The Toddlers and Tiara girls go through hours of make-up, to different hairstyles, and wearing big fake wigs. They get spray tans, and even fake teeth known as flippers. The girls look so ridiculous for their age and at what a cost. These parents are spending thousands of dollars just to teach their kids that beauty is on the outside. This sort of behavior is only setting children up for body image and mental health issues later down the road.
• “‘Toddlers & Tiaras’: TLC Sinks to a New Low.” Examiner.com. 25 Jan. 2009. 2 June 2009 This source questions the beliefs of beauty pageants for young children and the reality television show Toddlers & Tiaras. Children are forced that the importance of ideal beauty are in beauty pageant. Young girls are becoming sexually exploited to layers of makeup.
Orenstein then sets out to explore the possible answers to her daughter’s question. The princess “trend,” Orenstein tells us, has taken over the media, jumping from $300 million in revenue in 2001, to $3 billion in revenue in 2007, with Disney producing over 25,000 princess-related items, which she finds overwhelming. The princess craze, however is not limited to Disney as Orenstein learns; it also expands to Barbies, Dora, and Club Libby Lu. Orenstein worries how this craze will affect gender stereotyping because she thinks maybe this preoccupation will “undermine girls’ well being” and be “perilous to their [the parents] daughters’ mental and physical health” (327). But then again, she realizes maybe this obsession is a “sign of progress” (328).
But not all the pageants have this requirement. Beauty pageants are one of the fastest growing businesses in America grossing over 5 million dollars. The parents invest so much money into a pageant that they have to hire a make-up artist, hair stylist, sing or dance lessons, lodging to pageant locations, entry fees, the different outfits, etc. Its mind boggling that the prize money is less than the preparation for these pageants. On a September issue of People magazine shows a transformation of a normal little girl into one the contestants for a pageant, the total cost was $3,703 for wiglet, dress, and to boots that took 3 hours to complete.
The pageant moms pay hundreds of dollars to have the “best of the best” spray their child down with a can of orange spray paint. As any toddler would, the princesses usually scream and pout and resist all attempts at being hosed down until their mothers promise them a brand new pony after it’s all over. After having their skin damaged beyond repair from the chemicals of a spray tan, they move on to their nails. The whole family joins the beauty queen in receiving her full spa treatment complete with manicure, pedicure and massage. I mean how could we expect a four year old to deal with the stress of a pageant without a full body massage?
In the poem, the speaker states the girlchild has “wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy” (4), showing that she already wants to alter her appearance. As children grow into young adults, they become aware of outside judgments; as the girlchild was made aware in the poem. “Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said:/ You have a great big nose and fat legs” (5-6). Girls are pressured into looking the way media portrays beauty. Unfortunately, outward appearances take on a more important role than other characteristics to teenage girls.
If a company decided to make a doll for a contestant, they could make it life size and they would be identical twins. Before we get on to the actual pageant, there are rehearsals of their entrances, their walks, and smiles. This usually results in more tantrums! But don't you worry the parents will give the child their hearts desire shortly after. The kids will do absolutely awful when practicing, and will look average.
on phone, doing make up and nails, listening to music and fixing skate boards one girl in the class has also had a nose job this shows how vain they are and how important looks are to them even though she is only in high school. Music is important as teenagers like it. The opening song “we’re the kids in America shows us that the kids have power by being in control, they have every thing they want due to wealth we know this because the first scene is set in the mall where Cher is buying lots of clothes and she also has a car. This shows wealth. The next song is “fashion girl”; this shows us Cher is fashionable.
Soon enough her father died and kids started picking on her about her complexion. Char the most popular girl in the grade, makes a deal with Maleeka that if she does her homework for her Char will always stick up for her and allow Maleeka to borrow clothes. Maleeka wants to be so liked by people in school she agrees and starts hanging out with Char. A new teacher than arrives at the school. Miss Saunders also gets made fun of because of the big blotch she has on her face which is her birth mark.
Now that’s growing up without a childhood. Jane Smiley seems like a great parent who cares about her children but to allow her daughters to put on makeup even entering their teenage years just isn’t right. Her girls where prematurely growing up, where behaving beyond their age, and with their only priority being beautiful at all times it seem to help them in the long run. As they burned off the “Barbie stage” and grew into more important things down their lives. Like for example Smiley talks about her older daughter, “Now she is planning to graduate school and law school and become an expert on woman’s health issues, perhaps adolescent health issues like anorexia and bulimia” (377).