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Adria Barich
Ms. Gardener
English 2
4 May 2014
Youth Beauty Pageants: A Lost Childhood
Today, there are many extracurricular activities available for children, but very rarely do
we think about how they could potentially affect their development. For example, from the
surface, child sport leagues and beauty pageants can seem like two very similar activities. Each
is a fight for a titlewhether that be state champion or beauty queenyet differences become
obvious when morality and ethics are considered. All sports, no matter how individualized they
may seem, demonstrate team building exercises in which participants learn how to work together
towards a common goal. Beauty pageants, on the other hand, pin the contestants against each
other in a battle of dirty looks and catty behavior for the coveted prize: a plastic crown. These
pageants are a competition in which the entrants, usually women, are judged by their physical
beauty with the winners awarded prizes or titles. These events display women as nothing more
than items of beauty, and when children are entered into this environment at such a young age,
they begin to believe the same about themselves. In addition, beauty pageants greatly stunt the
development of children by rapidly speeding up the pace at which they develop. Today, France is
the only country that has imposed a ban on youth beauty pageants. The law bans pageants for
anyone under the age of 16 due to the fact that they objectify minors; violatorsboth parents and
organizers alikeare presented with two years in prison and $40,000 in fines (Could Child
Beauty Pageants Be Banned). Youth beauty pageants stunt the mental development of children
and teens by exposing them to an unforgiving and judgmental environment at such a young age;
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from these pageants, children walk away with a conditional form of self-esteem, a warped idea
of beauty, and a fear to stand up for their beliefs.
Some people, mainly the parents these pageant children, argue that these competitions are
beneficial due to the fact that they give their child a noticeable boost of self-confidence. Anna
Berry, a former beauty pageant contestant, states that her daughter Ashley was so shy she
couldnt even order for herself at a restaurant. After she started appearing in pageants, she
blossomed (qtd in Could Child Beauty Pageants Be Banned). Undoubtedly, being able to even
stand in front of about one hundred people can make something as simple as ordering for [ones
self] at a restaurant seem particularity easy in comparison. In this sense, the child is gaining
greater confidence by becoming more comfortable in front of large numbers of people. Similarly,
Eve Yap, Correspondent of Singapores Straits Times, states that a child can bloom in the talent
segments of these pageants. Being able to catwalk and do a song and dance in front of hundreds
of people could boost her confidence (qtd in Dare to Strut). Having myself been a painfully shy
child who participated in talent shows, I know firsthand that being able to sing on stage and be
acknowledged for it makes a world of differences in social situations. In a general sense, these
competitions do give the participants confidence, but it is the unnatural emphasis on beauty
which brings it back down again. "studies have shown while many pageant parents attributed
their daughters' higher confidence to pageantry, the confidence was mostly true for girls who
won the pageants (Could Child Beauty Pageants Be Banned). These girls, as would anyone,
lose confidence when they are told they are not good enough, pretty enough, or smart enough to
win. When a child is told that they are not worthy of something, long lasting mental scarring can
stick with them and haunt them as they mature. In the end, the children are taught that
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confidence can only be achieved through artificial beauty; they believe that good looks are the
only thing that can lead them to a crown, and ultimately happiness.
While these competitions do give some children confidence, at the same time their self-
esteem is being lowered by the pressure to look and act perfect at all times. Unlike confidence,
self-esteem cannot be faked. One must to feel okay about themselves to have self-esteem, so
when they are only satisfied with their face caked in makeup, they arent truly feeling happy
about their natural self. Under this faade, a persons personality may become suppressed or
extremely faked. Today, Body image is the number 1 problem of young girls (Overington).
Self-esteem is a big enough problem as it is in adolescents, but when a large amount of girls
come together and compete for the best body, the problem is heightened. Unfortunately, in this
competition there will always be a loser who is left feeling self-conscious and embarrassed about
themselves. Martina M. Cartwright, a registered dietician and adjunct professor in the University
of Arizona's department of nutritional sciences, says the emphasis on physical perfection may
put young girls at risk for adult body dissatisfaction, and potentially eating disorders (qtd in
Child Beauty Pageants About Parents). Continuous dissatisfaction with ones body can only
lead the person to want to change themselves, no matter what the cost. When the dissatisfaction
starts early, as it does in child beauty pageants, the consequences become even greater and
prolonged. In a 2005 study, it was reported that "a significant association between
childhood beauty-pageant participation and increased body dissatisfaction, difficulty trusting
interpersonal relationships, and greater impulsive behaviors, and indicates a trend towards
increased feelings of ineffectiveness" (Pageants Reeking of Blatant Exploitation). It is hard for
anyone, not just beauty pageant contestants, to stand in a room full of people and not compare
themselves to everyone else. There will always be someone who makes someone else feel
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irrelevant. By being exposed to such self-consciousness this young age, the child will grow up to
always be reaching for a higher form of beauty that makes them feel content, only to have the bar
raised again once they finally reach it.
