Some parents have a concern that replaces the best interests of their child. Sometimes Toddlers & Tiaras could have been renamed Tots and Tears. Refusing their young children`s naps for a busy day often triggered crying and tantrums. Parents try to realize their own aspirations for fame and fortune, despite the risk to their child. In their eyes, they do not exploit their children at all. Samantha Biswas, also via email, said: “It`s not about living vicariously through your child. It`s about getting your child`s childhood and adolescence stolen through makeup, fashion shows, heels, and dresses.â This research included participation in live footage from the reality show and traveling to other children`s competitions where participation usually decreases between the ages of 7 and 9. Tears and tantrums were common, she says, with many parents refusing young children to nap or take breaks during exhausting contests for fear that sleep would spoil the child`s hair or makeup. Many competitions also focus on academic success and volunteer service, so Ashley`s accomplishments in these areas, particularly her work as an anti-bullying advocate, have also been promoted, Berry says. From the perspective of some kids` contestants, contests are fun and a way to make new friends, and they can feel great when their friends win.
[15] If you take these contests too seriously and force your child to practice singing and dancing to improve their talent for the sole purpose of these competitions, then I can`t imagine it being fun for your child. And it won`t do anything for the bond between you if your child feels like you`re not taking their feelings into account in this matter. Children only participate in “children`s beauty contests” because of their age. These children are judged according to the same criteria as an adult competition. [19] Since children are aware that their success should be the representation of adult femininity, this indirectly teaches them that femininity cannot exist without sexuality. [26] Indirect teachings have a long-term impact on girls` mindset as they affect gender performance. [26] Glittering contests create an exaggerated atmosphere. Little girls are designed to imitate women. Lipstick and facial expressions are applied to emphasize full lips. The addition of long eyelashes, coquettish poses and all the other extras encourages little girls to be seductive. It goes without saying that parents are always responsible for putting their children in beauty pageants, not the government.
Currently, the law trusts parents to make decisions that are in the best interests of their child. One of the main reasons why America will not rush to close the contests is that they have become a huge lucrative industry. According to Wiles, the contest industry is worth more than a billion dollars, and since children don`t work technically, they`re not subject to federal child labor laws. Beauty pageants began in 1921 when the owner of an Atlantic City hotel came up with the idea of boosting tourism. [1] However, this idea had already circulated through the “The Most Beautiful Child” contests in the major cities of the country. The Little Miss America pageant began in the 1960s at Palisades amusement park in New Jersey. Originally, it was for teenagers aged 13 to 17, but in 1964 there were more than 35,000 participants, which led to an age classification. [2] The modern children`s beauty pageant was born in Miami, Florida, in the early 1960s.
Since then, the industry has grown to about 250,000 competitions. It`s an increasingly lucrative business that brings in about twenty billion dollars a year to America, with its popularity spreading around the world. [1] Some parents refuse to allow their children to take a well-deserved break. Despite the risk to their children, they will do everything necessary for emotional and economic gain, even if their children are still in childbirth. For those who win many contests, a girl may believe that her contest status makes her superior to other girls. For those who lose a lot of contests, a girl will probably doubt her abilities. A girl may even feel guilty for abandoning her parents. When young women are sexualized, studies show that their development can be influenced emotionally, cognitively and sexually. Wait, so spray your child until it`s as orange as a cheeto is bad? I think that`s the difference between France and America. While one worries about the long-term effects of dressing our kids like strippers during their formative years, another has turned that idea into a $5 billion industry. It turned out that everything about “freedom fries” was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to cultural differences.
What is the appropriate age to participate in competitions? In the contests she observed, where participants ranged in age from 4 months to 15 years, she said tears and tantrums were common, with many parents refusing their children to take naps or take breaks during exhausting contests for fear that sleep would affect the child`s appearance. She also saw several parents giving their children caffeinated beverages and Pixy Stix candy, often referred to as “contest cracks,” to keep their energy levels high, with one mother explaining, “We reviewed two crack bags and two cans of energy drink so she could stand for the coronation.” Children`s beauty pageants are not as popular in France as they are here. But even in America, the land of Honey Boo Boo, the question of whether these contests should be banned has been leaked for years. In 2009, a representative from North Carolina introduced a bill that would regulate competitions for girls under the age of 13. There are several online petitions to keep girls away from contests. (But then again, there are online petitions for almost everything.) The problem is that contests are a competition based on appearance. Participants will be judged on their physical appeal, stage performance and self-confidence shown. In short, participants must be beautiful and function perfectly. Hyperattention and judgment about children`s physical appearance in children`s beauty pageants increases the risk of the child developing various forms of eating disorders. [31] Some of these eating disorders that have long-lasting physiological and psychological effects are anorexia and bulimia.
[31] Last year, an article in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry examined how children`s competitions affect both the children involved and the parents involved. They found that for most contest fans, the whole show is much more about parents than children – that parents play “princess vicariously” through their children, regardless of children. The author of the article, Martina M. Cartwright, observed contests across the United States. Alexis Blue of the University of Arizona News writes: There are several components of sexualization that set them apart from healthy sexuality. Sexualization occurs when a person`s value comes only from their sexual stimulus or behavior, to the exclusion of other characteristics. [5] Specifically, a report by the American Psychological Association cites sexuality imposed on someone rather than being done voluntarily as evidence of sexualization. [6] In the United States, legal adulthood and the ability to give consent vary between the ages of 16 and 18,[7] However, in children`s beauty pageants, children`s consenting parents allow them to participate, pay their entrance fees, dress them, and train them to perform on stage in front of judges and spectators.
Most participants do not embark on a career in pump. Most don`t even become role models or actors. Ultimately, family resources are depleted with the likelihood that there will be no return. Putting the focus back on education seems like the smart option. Instead of spending thousands of dollars on beauty pageants, families can invest that money in college funds. Giving your children caffeinated beverages to keep them informed puts their health at risk. Too much caffeine in your system can give you nighttime tutes, cause insomnia, remove calcium from your bones, and make you irritable. It`s not something you want to do to your child on purpose, I`m sure, but these caffeine blends will hurt your child and won`t help them win a contest. Children who participate in beauty pageants can learn that they gain attention and status when they are sexualized. The child perceives that sexuality is not only promoted, but can be a means to an end. [18] This behavior can eventually lead to premature sexual activity and teach an unfortunate lesson that a woman`s worth is determined by her status as a sexual object. If the permanent psychological damage, the problem of child abuse and the sexualization of children are not enough to convince you that it should be regulated, perhaps Sasha Baron Cohen can.
Watch these parents` abysmal answers to false questions during a staged casting. Their answers show the deeply troubling efforts that some parents are willing to make to achieve money and fame in the contest industry. Stage mother Linda Jackson dressed her four-year-old daughter with padded breasts and padded buttocks to mimic Dolly Parton in a hip-shaking dance routine. Jackson and his daughter were banned from participating in other contests. When Vernon R. Wiehe, a professor at the University of Kentucky`s College of Social Work, explains: “Sexualization occurs through little girls wearing clothing for small adult women, the use of makeup often applied by makeup counselors, body spray tanning, hair dyeing, and the use of hair extensions, and the adoption of provocative postures more appropriate for adult models. [8] Many consider the child`s appearance to be obscene or inappropriate. [8] In addition, some parents hire competition trainers to teach their child professionally choreographed routines and/or work with them on interview questions and answers.
Regardless of contest style, glamour, or nature, it can be beneficial to have an unbiased opinion about interviews and clothing choices.