Child Beauty Pageants
By: Olivia, Maddie and Lindsay
There are many issues in Virginia, however, we believe that one main topic that needs to be addressed is how child beauty pageants affect the future of many young adolescents.
Why are there beauty pageants?
Pageants used to offer scholarships and help children get accepted into beneficial programs. However, nowadays, the contestants no longer receive benefits of any sort for the future other than the prizes that the winners receive.
What does the winner recieve?
Most pageants offer the grand supreme winner one thousand dollars in cash, ten-inch crystal crown, six-foot trophy, supreme entry paid in full to nationals, tote bag, satin rhinestone banner, teddy bear, bouquet of long stem red roses, gifts, video of the pageant, and photo on advertisement of beauty pageant.
What do you have to do to win?
Most child beauty pageants have themes such as:
* modeling for talent
* dance
* night-time wear
* bathing suit wear
* glitz
* natural makeup
* sports
The children are often judged based off of their:
* individuality
* perfection
* confidence
Why are pageants an issue?
The idea that children need to change themselves to become a winner is negative and shows that it is okay to be someone you are not. This shows the other kids that are competing, that they don’t have enough to win. There are not themes relating to morals or good manners. These children strut around in skimpy outfits and do not earn beneficial information about how to behave.
Achievement by Proxy Distortion
The photo above shows a mother injecting her 8 year old daughter with botox!
Why else are pageants harmful?
Because of overbearing parents, young girls are being forced into underage sexual content. The children’s minds are not fully developed and these premature images and beliefs being enforced by their parents begin to give these “pageant queens” the wrong set of ideas.