Overview of the Controversy Surrounding Child Beauty Pageants

In the early 1960s, the birth and growth of child beauty pageants was the start of the most controversial and vilified of all children’s activities. The first organized pageant occurred the same time as the first pageant for adult females. A famous circus entrepreneur and businessman by the name of P.T. Barnum organized the first beauty pageant for adult women in 1854; but later failed due to protest that the contest was unethical.

However, in 1855, Barnum arranged a contest named the “National Baby Show”, it attracted nearly 200 child contestants, and about 61,000 viewers. On the Huffington Post, According to a article by Hilary Levey Friedman “Annette Dorey” a expert on ‘better baby contest’, explained that each baby event, babies were stripped naked and were judged by physicians. When judges rate each child, they use scorecards which include the analyses of physical characteristics such as skin, fat, and bones; shape, lips, size of ears more forehead and nose.

Also, physiological measurements included disposition, energy, facial expression and attention. In the 1950s the “better baby contest” ended; in 1961 to 1971 a weekly contest was held in Palisades Amusement Park, New Jersey during the summer; which was named “Little Miss America”. This mimicked the Miss America pageant which has been running since 1921, the Little Miss America became nation wide and the competitions mimicked the adult pageants. In addition, this allowed competitors to compete in categories such as “party wear” and talent.

By the contest being held it drew nearly 6,000 competitors each week. Child beauty pageants focuses on the external beauty and also winning. The beauty contest demands the competitors to spend large amounts of money in artificial beautification. These pageants persuade young girls that external beauty is of great significance rather than their quality of character.

According to Wikipedia, a beauty pageant or beauty contest is a competition that focuses on the physical beauty of its contestants. Each contestant usually incorporate talent, personality, talent and answer questions from the judges. Child beauty pageants tend to have more losers than winners, this is not beneficial for children’s self esteem when winners are deemed better looking than the other contestants which view themselves as not attractive. A article from “The Cut” allowed six women to look back on their experience of being in beauty pageants, one female by the name of Marley Ramstad stated “Looking back, doing the pageant was a self-esteem thing — I wanted so badly to be pretty and perfect that if I won, then that would confirm my perfect figure, perfect weight.” This shows how some children that participate in pageants do this to be accepted in society’s eyes. When judges rate each child, they use scorecards which include the analyses of physical characteristics such as skin, fat, and bones; shape, lips, size of ears more forehead and nose. Also, Physiological measurements included disposition, energy, facial expression, and attention.

Parents play a major role in the negative effects of child beauty pageants. Just as the children, parents want their kids to be accepted by society. Parents often will force their kids into these beauty pageants. In doing so, parents end up unintentionally neglecting their kids trying to live out their beauty pageant dreams through them. An example of these neglectful parents is those featured on “Toddlers and Tiaras”. This show takes viewers behind the scene of the funny and startling side of child beauty pageants. In one episode of “Toddlers and Tiaras” one of the children had a massive temper tantrum. The child started to become agitated when she felt disrespected when a judge did not label her as “beautiful”. The child said “You said I’m not beautiful and I’m always beautiful” In another incident one of the parents attacked a young child’s confidence during the pageant. The worst part of this incident was that the child had special needs. “Toddlers and Tiaras” shows how gruesome and toxic these pageants can be, especially for little children.

TLC’s “Toddlers and Tiaras” is not the only variable to the parents faults in child beauty pageants. In 2011, Brittney, a young California girl, and her mom, Kerry, broke the internet with shocking news. Kerry had recently been injecting her daughter Brittney with botox.(ABCnews.com) The will to win these beauty pageants poisoned eight year old Brittney’s mind so much that she in fact was willing to try Botox. The idea was brought up by her mother. Kerry stated in an interview with Good-morning America’s Lara Spencer, 'We were getting into the pageants, I knew she was complaining about her face, having wrinkles, and things like that. When I brought it up to Britney she was all for it.'(Kelly Hagan et al).

Kerry, who is a part time aesthetician and has had Botox work herself, began injecting her daughter with the anti wrinkle solution. Professional psychiatrist Dr. Charles Sophy gave his opinion by stating that 'There's a lot of psychological damage that can be caused.' (ABCnews.com)

There are way more side effect that come with the use Botox. Some of the major effects of Botox can include dropping of the eyelid, inflammation of the cornea, double vision and many more other side effects. The more Botox Brittney injects at a young age the more she becomes at risk for these side effects. However, Brittney is not responsible for these side effects her mother is responsible. The parents of kids who participate in beauty pageants often push their children pass their limits. In most cases parents often enter their children into these competitions for their own desires. Parents, just as young adults and kids, feel the need that their kids need to be viewed as “beautiful” in the eyes of the world.

Parents also tend to become more competitive than their kids when participating in these pageants. Child beauty pageants are seen more as sporting events than just a regular beauty show. In sports there’s always a rivalry such as the Celtics and Lakers or Barcelona and Real Madrid. Parents often experience rivalries with other parents, typically the parents who are at the top of the beauty pageant food chain. In order to bring down the competition parents of these contestants will spread rumors about one another or constantly antagonize contestants during the competition. This often leads to parents or young children being disqualified.

