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The Consequences Of Child Beauty Pageants

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Makeup, big hairdos, spray tans, gowns, high heels, and a lot of glitter – this is what child beauty pageants consist of. At a very young age, little girls are exposed to the world of child pageants and often forced to participate in the contests. The popular television show, Toddlers and Tiaras on TLC which aired first in 2009 exposes viewers the life of young pageant stars. It entertains viewers by displaying how the young girls and their families deal with child beauty competitions which is not all fun, as it consists of tantrums and attitude. Toddlers and Tiaras displays how the young girls wake up early on the day of their competition, get dressed up with their big gowns, apply heavy weight of makeup, and walk down the stage in front of …show more content…
As beauty pageants forces girls to act a certain way, they believe that is the only way to move forward in society. The beauty pageants require the girls to dress in their gowns, wear makeup and get their hair done, along with have a routine of some act to present to the judges. The performances that the girls have to do causes them to “believe that this is the way they need to behave in order to win their trophy or be loved by the public” (Kelly and Garmon, 202). Throughout the day, the girls are forced to look perfect, in order “to be considered worthy of the top prize” (Cartwright 1106). Child beauty pageants makes the young girls believe that winning something is the only way to succeed in the society. However, this understanding cannot be taught to the girls because there are many other ways they can succeed and be beautiful. The idea of acting a certain way should not be discussed because the girls cannot grow up thinking that they must do something, or look perfect always. The wrong perception of beauty is perceived by young girls when they are forced to look a certain way in …show more content…
The skills gained in pageants can be learned elsewhere, as more skills can be learned in a different setting. Additionally, learning good sportsmanship is best learned in an environment where there are teammates, coaches and officials; therefore, beauty pageants is not the correct place to learn this valuable skill. Pageants does not comprise of coaches effectively as often parents are the coaches of the children. Overall, child beauty pageants should be thought about twice since there are more negative effects than

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