Because they competed in pageants as little girls, their mindset might be different from other girls. They may feel like appearance is everything and because they learned how to use their appearance to get whatever they want, they could very well become sexually active a little earlier than they are supposed to be. And because of their becoming sexually active early, there could be an increased chance that they could become pregnant while they are still in school. This could very well lead them to becoming pageant parents themselves, and in doing so starts the chain of events all over again in a never ending circle of corrupting young, innocent minds. All of this is a possibility because these girls started competing in pageants to
When the parents spank the kids, they’re doing it out of caring and want to teach them a lesson so they can learn the consequences from their actions. According Professor Marjorie Gunnoe, “children spanked up to the age of 6 were likely as teenagers to perform better at school and were more likely to carry out volunteer work and to want to go to college than their peers who had never been physically disciplined”. Children who are been discipline by spanking since little will most likely will be doing better later on in life. People who spank their children want them to grow up to be respectable people instead of being a bad one. Children often make bad behavior and decision so there is no problem with spanking as long as it is used in moderate way to teach the kids how to be good and not as a way injures or abusing them.
They compete against other contestants for an award of money, pageant titles, trophies, and a big sparkly tiara. However I don't approve of the parents position to put their child through this, and how they treat their daughters throughout the competition. Not only are they exploiting their five-year-olds for their own personal gain, they are putting their child through so much misery to look beautiful. They live through their daughters fame and glory, and make their daughters look very high maintenance. The Toddlers and Tiara girls go through hours of make-up, to different hairstyles, and wearing big fake wigs.
I find it cruel for these parents to want their children to have fake teeth (flippers), fake tans, fake nails, and fake hair with highlights. I see the competitions as a way for mothers to compete against one another but also to live their life through their children. Some of the parents look like they can barely make ends meet financially each month. At first I thought the parents were making sacrifices in order to get future college scholarships, but soon found this was not the case. The winners get a meager $500 to $1000.
Finally, competing involves a lot of pressure, which unconsciously makes kids focus only on winning. Although the thought of victory is very important for people to succeed, in children it might have bad effects, once kids don’t have enough body capability and are not yet mentally ready to handle this pressure. Therefore, youngsters should concentrate on developing their skills such as teamwork, coordination and fitness, which in the future will enable them to be good competitors Competing between the ages of six and twelve can harm children mentally. Parents who place their desire of winning into children can make them become discouraged and depressed because their physical and psychological development is inappropriate to compete (Statsky 390). Although the chance of getting hurt is very rare, the fear of getting injured can make children overreact by simulating fake incidents such as making themselves to vomit to convince the coach their stomach hurts (Statsky 389).
Many children feel that they are pressured about their sports more than their schoolwork. Being the star pitcher is rewarding but being the star pitcher means nothing if they can’t even graduate from high school. Embarrassment can scare children also. They should not be embarrassed of losing, one team wins and the other team loses. Parents should never judge children; they are just trying to be themselves.
Not only do the competitions cost a large amount of money but they also cost the children their confidence and other emotional issues. Competitions claim to boost self esteem and encourage self confidence but they do the opposite if you are not the winner. The pressure of winning put on them by their parents causes more stress than normal children would have to handle. An article in Current Events titled “Kids on the Catwalk?” states, “Some psychologists say pageants for kids are inappropriate. ‘Pageants force children to focus too much on themselves,’
Toddlers and Tiaras Toddlers and Tiaras is a reality show about the very competitive world of child pageants. The show follows families and their daughters as they compete in beauty pageants in hopes to win sparkly crowns, pageant titles, trophies, and money. Some of the children competing in these shows are as young as two years old. In no way are they old enough to decide for themselves whether or not they want to compete in these pageants, but their parents have made that decision for them. The parents of these young pageant girls force them to wear pounds of makeup, spray them with fake tanning spray, buy fake teeth to cover up their baby teeth, wax their eyebrows, and encourage them to eat very little so they can be as thin as possible.
There are however, controversies that surround the world of childhood beauty pageants. Many believe that parents are exploiting and over sexualizing their children at too early of an age. This not only robs children of having a childhood, but it blurs the lines between childhood and adulthood. Bedazzling Babies: Child Beauty Pageant Participants The more glitz, the better. The transformation begins with a spray tan before moving to hair and makeup.
Scars & Tiaras Childhood is sacred; everything is new and everything is pure, it shouldn’t be tainted. Although some believe that child beauty pageants help build self-esteem and instill confidence the negative effects far more outweigh the benefits. Being involved in beauty pageants at a young age can ruin a child psychologically, they punch major dents into families’ wallets, and they contribute to the sexualization of young girls. Eventually, these pageants will destroy the innocence of childhood. The human brain is not fully developed until the age of 25.