Child Beauty Pageants

Lauren Schlabach, Paige Puckett & Brian Overwein

Introduction

• Child pageants are not as harmful as media makes them out to be.

• Pageants have become increasingly more popular as time goes on.

• There are many parts that play in to why people have misconceptions of child beauty pageants. Our hope is to clear those up by

providing a solution to a few of these problems.

• TLC Show Toddlers and Tiaras• Emphasizes negative aspects

• What can be gained from these pageants?• Rebecca Drobis TLC writers view on the show

Honey Boo Boo

• Real name Alana Thompson• Show participant

• Went on to have own TLC show• Entertainment purposes• 2.5/10 stars on IMBd

• Pageants are becoming more culturally popular

• Represented poorly• Media is distorting our images of pageants

• Pageants are for fun and competition• Martina M. Cartwright, psychologist discusses

the balance between pageantry and real life

• Show is not accurate of those that actually participate in pageants

• Exaggerates for entertainment purposes

Solution

• Get rid of the show completely or make a more realistic version of the show

• Eliminate majority of the negative aspects of the television show creating less of a chance

of people thinking badly about pageants• Contact TLC

Crazy Pageant Moms

• It is clear that there are no limits set in for the lengths one is able to go for these pageants

• ABC News discusses mother giving her daughter Botox.

One could really ask…

Do some of these parents enter their children for

selfish reasons?

Princess by Proxy is becoming an issue with pageant mothers (Martina Wright).

The pursuit of perfection can lead parents to put their child through many hardships

Children aren’t aware of the safety risks they are taking and aren’t able to speak up for

themselves

Sexualization

• Children participating in pageants are sexualized by the clothes they are forced to wear and the way they have to

look• Children are too young to understand what is going on• ABC News states that 3 million kids participate in

pageants

Sexualization of Girls in Pageants

• The focus comes from the emphasis on looks• Media pressure to look good

JonBenet Ramsey

• Participated in pageants in the 1990s• Was killed at age 6

• In a report on ABC news JonBenet’s father regrets putting her in pageants

Toddler’s and Tiaras Paisley

• Paisley dressed as Julia Roberts from Pretty Woman• Fox News says that,“I love Julia Roberts and I thought,

‘this will be the funniest thing ever.’ Then all of a sudden, BAM! I got a lot of backlash,” she continued. “People were saying that I was sexualizing her, but I made the

outfit myself. The outfit was very non-revealing and she would not be as well-known if it was not for that

costume.”

What Can be Done?

• More natural pageants• No money prizes

• Offer prizes that are appropriate for the kids

Conclusion• What if your daughter wanted to compete in

pageants? Would you let her?

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