Child Beauty Pagents - right or wrong?

Question

I watched a movie / documentry the yesterday called "Living Dolls: The Making of a Child Beauty Queen".

It was about these child beauty pagents. And it was almost scary to watch. These 2 year old girls, dressed in gowns with make up and lipstick and eye liner and blush. They didn't look real at all.

The documentry followed this one girl and her mother. The girl was competeing in what would be considered the most prestigious competition in child beauty contests. The girl began crying just before her turn, and her mother grabbed her by the arm and pulled her off the stage. She started shaking her and telling her to stop crying, in a very aggresive way. It was so horrible.

Why do these parents do this? What is the benefit to them and there children? Do you think this is right or wrong?

Take a look at this site if you get a chance:
http://www.universalroyalty.com/
Look at the girl on the front page. It's actually a REAL living child.

Answer 1

I think child pageants are wrong. They are more or less an outlet for their mothers who can't or weren't allowed to compete in pagaents themselves. Now teenage pagaents aren't so bad because at that age the girls want to do it. Many of them are competeting for scholarships as well.

I personally feel that we should find competitions for girls that deal with female intelligence as opposed to our beauty

Answer 2

I think child beauty pagents are WRONG. They teach children that looks are the most important thing. What about personality, intelligence, love of others, responsibility (and the list goes on and on)? I have thought many times about why the parents do it. The only things I can come up with are that either that a win is good for the parents' ego or the mother wanted to be in a pagent and couldn't or was in one and didn't win. How sad!!

Answer 3

I personally would never put my daughter through that. I have also been told since my daughter was like 6 months old I should put her in contests, pageants and commercials. I can't believe that mother did that, especially while cameras are rolling. Could you imagine what she says and does when they aren't rolling? There are plenty of talent shows out there for kids and they won't be judged by their looks but by their talent, which I think is okay because it prepares them for the real world. It is a sin to take their most precious and innocent years away from them to give the parents bragging rights and to live their dreams through them. Parents try to recapture their childhood through their kids. The benefit to them is that they can see what they missed out on and can brag about their child. It builds their self esteem and usually not the childs. I think in 99.9 cases it is wrong. They will dress up their daughters like women and is it any wonder there are children predators out there. I know its sick and hard to relate to but lets be honest isn't it the truth? We have a hard enough time as parents trying to keep our kids that look like kids safe let alone the ones that are dressed in alot of cases like streetwalkers. I hate to bring it up but I am sure due to your question we are all thinking about Jon Benet and if she would still be here today if her mom just let her be a little girl.

Answer 4

Not something I have any experience of, as we don't have them in the UK, but you may appreciate a view from across the pond. I HAVE met pushy parents though.

Firstly, children - especilally little girls - love dressing up as princesses It is an escape into a fantasy world.

Secondly, any parent with more than two brain cells knows if their children enjoy something, despite what the parent thinks.

To set against that, what is beauty? Does it count for more than intelligence?

Also, and I know this is probably a one off and the world has got sick people in it, would that poor little JonBenet Ramsey still be alive today? A bad example perhaps, but what price the life of one person against the enjoyment of many? My heart still bleeds.

Answer 5

The child doesn't have the problem, it's the parents- mostly the mothers. They are treating their children as dolls and living vicariously through them. I think it's a sign of some serious, deep-seated emotional problems to want to parade a child around like that, unaware their kids may be used as fodder for some pedophiles' sick fantasies, and they should see a shrink ASAP.

Answer 6

It disguising that parents push their children like this. They sound like show business mother's . I think Child beauty pagents competitions should be banned it is to me a form of child abuses. It what I saw once these children in the USA doing spelling competitions it was same way as the beauty pagents cometitions. What came out of the programe for me was the parents they pushing these kids. And sadly when they interviewed the kids on their own most said they did it to keep the parents happy which I thought was quite sad.

Answer 7

Wrong. Very wrong. Why are we taking away the innocence from children? Plus teaching them that external beauty is important will only ruin their view of other people. Children need to be allowed to be children. Plus, the majority of the time it's the parents who want their children in these pageants. The kids could care less.

Answer 8

That is sooo wrong
To me it makes the other girls feel bad about them selfs and think bad thinks about the way they look and the way they dress
and
Kids shouldn't get in that kind of stuff
They should be having fun playing games, hanging with funs learning new things stuff that a kid would do
No dress them up for a beauty pagent
and I for one think it's plan wrong

Answer 9

Wrong. I believe the culprits in here are the stupid mothers and fathers. It makes me want to scream. Man! It doesn't benefit the child, that's for sure. It's an ego trip for the parents who has never achieve a thing in their pathetic lives.They are living their dreams through their child. Children are suppose to play outside, skin their knees, get their clothes dirty, their fingers sticky. Where will those poor kids be in 10-15 years? Man, this is so upsetting.

Answer 10

The makeup is ridiculous the pageant itself I can't say. Beyond beautiful baby contests which are done for fun this is just a waste of time and money. I will not judge someones motives for having their child entered but the makeup has got to go they look like those reborn baby dolls. Kind of creepy when you see they are real flesh and blood humans.Just my opinion in a sea of opinions