# Children's beauty pageants



## Jay'smom (Jul 14, 2006)

I'm hoping this is the right place for this.

I work for an orginization that is partially responsible for putting on the county fair. I personally have no part in it. Anyway, at the fair every year (for the past 50 years) they have a beauty pageant. Now, it's not really my cup of tea, but they're adult women and make their own choice. Well, they also have a pageant for girls aged about 3-6 years old. That in and of itself doesn't sit right with me. However, that's not even the worst part IMO. In the little girl's pageant they have a bathing suit competition!!! Maybe it's just me, but parading these little girls in front of a bunch of strangers in make up and a bathing suit is just wrong.

So, here's my dilemma-next staff meeting, when all of the people on the fair committee are present, what do I say? I need articles, facts, information on this. Anybody have anything? I searched "children's beauty pageants" and of course came up with 5000 pageants to enter. I need info on the sexualization of children, but am afraid to search for that at work since I may get results totally NOT what I am looking for. (My home computer is not working.)

Thanks for any input on this.


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## Jay'smom (Jul 14, 2006)

Anyone?


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## grahamsmom98 (May 15, 2002)

Good for you on being disturbed by this! These types of pageants make me sick.







:

Well, I think what you've stated here is great. I would guess that as soon as you make the comment about the "sexualization of children" (and, putting little girls in bathing suits and make-up, parading them in front of an audience in a competition about who looks BEST IS doing just that), they'll see the light. I mean, who can argue for it???

What kind of articles, facts or information would you need to back you up?? Ask them if they would parade these children on street corners, to be perused by strangers. Would they want their swimsuit-clad toddler granddaughters being stared at by adults? By adult men??? By STRANGERS??? It is no different, just because it is at a fairground!!

Just because something has been held for 50+ years doesn't mean it has to continue!! As you say, if the contestants are grown women, they make their own choice to enter. Children, however, have no choice in this. They would be entered by their parents (generally by their mothers







). They are being pimped by adults that long to live their own lives through their children. They will be forced to face the nastiness involved in these shows that insist LOOKS matter over brains and heart. ALL children are beautiful.

Also, it sounds pretty sexist (what, no men or boys allowed?







: ).

Can you contact the local NOW chapter? Or, any other feminist organization? Same goes with any religious organizations. I'm sure they would love to hear about a little girl beauty pageant! Involve a media reporter that has highlighted children's issues. Make it clear to your committee that pimping children isn't exactly the wholesome image that should be associated with a fair. Or, with your organization....

Why not suggest that the fair, instead, offers a children's talent show? All the children MUST win a "participation prize", there are no losers, no second prizes. Make it for FUN (what a concept)!! Prizes for everyone could be something as simple as a coupon for a free something at a local food place (a free small milkshake or fries makes for good advertising). This also opens it to both girls and boys. And, since everyone would be a winner, there would be less pressure on the kids by the parents (no going overboard on costumes, etc...).


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## Starflower (Sep 25, 2004)

I think you are right on target. It's one thing for grown women to feel they need to parade around for external judging by strangers, but it _really_ bugs me when they do this with kids. These beauty pageants make me want to uke

Have you seen the movie, "Little Miss Sunshine" - it's a perfect illustration of the sexualization of children at pageants. Yeah, the main character's performance at the end was a bit shocking, but what was even more so were the "typical" pageant entries who didn't even realize they were doing the exact same thing, only in a more "traditional" and socially "acceptable" manner.

Good luck. I think you're right to take a stand. And I love the idea of a children's talent show for girls and boys where everyone gets a participation ribbon. No sexualization. No competition.


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## blizzard_babe (Feb 14, 2007)

I can't help you with a search, either (somehow I think the school district I work for might frown upon many of those same sites you were worried about), but I say kudos to you for recognizing and making a stand against this. I mean... SWIMSUIT COMPETITIONS FOR PRE-SCHOOLERS?! I don't even want to know the judging criteria for that one.

Little girls should be running around county fairs in hand-me-down shorts and T-shirts, not pageant dresses and glittery swimsuits.


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## CherryBomb (Feb 13, 2005)

There is an excellent documentary on this, I believe it's called "Living Dolls."

Even cute baby contests squick me out, but those hardcore pageants literally make me sick to my stomach.


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## EFmom (Mar 16, 2002)

You might want to get your hands on:

Childhood Beauty Pageant Contestants: Associations with Adult Disordered Eating and Mental Health. By: Wonderlich, Anna; Ackard, Diann; Henderson, Judith. Eating Disorders, May/Jun2005, Vol. 13 Issue 3, p291-301, This study evaluated the association between childhood beauty pageants and adult disordered eating, body dissatisfaction, depression, and self-esteem. Eleven women who participated in childhood beauty pageants were matched on age and BMI with 11 non-participating women. Childhood pageant participants scored higher on body dissatisfaction, interpersonal distrust, and impulse dysregulation than non-participants, and showed a trend toward greater ineffectiveness. There were no significant differences between groups on measures of bulimia, body perception, depression, and self-esteem. These findings suggest childhood beauty pageant participation may influence adult body dissatisfaction, interpersonal distrust, and impulse dysregulation, but not bulimic behaviors, body perception, depression, and self-esteem.


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## Redifer (Nov 25, 2006)

Here's some articles I dug up:

http://www.pointssouth.net/the_north...ont/000178.htm

Quote:

"With 4- to 6-year-olds, there's some danger of them beginning to feel that they are being loved only for their physical attractiveness rather than for their full repertoire of human skills and emotions," said Pruett, a clinical professor of child psychiatry and nursing at the Yale School of Medicine. "Because that's not going to make friends or teach you how to cope with frustration or master the world."

Quote:

"I think people have a sense that there is an exploitation of children lurking beneath the surface of our culture," he continued. "We use them to sell and advertise things. The worst case scenario is the sexualization of children. Some people think that the beauty pageant is the more innocent end of that continuum, but it is a continuum."
http://www.topix.net/content/kri/392...54002908748855

Quote:

Critics argue that because of parents' cloying vanity these kids are taught that their self-worth is wholly dependent on beauty and public acclaim. Pageants select winners, and identify losers.

A child with feelings as fragile as a glass slipper goes home in defeat, believing she is not pretty enough.


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## kafka (Jan 10, 2007)

Go to google and type in pubmed. Do a medline search and I promise you there will be no gross sites, only medical research.


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## kamacat (Feb 8, 2007)

i think there awful to


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## mommytomahmoud (Jan 8, 2007)

omg that is just wrong and crossing the line it is one thing for a adult to do it but not a child

the problem is u dont know whoo is at the fair i mean their could be a sexual offerend soo i would really say something cause we need to protect our children

the funny thing was i was on of those children growing up soo sad but thank god i hated it and always throw a fit eveytime i had to dress up and go stage

ayah


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