Another huge downfall the parents place on there kids is “Super Sexualization”. According to Child Development Info.com, many critics of child pageants believe that the super sexualization of the contestants is a reason to stay away from these competitions. Critics state that in some competitions young girls are made and dressed up in a style that is very seductive and reveling. The children are also taught dance moves that are provocative and can be viewed as stripper like. Over time styles such as these start to become the norm rather than a typical exception. In other words, children start to make it seem normal to where inappropriate attire due to the fact that it is accepted by parents and society. Provocative clothing is not the only thing that parents should be worried about when placing their children in these pageants.

One category of a beauty pageant for both child and adult contest in the swimsuit category. In 1993, Leanza Cornett, Miss America, expressed her concerns publicly regarding the ”appropriateness” of the swimsuit category within the competition. Another winner of the junior miss pageant (ages limited for only sixteen-year-olds and seventeen-year-olds) decided to refrain from entering the Miss America Program because the competition had the swimsuit category included. This category was part of an overall score, to her, it framed the terms of ” loss of innocence” which means the transition from girlhood to womanhood which accompanies the relentless focus on a female’s body. (Banet-Wieser 60) according to Grace, the winner of Junior Miss California made this statement during an interview regarding the swimsuit portion of the competition:

But I couldn't bring myself to parading in a bathing suit in front of.... I have a hard enough time at the beach, let alone in front of big crowds. So I guess Junior Miss is maybe the baby of the pageants, you know it's not so extreme where I don't have to trounce around, it's more trying to make the girls... innocent and young and keep that cutesy [look].... It was mainly just your stage appearance and how you projected yourself and your talent, and that's what I liked. I liked the fact that it wasn't focused so much on the woman’s body. (qtd in Banet-Wieser 60)

Although this contest varies from different age groups; they all have categories that somewhat sexualize a child and the adult. Parents should also be worried about who is watching their kids in this attire; this is referring to the predator attention that these pageants bring in.

Child beauty pageants are free to all those whom want to come and enjoy the festivities. Although, some viewers may come for their own demises such as those who are unknown rapists, unregistered sex offender, or even unidentified sex traffickers.(Childdevelopementinfo.com) When attending these child beauty pageants it is naïve to believe that everyone in the crowd is family or friends here to support the child who has entered the competition. The worst aspect of this is that there is no way to tell if that uncle, cousin, or family friend who is taking footage for hours is an actual pedophile or not. Some will argue that pedophiles roam the Earth each and everyday, which is true. However, parents can protect their kids by not letting them put themselves out there at an early age, in a competition in which they are only judged by their physical looks alone.

Lastly, these child beauty pageants are not cheap. The cost of each pageant often depends on the type of pageant that the child is participating in: glitz or natural. Glitz is a beauty pageant in which the contestants are judged more by their external body looks.(Pageantsplanet.com) In these pageants contestants can wear hair pieces, wigs, and false eyelashes. Natural pageants are to focus more on the internal rather than the external beauty of its contestants. Hair pieces, false eyelashes, wigs, and other false cosmetics are not permitted in these pageants.(Pageantsplanet.com) The entry fee for these two pageants cost between fifty to five-hundred dollars, and that’s only the entry fee. Dresses for beauty pageants can cost up to five-thousand dollars and then you must incorporate the cosmetics that go into these pageants. Many mothers report that these pageants often cost them tens of thousands of dollars yearly.

Many people who attend these events would say that child beauty pageants are quite adorable. These opinions typically come from former Beauty pageants winners or parents of those whom have children that have won these pageants. The children who win the pageants receive a huge confident boost almost setting them up for a life full of confidence and not having to worry about people accepting them. The question still remains as to whether or not parents are willing to take the risk and go to extreme measure for their kids or win these pageants. These risk include the cost they must pay, sexual predators, and placing their daughters on a platform for their self-esteem to be attack. Unfortunately, there are some parents who will take these risk in order to get their daughter into the limelight.

Martin Luther King Jr. at a time said “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.” This quote that means people, children included, should only be judged by their character. Parents should be teaching their kids that it is what they do in their life that matter and that the content of their character will be judged not their beauty. Kids should not be thrusted into a limelight in which they are judged by their looks and that their only worth lies in how she is viewed externally. Parents should be surrounding their daughter with trusted family and friends, who encourage them to participate in activities that show how smart she is or her physical abilities. Most of all, it will teach young girls to have confidence in themselves and not look to the word for validation. Self-esteem is an important part of ones mental health. Low-self esteem can lead to depression and anxiety; depression and anxiety can lead to the ultimate tragedy of suicide. Parents should protect their young daughters self-esteem.

The world is a cruel dark place, full of hatred and other dark toxic things that can corrupt someone’s views on themself. As young girls begin to grow up they become more at risk to have their minds corrupted with shameful words, body shaming, and just having their self-esteem attacked overall. Parents must raise their kids to endure these tragic events and prepare them to love themselves when no one else will. Child beauty pageants should be banned. They are not needed to make young girls feel beautiful. Everyone is beautiful in their own way and everyone has their own light to bless the world with. A beauty pageant is not needed for young girls to see their own beauty and self worth.