Child Beauty Pageants Are Unhealthy

Glitz Beauty Pageants is no place for a small child to compete. Especially when it sends messages that glorifies false beauty. Yet millions of children all over the world are being judged on the superficial appearances that society calls beautiful. Children are made up and taught to look and act like adults. This behavior deprives them of their childhood and can have an adverse effect on their development. Society wonders why body image is the number one problem in young girls. It is partly because beauty pageants, media and most importantly parents are allowing physical appearance and unrealistic expectations of beauty to be highly valued. By wearing large amounts of make-up and revealing clothing that is not age appropriate or needed in the judging of small children. These children range from 0-16 of age are being objectified and judged against sexualized ideals. This can create a high risk for mental issues regarding identity, self-esteem and body perception. While it is perfectly normal for us to want to showcase our children's beauty, the extent to which these pageants allow parents to do so is horrifying. Children's minds are highly impressionable and should be filled with positive ideas and be surrounded by a positive environment. Life lessons are already hard enough why subject children and let them play a part in a world that tells them that being beautiful automatically means success. These types of pageants need rules regulating better protection for these children emotionally, mentally and physically and how they are overall judged. If this cannot be done they should be banned altogether, the risk of harm is too high to let this continue.

The media plays apart in glorifying these events, with shows like "Toddler's and Tiara's" a documentary reality show broadcasting the life of children competing in pageants. One of the worst things is the parents have no shame in how they prepare their children for these pageants. Preparation can include eyebrow waxing, spray on tanning, hair extension, false lashes and even having to wear false teeth! No child should have to go through that to win a beauty contest. That is only to name a few of the terrible things these small children endure. Parents feed their kids excessive amounts of sugar just to keep their personalities bubbly with candy, sodas and even energy drinks. Pageants can become quite costly and parents will put their families in a financial bind just to have their children compete. Some families who have multiple children who do not all compete suffer neglect. The ones that do compete in the pageants risk growing up with an inferior complex. Pageants can get way too serious and complicated and the amount of stress that children are subjected to is just not right!

The sources that I have researched have been quite useful in pinpointing actual facts needed to drive my opinion forward. I have located and read several documents some written by mental health professionals and/or quoted information from mental health professionals. I have also located information that shows the falsehood in these pageants. I would like to research the Jonbene`t Ramsey case, the little girl who was famous for her performance in pageants and meant in unfortunate end. I would like to see if there was any correlation between her untimely death and her involvement in the pageant world. I plan to research more in detail to see if any other known children have been impacted negatively by pageant life. As well as locate any statistics surrounding these beauty pageants.

Some may argue that children beauty pageants bring about confidence and establish tools they can use in