Child Beauty Pageants: Right or Wrong?

[kainedamo]

When JonBenet Ramsey was murdered, a spotlight was directed over the weird world of child beauty pageants.

Many people suspected the parents of the child. A big reason for this could be that, if a parent is willing to exploit their child in these pageants, then can the leap to being an overly pushy parent, then a murderous parent be that far away? Kind of a big assumption to make really.

But still. These pageants are weeeeeeeeeeird. They take children, little girls, throw heavy make up on them, perm and style their hair, make them wear gowns, and they basically try to make them look like they're older girls. Then you have judges judge which one is the prettiest out of these doll like girls made to look like tiny adults.

Is it exploitation, or is it a perfectly innocent compitition that any little girl would want to be part of. Are the parents pushy and overbearing? What kind of people go to watch these pageants anyway??

[Ronny Shade]

Is it just me, or is being good-looking at that age a guarantee that you're going to grow into your face wrong and be ugly by the time it actually matters.

[November Rain]

in theory there's nothing wrong with letting children be aware that looks can get you far in life.

it's only unfair for the losers or children who grow into their ugliness...

[kainedamo]

I forgot to mention that there's also the question of what kind of message are we drilling into the heads of these girls from such an early age?

We live in a time where many young girls become anorexic.

[Daisy]

I was a child beauty queen and model. I won 'beautiful baby' contests when I was only a few months old, and my first pagent at 2. I started doing adverts shortly thereafter. I'm in no way scarred for life... nor am I at all ugly (on the outside or inside) today.

There isn't anything inherently wrong with child beauty pagents. They can be great fun. Lots of little girls (and some little boys) love to play dress-up and parade around. My parents never forced me into it. I LOVED it. I was a total ham and loved to have my picture taken (and there are some really adorable pics of me). When I got bored with it and moved on to other things my parents let me quit. There are a lot of parents who treat it like that.

That doesn't mean there aren't some parents who get carried away and DO push their kids... but that's true of any activity children are involved in... sports, dancing, academics, music... not just beauty pagents.

[Ronny Shade]

Women get told how good looking they are enough without beauty pageants. Society should cut down on that kind of thing.

[britrogue]

Personally, I don't agree with them. I don't think it's right to install a fear of individual appearance in young children. Why the hell would we want our young children obsessing about their weight and looks?

[kainedamo]

Originally Posted by Daisy

I was a child beauty queen and model. I won 'beautiful baby' contests when I was only a few months old, and my first pagent at 2. I started doing adverts shortly thereafter. I'm in no way scarred for life... nor am I at all ugly (on the outside or inside) today.

There isn't anything inherently wrong with child beauty pagents. They can be great fun. Lots of little girls (and some little boys) love to play dress-up and parade around. My parents never forced me into it. I LOVED it. I was a total ham and loved to have my picture taken (and there are some really adorable pics of me). When I got bored with it and moved on to other things my parents let me quit. There are a lot of parents who treat it like that.

That doesn't mean there aren't some parents who get carried away and DO push their kids... but that's true of any activity children are involved in... sports, dancing, academics, music... not just beauty pagents.

An opinion of someone who's actually been in child beauty pageants. That's good. So you're all for it then, you'd say it's perfectly innocent and good fun for the kids.

[Ronny Shade]

Originally Posted by kainedamo

An opinion of someone who's actually been in child beauty pageants. That's good. So you're all for it then, you'd say it's perfectly innocent and good fun for the kids.

yeah but then those kids turn into internet predators like Daisy *shudder*

[Knives122]

I'm gonna say no.

We all know what happened to Jonbenet Ramsey

[Enzyme]

Personally, I don't like the idea. But if the child thinks it's fun then I have no problem with it. Unfortunately most cases I see of it on TV, the Mother treats it like their lives depend on it.

[Morg]

Originally Posted by Daisy

I was a child beauty queen and model. I won 'beautiful baby' contests when I was only a few months old, and my first pagent at 2. I started doing adverts shortly thereafter. I'm in no way scarred for life... nor am I at all ugly (on the outside or inside) today.

