In the article, “Controlling your reality” Paige Pfleger states “Reality television can also preserve old fashioned notions about sexual stereotyping. Women are encouraged to fulfill roles as “the slut” and are simultaneously devalued by doing so” sadly these are the types of stereotypes young girls and women grow up with (3). Little girls are told to act a certain way only for society to reject and humiliate them for it. In The Hunger Games Collins makes a point by sexually objectifying Glimmer, a career tribute, because she looks like the stereotype of sexy. In the novel Collins writes, “The girl tribute from District 1, looking provocative in a see-through gold gown…With that flowing blonde hair, emerald green eyes, her body tall and lush… she’s sexy all the way”(125).Collins makes it clear that society has a very specific image of what sexy should look like.
Dr Carr-Gregg, a respected Australian adolescent psychologist, stated that these pageants are “bordering on child abuse.” (Carr-Gregg cited in Gearin, 2011) Others have called for legislation of age restrictions for beauty pageants, and a code of conduct for all forms of child performance. (Gearin, 2011) Painted Babies clearly demonstrates “the complete package” requires children to be pampered and preened to resemble performing dolls. This objectification includes excessive hair, make-up, fake-tan even dental treatment in the pursuit of physical perfection. The children develop song and dance routines to display their talents. These often have an adult, sexy over-tone some argue is ‘creepy’ causing a ‘general discomfort’ in the viewing public.
It's disturbing to think that girls like you and me are doing this to their bodies simply because of what is portrayed in magazines like vogue and fashion catalogues. Media targeting teenage girls, like you and me, are emphasising the ideal of thinness as beauty. The media and fashion industry in my viewpoint are pushing a dangerously thin image that young girls may try to emulate. The promotion of the thin, sexy ideal in our culture has created a situation where the majority of girls and women don't like their bodies. This then leads
Beauty pageant participant, Kelsey Killeen said, “When I started going into pageants, it gave me so much self-confidence.” Pageant moms believe pageants are a good way to teach their daughters skills needed in life. Eight main skills mothers thought or hoped their children would learn from pageants were acquiring confidence, learning to be comfortable onstage and around strangers, gaining poise, determining the best way to present oneself, realizing the need for practice, learning good sportsmanship, becoming more outgoing and learning to listen (“Child Beauty”). Some parents have even said that they have placed their children in pageants because of a birth defect their child had (“Child Beauty”). These parents wanted to support the fact that their children are normal and beautiful no matter if they have birth defects (“Child Beauty”). In numerous pageants it is required that the contestant raise money for a local
In today’s society there is a growing controversy of how women are supposed to look. If they are slightly overweight or if they are too skinny, if they have acne, if they have freckles or if you are “flat-chested” your look isn’t that of the “ideal” female body. Everyone as individuals are different, inside and out. But the media in today’s society have put in girls mind at a young age that they need to fit into this character and look just like that of a barbie doll. Growing up, reading magazines and watching reality television.
Keisha Dotson July 19, 2010 English “Should Children Beauty Pageants Be Consider Harmful” Most people when they think of a child beauty contest or pageant, they think of the glamour, big hair styles and the over the top make up jobs for the child in question. Really and truly the pressure of the pageant itself can lead to serious self esteem issues and other psychosomatic issues. Children beauty pageants should be consider a psychological health risk for young children and their childhood. The main reasoning behind child beauty pageants is that the parents say that they enter their child or children are to give an increase in confidence. But according to (Lalan Maliakal), she states that “the mothers pressurize their children to work their appearance to look like a Barbie doll.” Young Children forgo their improvement and childhood years for beauty pageants and pressure by their mothers to be the best, which for the most part is not good because the child’s virtuousness have been blemished and compress by false synthetic similes and counterfeit eyelashes and sophisticated appearance .
According to modern day society, girls should walk and talk pretty, have perfect skin, and cake on makeup; they should watch their weight and keep up with the newest trends in fashion. The mass media depicts unrealistic images of beauty, which have led many adolescent girls to attempt to become these unattainable figures. Girls go to extreme measures to imitate society’s impractical beliefs of beauty. The pressure that society puts on women to be thin is unhealthy, which links to the increasing rate of eating disorders and psychological problems among young women. There have been plenty of studies linked to the negative impacts of body image caused by the media.
Child Beauty Pageants Should Be Banned When you were younger, you probably played dress up, for fun and games. Well, some irresponsible mothers in the United States are taking the concept of dressing up and turning it up several levels, and transforming their children into replicas Barbie dolls. The young pageant model is adorned with fake tans, hair extensions, 50 layers of make-up and fake teeth. After being put in extravagant, often inappropriate costumes, being fed health derogatory substances such as sugar packets and mixtures of high-energy drinks that even children twice their ages don’t even drink and performing tantrums of her reluctance to do her pageant, the juvenile Prima Donna is ready to go. Plastering on an over-exercised smile, the six year old walks on stage, cheered on by the joyful screams of her most-likely overweight mother.
When is it too Young to Exploit Young Girls? Everywhere we look there are advertisements, television shows and radio commercials that go against or for body image that goes towards children. For example, on the show on TLC “Toddlers and Tiaras”, I saw a mother put a padded bra on her six year old daughter, and another forcing her eleven year old daughter to wear a corset as she said, "It doesn't matter if you can breathe or not! It only matters if you look beautiful!” A lot of how the media looks affects how everyone looks at them or how they will do it to their children. Eating disorders are on the rise for the children and teens.
There is a popular television show called Toddlers and Tiaras that documents what goes on during these child beauty pageants. There was one episode where these seven year old girls had to do a very provocative dance routine at a pageant. At the beginning of the episode the pageant moms were completely against it but their daughters dance coach convinced them that they would have to do if they want to win. The girls ended up winning the pageant. These girls had on barely any clothing and a lot of makeup and they are only seven.