Kaitlyn Asher
Mr. Boruff
Honors English 12
29 January 2018
What’s on the Inside Most children in America grow up being told that their personality and beauty on the inside are most important. However, there is a multi-billion dollar industry built around the opposite of that ideal- child pageantry. Child pageants teach their contestants that their natural beauty is not sufficient, which results in the development of psychological disorders and self-esteem issues.
Child beauty pageants are beauty contests featuring contestants under 16 years of age. They first became popular when six-year-old pageant contestant JonBenet Ramsey was found murdered in her home in 1996 (Hassan). Pictures portrayed in the news showed the girl all dolled up,
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Many parents force their children into the pageant world before they are even old enough to talk, so they have no say in the decision (Padmore). They try to live through their child in order to try to fulfill their own aspirations of fame and fortune. Often times they do not consider the risks they are taking when signing their child up for pageants. According to Martina M. Cartwright, many pageant parents exhibit “princess by proxy.” This occurs when adults are primarily driven by the social or financial gains earned by their child’s accomplishments, regardless of potential risks for the child. They want their child to be the best, because it makes them feel better about themselves …show more content…
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