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“Beauty Pageant participation has skyrocketed since the late 1990’s, and today more than 16,000 [natural] and glitz child pageants are held annually in the United States, with an estimated 290,000 contestants” (Cartwright 1105). Contestants, from one month old to 12 years old, are entering serious competitions with high risk factors. These young participants are striving to meet the high expectations of judges and mentors, are subject to harsh criticism about their bodies and abilities, and are under immense pressure to perform well.
They are vulnerable to abusive manipulation as well. The absence of pageant regulations raise concerns about whether or not these risks are being addressed and whether or not contestants are well protected. Because of the long-term developmental risks, including body dissatisfaction and interpersonal distrust, associated with childhood beauty pageants and the vulnerability of young contestants to be abusively manipulated, stricter pageant regulations should be created and enforced to protect them.
Children entering childhood beauty pageants are still undergoing major developmental periods that can be negatively impacted by early experiences in the pageant environment.
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In a study conducted by psychologist Anna Wonderlich, eleven women who had and had not participated in childhood beauty pageants filled out a questionnaire containing a series of tests. Results “indicate[d] that women who participated in childhood beauty pageants scored significantly higher on measures of body dissatisfaction, interpersonal distrust…” (Wonderlich 297). Body dissatisfaction and interpersonal distrust developed in childhood continued into adolescence. Ideal Western beauty promotes thinness and childlike qualities, as Mernissi highlights in Size 6: The Western Women’s Harem (Mernissi 285).
Although gaining weight is natural when transitioning from childhood into adolescence, previous contestants continue to compare their adult bodies with their child bodies, and in a failed attempt to maintain their childlike bodies, they become dissatisfied with their body. This may develop into unhealthy eating habits or eating disorders. Contests have also been taught to compare themselves to the people around them, and in addition to being dissatisfied with their bodies, they no longer trust others (Wonderlich 297). They assume that because they are judging other people’s appearance, others are also judging theirs. Body discontentment and interpersonal distrust cause previous contestanats to view themselves and others negatively and can make it difficult to form and maintain strong relationships.
There are eight major skills mentioned by moms (in decreasing order of frequency): learning confidence, learning to be comfortable on stage and in front of strangers, learning poise, learning how to present the self and dress appropriately, learning to practice, learning good sportsmanship, learning how to be more outgoing and learning to listen. Of course, these are lessons and skills the moms want their children to learn and the children may not actually be learning them. (Levey 207)
Contestants just a few years of age are already winking at judges or pulling up their skirt on their suggestive costume for added attention, displaying sexual behaviors and influencing how they will view sexuality in the future. The valuable lessons that were intended to be learned can be overridden by lessons parents wish could be unlearned.
Pageant parents also point out that childhood beauty pageants can be financially beneficial through earning cash prizes, but a thin line exists between an added bonus and greed as a motivating factor. Pageant’s entry fees and preparing for pageants are very costly, and some families depend on winning the cash prize to stay out of debt they accumulated entering the pageant. Some families depend on the cash prize as a means of income. Under either circumstance, a huge financial dependence is placed on the child and what was once a fun contest essentially becomes child labor (Levey 204). Beauty pageants are not recognized as child labor by the government, and there are no current regulations on pageant practicing or the pageants themselves. This leaves children unprotected and subject to potential abuse and manipulation.
Like any other parent, pageant parents claim that they take pride in their children’s achievements. They are thrilled to see their children succeed when they themselves did not have opportunities to excel or did not excel in any given area, and they are equally thrilled to see their children following in their footsteps. “Critics of child glitz pageants claim that parents are living vicariously through their children, seeking fame and financial rewards from their children’s pageant achievements” (Cartwright 1105). Some parents fail to distinguish their own desires and emotions from their children and force their children, who may not be old enough to understand what is happening or make their own decisions, to participate. Contestants who are aware and able to make their own decisions may not enjoy pageants but do not know how to voice their opinions or say no to their parents, and they are forced to participate against their own wishes.
Although childhood beauty pageants may be enjoyable for contestants and others involved, children who participate in these pageants at a young age are at high risk for negative development, physically and cognitively, and abuse or manipulation. Childhood beauty pageants will probably never be banned completely, but creating and enforcing stricter regulations would allow young contestants to continue participating and ensure their safety is a top priority.
Beauty Contests in Childhood And The Risk Of Bad Physical And Cognitive Development in Children. (2024, Feb 22). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/beauty-contests-in-childhood-and-the-risk-of-bad-physical-and-cognitive-development-in-children-essay
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