Negative Effects Of Child Beauty Pageants

“It doesn’t matter if you can breathe. It matters if it looks good,” says the mother of a beauty pageant child. Beauty pageants have been very prevalent for decades. Basically people get rewarded for being pretty and walking around flaunting their beauty. But for the last few years, the concept of child beauty pageants has flourished, especially in the United States. It may look like a fun “dress up” game for little girls. But it is something much, much more serious. You never know what happens behind the curtains. How are moms actually destroying their girls by forcing them to participate in such contests? And how can such a simple innocent competition have an impact on the life of these children? First of all, child beauty

Mainly, society blames the parents for allowing their kids to enter this self-demeaning fake world, some claiming that the real reason behind it is that moms get to live their childhood dream of winning through their daughters. Most of the parents, when asked why they do this to their children, fall back upon the tired cliché that it promotes self-esteem (Henry A. Giroux, 2009). These mothers don 't mind spending tons of money on cosmetics, spray tans, and outfits. They can get a bit too obsessed with perfecting their children and pushing them too hard. Kerry Campbell, a mom from San Francisco , insists on shooting up her 8-year-old daughter with regular Botox injections and making her get body waxes in an attempt to turn her into a superstar one day (Julie Ryan Evans, 2011). As kids, they are forced to do what their parents tell them, not knowing the consequences. “I didn 't know I hated the pageants. I thought I loved them, just as my mother said. I didn 't find out until my body told me at the age of 16. Then, of course, it took many more years to figure it out.” Karen, who has a Master’s in Social Work, has written in her book called FatLash about her personal experience (Martina M. Cartwright, 2012). She mentions in her book her many struggles and her experience where she states that used to sneak out to the kitchen in the middle of the night to steal some food since her mom was forcing her to follow a

Although it does have many negative aftermath, not all girls are vastly affected nor forced. Some actually find it genuinely beneficial. Child beauty pageants help children improve their social skills as they learn how to make new friends with other kids their own age (Andrea K. Clark, 2011). “I like doing the pageants because they’re fun and I like making new friends. Sometimes I get to be in other pageants with my friends. And when my friends win, then I’m really happy for them.” Said 7 year-old Allie Richardson (Michael Inbar,2009). Some moms claim that joining these pageants was actually for their daughters’ own good. “I was trying to give Meaghan some exposure as far as public speaking,” Jones, of Garland, Texas, said. “When she was young, she was really, really shy. I wanted her to develop her own type of personality.” (Michael Inbar,2009). According to most of moms, pageants were a way to develop their children’s social skills by interacting with kids their own age and getting over their stage frights. One mother told the camera crew “She entered her first pageant because they were handing out trophies just for participating. I thought it would be great for her self-esteem to tell her one day that the trophy on her mantle was from a beauty pageant.” (Tori Gervais, “The Positive Aspects of Beauty Pageants”). Not only do they build up personalities, they also teach children the value of discipline. Practicing, staying in shape, and doing all the immense