Download - Child Beauty Pageants Are Not Beautiful
Child
Beauty
Pageants A
re N
ot B
eautiful
By
Tessa R
ife
Imagine that in the future, each of you have a daughter. Would you want her to look like this?
Video clip #1 Introduction to the “pageant world”
History of Pageants
Adult beauty pageants began during the 1920s in order to give hotels more business.
Later, in the 1960s, child beauty pageants came about.
About forty years Participants compete in modeling
sports wear and evening wear, performing a talent, and speaking publically.
How are the Girls Judged?
Judged based on appearance, poise, perfection, and confidence.
“An ugly American subculture has been formed as a result of this emphasis on perfection” (Giroux).
Example of this subculture
Video clip #2 Notice the satirical nature of this clip
Child beauty pageants negatively
effect the lives of
young girls involved.
1. ) Loss of self esteem
2.) Waste of m
oney3.) Teaches skewed
values4.) Creates unrealistic ideas for their futures
Fake nails!!
1.) Loss of Self Esteem
Pageant industry abolishes respect for natural beauty, and replaces it with fake
tans and false lashes. Being surrounded by a culture obsessed
with perfection makes girls insecure.
Not taking home a tiara m
akes the girls feel that they are not pretty enough,
talented enough to satisfy the society that “bred” them
.
2.) W
aste of M
oney
Pageants are extremely expensive
Entry fees at least $500
Travel costs upwards of $200
Outfits $700
Total = $1,400
Money that could be spent to “establish a
[savings plan] to help…alleviate the cost of a
college education” (Giroux).
3.) Pageants Teach Skewed
Values
Com
petitiveness / Cattiness
Teaches the belief that beating every other person = success
Greed
Strive to attain the large amount
of prize money
Sexuality
The industry sexualizes young girls at m
uch too early an age Em
phasizes sexuality while
onstage to impress the
judges
4.) Pageants Create False
Hopes for G
irls’ Futures
Within the w
orld of pageantry girls can be successful due to
their appearanceG
irls believe that this is transferrable later in life
Some aspire to be
models or
actresses G
et by on looks M
ore often than not, this does not happen.
Less than 1% of
Am
ericans are runw
ay models
Chances are slim
If Abby did child pageants…
…she would grow to be insecure.
If Maggie did child pageants…
…she would have less money later in life.
If Alexx did child pageants……she would become overly competitive in the future.
If Rachel did child pageants…
…she may end up jobless.
Therefore, participation in child beauty pageants truly
does corrupt the lives of young girls by low
ering their self confidence, w
asting their money,
teaching them skew
ed values, and creating
unrealistic goals for their futures.