There isn't anything inherently wrong with child beauty pagents. They can be great fun. Lots of little girls (and some little boys) love to play dress-up and parade around. My parents never forced me into it. I LOVED it. I was a total ham and loved to have my picture taken (and there are some really adorable pics of me). When I got bored with it and moved on to other things my parents let me quit. There are a lot of parents who treat it like that.

That doesn't mean there aren't some parents who get carried away and DO push their kids... but that's true of any activity children are involved in... sports, dancing, academics, music... not just beauty pagents.

You ever saw that HBO about child beauty pageants, some of those parents went waaay overboard. I think if the child is too young he or she shouldn't be in it and that HBO special really pissed me off on those parents dressing up their girls too sexy and teaching them sexy moves. They are kids dammit, I would never teach or let my daughter dress up like until she's 13/14. We got too many pervs on this planet

[Daisy]

Originally Posted by Morg

You ever saw that HBO about child beauty pageants, some of those parents went waaay overboard. I think if the child is too young he or she shouldn't be in it and that HBO special really pissed me off on those parents dressing up their girls too sexy and teaching them sexy moves. They are kids dammit, I would never teach or let my daughter dress up like until she's 13/14. We got too many pervs on this planet

Again, there's good and bad in EVERY activity children are involved in.

If your kid plays sports are you going to teach them how to hurt their opponent and do anything to win? There are parents who start doing that when kids are 3-4 years old.

You have to remember that there was likely an 'agenda' for that documentary. I highly doubt it was an 'unbiased' look.

[Wilhelm-Scream]

I'm disturbed most by the dance routines they have little girls do.
They want the choreography to be modern, something the girls can get excited about, but the problem is, most modern popular dancing is hyper-sexualized.
often it looks simply like the dancer is rhythmically humping the invisible man.

I've seen dance troupes performing at malls, and video from little miss pageants and crap that were beyond horrifying, little 6 year old girls doing these extreme pelvic thrusts and shimmying with their shoulders as IF they had tits to shake.

[Carter]

Weird, not wrong

[Daisy]

Originally Posted by Wilhelm-Scream

I'm disturbed most by the dance routines they have little girls do.
They want the choreography to be modern, something the girls can get excited about, but the problem is, most modern popular dancing is hyper-sexualized.
often it looks simply like the dancer is rhythmically humping the invisible man.

I've seen dance troupes performing at malls, and video from little miss pageants and crap that were beyond horrifying, little 6 year old girls doing these extreme pelvic thrusts and shimmying with their shoulders as IF they had tits to shake.

Been there... done that too.

Starting at 3 years old.


One of my favorite costumes was this orange number with a net and multi-color feather bustle thing on it. Part of our routine was to turn around and shake our little booties at the audience.

[Knives122]

When I saw this thread title, I originally thought it said "child pregancy: right or wrong?"

[sinewave]

I prefer the "Pre-natal Pretties" contest myself.

In all seriousness though, child beauty pagents are digusting. Their parents should be drug into the streets and shot and the kids should be given to people who don't want to suck the souls out of the kids by forcing them to compete in such a bulls#!t competition.

[JLBats]

Originally Posted by Daisy

(and some little boys)

Yes... some....

[JLBats]

Originally Posted by Daisy

One of my favorite costumes was this orange number with a net and multi-color feather bustle thing on it. Part of our routine was to turn around and shake our little booties at the audience.

[lars573]

Weird and wrong. Your giving the pedophiles a shopping list and a demo of each. It borders on child abuse.

[Duende Verde]

Child Beauty Pageants are the only legal way for people to get sexy pictures of children.

[kainedamo]

Well, there's fashion catalogues.

[Sensi]

i really dont like it at all .. i think placing value of yourself and worth on looks alone is a bad thing and to teach a child this at such an early age is more of a sign of what the parent missed not what the child wants, needs or should have ..i also agree it definitely gives the bad people out there a good look at the child ..all in all a bad thing to do putting the child at risk mentally and physically ..hmmm what is this usually called under the law?

[JLBats]

Originally Posted by kainedamo

Well, there's fashion catalogues.

Um, okay