Similarly, being surrounded constantly by peers who are sporting heavily made up faces,
and sometimes even fake body parts can give children and teens a warped idea of beauty. Rita
Panahi, an author focusing on social commentary, states that Celebrating beauty is not in itself
offensive; in fact, it's natural and inherently human (...) But there is little that is natural about
Miss World, Miss Universe and other lesser competitions. Putting aside the rampant plastic
surgery, contestants go to extraordinary lengths to beautify themselves for competition
(Pageants Reeking). When they are young, children need to be taught that beauty should be
celebrated, but that it also has a broad definition. Anything from a rock to a sunset to a person
can be beautiful; the thing that makes it beautiful is its uniqueness. Very rarely do we see
kindergarten classes of kids wearing makeup; the children feel happy with themselves in their
natural state, so there is no reason to introduce them any other reasoning. In pageants, young
girls are introduced to seemingly absurd methods of beautification:
Haemorrhoid cream is applied to the thighs to temporarily tighten skin and reduce the
appearance of cellulite, dark foundation is used to add definition to stomach and legs
giving the allusion of toned muscles, Vaseline is rubbed into teeth to give that cheesy
smile extra shine, duct tape is used liberally to create cleavage and wrapped tightly
around the abdomen for the evening gown section. (Pageants Reeking)
With these new beauty techniques introduced, the girls begin altering their appearances to fit
what they think they want. Body image dont typically become an issue in girls until they have
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reached their early teens, because it is at this age that her peers begin wearing makeup. When a
child is exposed to this environment at a much earlier age, this process speeds up, which could
lead to much harsher consequencessuch as bulimia or anorexiathe longer the problem
persists. By gaining this an unrealistic idea of beauty at such an early age, the child will continue
to reach for this ever-changing image that will ultimately result in severe harm to the child both
mentally and physically if they cannot be satisfied with their appearance.
Similarly, pageants allow little room for risks and differences, resulting in children and
teens becoming afraid to stand up for their beliefs and to speak up for what they believe is right.
In a 2009 Miss USA competition, Miss California, Carrie Prejean, learned firsthand how an
honest opinion could cost her the crown. When asked about her thoughts on gay marriage,
Prejean said that although it was great that Americans were free to choose, in her family
marriage was between a man and a woman. from the amount of backlash she received both in
person and on social media sites, you would have you believe she slaughtered a puppy on
stage. Up until this point, she had been in a good position to win, yet this simple opinion cost
her the coveted title of Miss USA. (Wise Up, Girls). By seeing the people they aspire to be lose a
pageant due to a bold opinion, they will assume that they must learn from her mistake in order to
reach their goal. By being taught at a young age that personal opinions can cause a great amount
of backlash, these children will grow up to merely blend into society, without any desire to share
their opinions that could make a difference. Four years later in the 2013 Miss USA pageant,
Marissa Powell, Miss Utah, was in the same position as Carrie Prejean: expected to win. When
the question-and-answer section of the competition came around, she lost any progress she had
made. When asked about gender-based pay disparity, Miss Utah floundered and stuttered as she
tried think of a non-controversial answer. Instead of being bold and answering the question
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meaningfully, Powell's meandering answer concluded with her expressing a desire for America,
particularly "the men", to "try to figure out how to create education better. Her answer cam
nowhere near answering the question, and the feedback she received was undoubtedly not
positive. Those taking part [In pageants] are not required to be intelligent and they're certainly
not expected to have opinions (Wise Up, Girls). These competitions are not fooling anyone with
their segments dedicated to personality and worldly issues. In most cases, the participants are
given a score from 1 to 10 based on personality without even saying more than two sentences.
Pageants like these make girls parade on stage like dolls who are expected to have no input or
intelligence. Their individuality is replaced by nothing more than plastic crown.
In conclusion, the development of children and teens quickly deteriorates in the harsh
environments of beauty pageants; the youth grow up with conditional form of self-esteem, a
warped idea of beauty, and a fear to stand up for their beliefs which hinders the them from
achieving any title higher than Miss Universe. Beauty pageants belittle girls, and portray women
as nothing more than a fake, plastic dolls on pedestals; this objectifying of women sets back
every attempt at gender equality. While it is a much greater task to obliterate beauty pageants all
together, we can help young girls achieve goals that make them proud of their talents and
dreams. Helping children achieve academic, athletic, and artistic goals can show them that their
place in this world can be impacted more by actions rather than beauty.





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Works Cited
"Child Beauty Pageants 'About Parents Feeling Good, Not Kids'." Asian News International. 27
Oct. 2012: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Could Child Beauty Pageants Be Banned in the USA?." Asbury Park Press. 22 Sep. 2013: n.p.
SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Apr. 2014
Overington, Caroline. "Ugly Truth about Beauty Pageants." Australian (Canberra). 02 Aug.
2011: 13. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
Panahi, Rita. "Wise Up, Girls, Stupidity Is Never a Good Look." Herald Sun (Melbourne). 24
Jun. 2013: 28. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 17 Apr. 2014.
Tankard Reist, Melinda. "Pageants Reeking of Blatant Exploitation." Sunday Herald-Sun
(Melbourne). 15 Jul. 2012: 79. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 28 Apr. 2014.
Yap, Eve. "Dare to Strut." Straits Times (Singapore). 21 Apr. 2013: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher.
Web. 17 Apr. 2014.