For many years child beauty pageants have been part of the American community, likely why so many parents think these pageants are appropriate for children. Today, approximately 5,000 beauty contests are being held annually across the nation, with about 250,000 participants (Casstevens). However, as the popularity of the pageant industry increases, fewer parents are questioning the safety of their children. Child beauty contests try to show the public that the girls are having fun dressing up as princesses and putting on tiaras, but disregards the fact that some of the participants are younger than fiver years-old, and are being dressed and treated inappropriately. They are stripped from their nature, and forced to wear costumes that sexualize
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When little girls are introduced to pageants at an early age, they lose their innocence as they are expected to behave like adults. They have to wear costumes that expose their bodies, learn dance routines that sexualize their image, and put on make-up and hairspray in order to look pretty, which could all eventually compromise their mental health. As they grow older, their concerns with physical appearances lower their self-esteem, making them think that they cannot be sufficiently pretty without any accessories. In general, young girls should not be allowed to participate in beauty pageants that take away their innocence, because they lose the characteristics of a regular child. The media emphasizes how women and girls should look like: magazines, television shows, and advertisements constantly tell females what is considered pretty, what body figures they should have, and how they should act. And it is exactly what beauty pageants are doing to young children, who have merely developed physically or psychologically. Young girls and boys should be protected from influences created by the media, which soon will be telling, if not already, that they should weigh an “X” amount, and intake only an “X” amount of calories per day. It is crucial that young children use their childhood to develop confidence in themselves and a sense of self-worthiness before they are bombarded by the media’s
When little girls are introduced to pageants at an early age, they lose their innocence as they are expected to behave like adults. They have to wear costumes that expose their bodies, learn dance routines that sexualize their image, and put on make-up and hairspray in order to look pretty, which could all eventually compromise their mental health. As they grow older, their concerns with physical appearances lower their self-esteem, making them think that they cannot be sufficiently pretty without any accessories. In general, young girls should not be allowed to participate in beauty pageants that take away their innocence, because they lose the characteristics of a regular child. The media emphasizes how women and girls should look like: magazines, television shows, and advertisements constantly tell females what is considered pretty, what body figures they should have, and how they should act. And it is exactly what beauty pageants are doing to young children, who have merely developed physically or psychologically. Young girls and boys should be protected from influences created by the media, which soon will be telling, if not already, that they should weigh an “X” amount, and intake only an “X” amount of calories per day. It is crucial that young children use their childhood to develop confidence in themselves and a sense of self-worthiness before they are bombarded by the media’s