Little Miss What!?!

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Amanda Sims 11-15-11 English 1108: Argumentative Essay Professor M. Hickman Little Miss WHAT!?! A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what is beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood. ~ Rachel Carson Expensive costumes, make-up, BIG hair, spray on tans, and tons and tons of hair spray. When these words are put together you would usually think of a Las Vegas showgirl dressing room instead of the dressing room of a beauty pageant for young girls ranging from six months to ten years of age. Some people would say this is an honor for any young girl, and others including myself believe it is just exploitative to put a young child through what has become a highly controversial event, the Beauty Pageant. Beauty Pageants were introduced in the United States in 1920. This was a ground breaking year, as women from all over the country were given the opportunity to show their talent, outer beauty and inner intelligence. Little did our country know, that 40 years later, children as young as 6 months would be competing in beauty pageants. 1960 was the mark of the first child beauty pageant in the U.S. and it started a major American trend. The death of Jon Benet Ramsey in 1996, child beauty pageants have been a hot topic for debate. Ramsey’s death opened a new door to the skepticism of beauty pageants by allowing the media into the world of child beauty pageants through a more curious eye. TLC’s hit show “Toddlers & Tiaras” has captured the drama and exploitation in the world of child beauty pageants. Young girls are paraded around in expensive costumes, some in overly adult costumes complete with padded breasts. “….viewers and pageant skeptics have been expressing horror at an industry

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