Large tiaras, sashes, fans made of money, tables of toys and stuffed animals have become the only rewards benefiting young girl participants in the billion-dollar industry of beauty pageants. These insignificant valued items have become what young girls are exchanging for invaluable standards such as promoting self-confidence, positive body image, future college education and healthy competition. The impact of child pageants has proven to produce lasting negative influences on a child’s development of self-worth, confidence and body image.
After watching several episodes of “Toddlers & Tiaras” there are several factors that can and will affect a child’s healthy development. First the age in which these girls begin competing is from infancy to 11 years old. The high-pressured competition they compete in is intense and the competition is tough. They are required to attend demanding practice sessions and several hours of sessions with coaches to perfect themselves for a show based on beauty and
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The probability of building positive attributes on unrealistic ideals of what true beauty is in the pageantry world is highly unlikely to produce a positive outcome for these little girls. The pageant industry takes children and judges their physical beauty based on nothing that is real about the child. Their photos are retouched and when they present themselves on stage there is nothing natural about these children. Fake hair, fake teeth, spray tans, and make-up, are not natural features of a child under the age of 9. The pageant industry is teaching these young girls “unrealistic expectations to be perfect. They strive to be flawless, and they can take that too far.” (Triggs et al. p. 4) These young girls that will grow to become women now have this unrealistic ideal of what beauty is and will strive to achieve far past their pageant