While flipping through television channels, some might come across TLC's reality show, Toddlers and Tiaras, which documents the lives of those immersed in the world of child beauty pageants . With the rise of this show and other similar shows, whether or not children should compete in pageants has become a popular controversy. Anyone who watches for even a few minutes can quickly recognize several warning signs including disappointed parents, screaming children and finicky judges. Viewers may wonder: Is it really in the child's best interest to participate in pageants? To best protect children in both the present and future stages of their lives, children under the age of sixteen should not be allowed to participate in beauty pageants. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The idea of ​​beauty pageants was first introduced to America in 1854 when Phineas Taylor Barnum used women as a sideshow for his circus. By the 1920s, beauty pageants had evolved into Atlantic City casino attractions to determine the most physically attractive woman. It wasn't until the 1960s that children's beauty pageants came into play, but they quickly developed the same characteristics as adult pageants. Initially, children's pageants were popular mostly in the South, but have now expanded to become a national event. Despite their roots in adult pageantry, child beauty pageants alone have grown into a multibillion-dollar industry. Today there are more than five thousand competitions with approximately 250,000 children competing each year. With such a large number of competitions, there are divisions that include all participants in the competition: male and female, newborns up to adults. However, girls still make up the majority of participants. Each division competes in different categories depending on the competition. Some examples of these categories include formal wear, sportswear, talent, and casual wear. Entrants are judged in each separate category and scores will then be combined into one overall score. The judges take everything into account in hopes of finding the girl who has it all. They are looking for facial beauty, overall appearance, personality, hair, makeup and clothes. At the end of the competition, a crowning ceremony is held to announce the winners and distribute the prizes. Although entertainment is a multibillion-dollar industry with thousands of competitors, the entertainment circuit is not fully regulated by the government. Children who participate in competitions do not enjoy protections like children's entertainers. However, they all engage in almost the same activities of singing, dancing, modeling and acting. Children in both situations also succumb to the same obstacles. For example, “Both performers and contestants on the show face exploitation from parents, coaches, and employers/facilitators of the show. In both industries, the adults involved are focused on the prospect of fame and fortune.” While pageant kids don't necessarily have a salary like those in the entertainment industry, there are still monetary rewards associated with pageants, so they should still be able to receive the same protections. If parents are unable to have the child's best interests at heart, it is up to the government to ensure that children are properly cared for. Not only do pageant kids have no government protections, but beauty pageants are very expensive to runchildren compete. in. All the time and resources spent preparing for competitions would be much better used to pay for the child's education or other needs. The registration fee to participate in the competition can be up to two thousand dollars. So, people also need to factor in other expenses such as travel, hair, makeup, costumes, coaching, and singing or dancing lessons. Girls' embellished dresses can cost nearly a thousand dollars, and many pageants require contestants to wear different outfits for each category. Parents who pay for competition coaches can pay hundreds of dollars an hour every time their children practice. Many parents also hire hair and makeup artists to help their children prepare for the stage. Ultimately, it's easy to see how quickly costs can escalate and turn contests into a multibillion-dollar business. While high costs are a notable issue, the values ​​emphasized in competitions raise much bigger concerns. Beauty pageants teach children from an early age to strive for beauty and perfection, two values ​​that most people consider unattainable. With such an early emphasis on these values, they become qualities that contestants will emphasize throughout their lives, even after the pageant days are over. According to Terry Real, these types of competitions can be very confusing for children because they may question whether their self-worth is a result of who they are or their beauty. “A 2007 study by the American Psychological Association linked an early emphasis on appearance with 'three of the most common mental health problems in girls and women: eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression.'” If everyone always says that no one is perfect, then why create a competition where being perfect is the only option? Because beauty pageants emphasize beauty and perfection, pageants can be physically and mentally harmful to a child's health. With such lofty ideals, it can lead participants to develop unhealthy practices in an attempt to achieve these goals. In a study of 131 women who had previously participated in beauty pageants: “48.5% reported wanting to lose weight, 57% said they were trying to lose weight, and 26% had been told or believed they would eating disorder." In another study, eleven women who participated in beauty pageants as young people were paired with another woman who had the same age and body mass index but had not participated in pageants. Even though the participants were coupled with someone with the same BMI, those competing in pageants saw their current body as larger and wished their figure was smaller than their peers. Beauty pageant women also reported greater feelings of ineffectiveness and were more at risk for eating disorders, with these effects lasting into adulthood Children should not be exposed to or have to consider such harsh realities because they do not have the methods to deal with these feelings. With such young participants, it is important to consider not only potential health issues but also approved pageant behaviors. Those who participate in beauty pageants are forced to act older than their age and are prematurely exposed to sexuality. Contestants dress up in elaborate hair, makeup, clothes and shoes. However, there is no reason for an infant or toddler to wear false eyelashes, hair extensions and heels. When they arrive on stage, they look more like miniature adults than the children they actually are. Also, the clothes wornby girls they encourage premature sexuality with skimpy swimsuits and short dresses or skirts. When performing for the judges, the girls were trained to make flirtatious moves such as blowing a kiss, winking or taking off their jacket and throwing it over their shoulders. These actions are highly inappropriate for their age, and the worst part is that parents encourage their children to act this way towards complete strangers. Faced with these valid concerns, supporters of children competing in childhood beauty pageants argue that the pageants offer rewards and scholarships for the winners that they could have put toward their education. These prizes can range from trophies and toys to cars and cash. However, people must consider all expenses associated with competing in pageants, including entry fees, travel, costumes and more. In many cases, the potential earnings aren't even enough to cover all these initial fees. It would be more beneficial for families not to compete in competitions and reallocate those funds towards their children's education. In addition to highlighting the opportunity to raise money, supporters justify the pageantry by arguing that beauty pageants support competition and winning, which more positively resembles watching sporting events. However, this is an unfair comparison. In pageants, a child is judged almost exclusively on his or her appearance. If participants don't have the right dress, hair, makeup or body type to the judges' standards, no amount of practice can save them. In contrast, achievement in sports is determined by the individual's skill level, which is influenced by his or her dedication to practice and hard work. This allows participants to control their results in the world of sports. Regardless of the fact that sports and pageants are not created equal, many parents also say that their children have insisted on participating in pageants and enjoy doing them. While this is certainly true in some cases, it is not applicable to everyone. For example, a child who started pageants as an infant would not be able to say that he wanted to start competing. Furthermore, even if toddlers or young children had said that they wanted to participate in pageants, they would not have been able to understand everything that goes into the pageant lifestyle and evaluate the positive and negative effects. At such a young age, children are simply incapable of making a rational decision on their own. According to the judges, it is obvious to them when a child is forced to perform and does not want to be there. Therefore, parents are more likely to want their children to participate in beauty pageants. Perhaps the reason parents encourage their children to enter the world of pageants is because those who are in favor of children competing in beauty pageants say that participating in beauty pageant contests can help build strong parent-parent bonds. son. Instead of being typical sports parents, they are pageant parents. For example, some fathers engage with their children by tutoring them, choreographing their routines, sewing their clothes, or even doing their hair and makeup. However, this is not the view that all parents have when it comes to approaching pageants. VJ LaCour, who is the publisher of Pageant Life, says: “'I've seen mothers carry young girls off the stage before even judging the results and yell at them in the bathroom for ruining themselves. I also saw a mother scold her child and then the child won the contest. Suddenly the child becomes a little angel'”. In the end, those few positive stories about the bond between parents and children really can.. 291-301.