Children's Pageants...what's your opinion?

Question

My daughter has participated in local and pre-lim beauty pageants since she was 11mos old (she's almost 4 now), and she loves them. She loves to go onstage, for her it's like "dress-up" with an audience. (She doesn't wear make-up or anything that's not age-appropriate.) So why is the common public so quick to viiianize us pageant moms? How is it any different from any other childhood activity? Is it because of the small percentage of wacko stage moms that always seem to end up on talk shows? I don't understand all of the negativity toward something that my little girl enjoys so much.

Answer 1

Teenage girls can have such terrible perceptions of their own bodies and just what others consider "beautiful." I can't see the point of teaching preschool girls that looks are everything, thus possibly setting the stage for unhealthy self images later on. Our society is WAY too concerned with superficial things such as appearances. If a little girl really enjoys dressing up in special fancy clothes for others, why not organize an alternative "pagaent" at a place such as a nursing home? The audience may come away from such an event with much more enthusiasm than would some superficial judges at a beauty contest.

Answer 2

I personally find it really yucky. I think kids should be kids, and pageants often make young girls look like little ladies and little women, which I think is wrong. I also think it's wrong to make appearance and looks a focus with young children, when anorexia and bulimia and other such issues are rampant more and more with children as young as 6 yrs old. Young children shouldn't be worried about beauty and comparing their looks to others, they should be scraping their knees while climbing trees and playing with other kids and oblivious to the wacked stuff they'll have to worry about in adulthood, like whether or not they are beautiful enough. You asked, and I replied, with some reasons why I personally think they are very yucky, and not appropriate for young children.

Answer 3

She enjoys it and that's fine. I don't think it is appropriate to parade scantily dressed toddlers around on stage. We have enough of a problem in our society with body image, why promote relying on others opinions for happiness? How far will she go for that approval later in life?

Answer 4

its a bad thing in that a small child has no wisdom tomake a life style choice like that so saying the child has an opinion isnt rational at all they will do anything to please mommy or daddy so its a moot point and they are dressed up like 30 year old women and sashayed around like cattle in front of an audiance so thats weird its all weird if you look at it in context of the society we live in these days its border line mike jackson territory for any one involved at any level

Answer 5

I think that if the child likes it let her do it but dont let her think thats what you want cause thats when the problem occures. I think she needs to chose what she wants to do and as long as you dont push maybe one day she will just say i dont want to do this anymore but you have to give the oppertunity to do that. Dont smother her with things just because you want them. I myself would never put my child in something like that but thats just what i think just because i know my babies are beautiful no matter what others think.

Answer 6

Do you spend the same amount of time with your other childern as the one in the pageants? Do you spend the same amount of money on the other childern as the one in the pageants?

Answer 7

i think that people look down on it because they see those moms on Dr Phil that push the crap out of their daughters and make them look much older than they are. i think that as long as your daughter wants to do it and you arent making her, and shes not wearing make up or anything its harmless.

Answer 8

I think it is good if the kids enjoy it, as long as their not being forced into it.