents the night before. Even so, the pageant itself was still very tasteful. There was no swimsuit division, only casual and formal wear, as well as an interview portion. If there had been a talent division, something tells me quite a few of the routines you see on Toddlers & Tiaras wouldn’t fly. The only makeup I wore was some pearly light pink nail polish, matching lipstick, and mascara. In other words, I still looked like a little girl, only a bit more spiffed up. I won third runner-up, but my parents were even happier about me winning Miss Congeniality. And, from what I could tell, all of the other girls there were happy to be there too. 🙂

If any future daughter of mine wanted to enter a pageant like that, I’d have no problem with it. But these “glitz” pageants like what you see on Toddlers & Tiaras should be outlawed!

• Rouquine
• 9 years ago

• Wedding: October 2012

Completely against it and I don’t think I even have to explain why.

• msfahrenheit
• 9 years ago

• Wedding: August 2011

I’m  against it. I wouldn’t want my daughter to form her self-worth based on judgement of her appearance

• BerryBerry
• 9 years ago

• Wedding: December 2012

I voted nautral as there are some little girls that like to dress up and look pretty. I think most do! And wearing a nice dress and feeling like a princess is fine.

 

What ISN’T fine is when these mothers push their daughters into it and force them to sit for hours having hair and makeup done, and force them to dress like mini porn stars.

Worst thing I saw was a video of a 5 year old being forced to have her brows waxed. She screamed and cried and was so scared, and her mother giggled to the beautitian that ‘last time she had htis done the girl used wax that was too hot and she got burnt, so she’s all scared! Giggle giggle!’

The poor thing scremed when the wax was ripped off and it was heartbreaking. When mothers are forcing their children to do this just to stroke their own egos, it makes me sick.

It is child abuse.

• HappierKate
• 9 years ago

• Wedding: September 2012

@msfahrenheit:  My mom felt the same way so I understand your comment, I just find it a little funny because the only one I know who participates is my friend who put her daughter in because her daughter was born with cleft palate; she wanted her daughter to get on stage in a pretty dress and have people clap for her so her daughter could feel like she was beautiful.  She’s afraid her daughter’s going to get teased growing up (plastic surgery was done but there are still some faint scars) and wants her to know that she’s beautiful.  I guess that’s still being judged on appearance, but I thought it was a positive way to set her daughter up to be confident that she isn’t ugly.

• GroovyHippieChick
• 9 years ago

• Wedding: October 2012

I hate the idea.  I will never understand why anyone would want to paint up their daughter like a prostitute.

and do these women realize how ridiculous they look dancing around in the audience so their child can follow along??     

• Treejewel19
• 9 years ago

@mwitter80:  Wow that would have been an interesting show to watch.

 

My main issue is the focus on beauty that seems to encourage the objectifying of children and encouraging sexuality. I mean lets be honest, even the big girl contests that are broadcast skip over the talent portions when aired. Why? Because that isn’t what people “pay” to see.

I am sure there are those out there that participated in beauty contests and felt empowered, beautiful etc and I don’t question that at all. However, just because one feels that their experience was a positive one doesn’t make it appropriate.

I would have to think long and hard if my child showed a genuine interest in wanting to participate.

 

• jiller767
• 9 years ago

• Wedding: June 2012

My neighbor’s granddaughter was in an African American pageant, I think for girls 10-15.  I would have said against before I went, but I had to admit that that pageant was uplifting- It judged on talent (there were absolutely no marks for beauty), and had an interview question. 

All the girls looked beautiful, but absolutely age appropriate.  They had “evening wear”, which comprised of the girls wearing age appropriate but formal clothing that would have been in place at a wedding or graduation.  And the costumes (as a lot of the talent acts were dance) were not embarrassing or skimpy.  The girls were all encouraged to congratulate each other, and there was an award for the girl who displayed the most positive attitude, as well as the one who won because of her talent act. 

I don’t yet have children, but I would be ok with my daughter being in such a pageant.  I would not be ok with my daughter appearing in something like a Toddlers and Tierras show.