Beauty Pageants

I agree with you, you make an amazing point. Half the time, the daughters who are running in the beauty pageant don't WANT to be, it's their mothers forcing it onto their daughters - as a way to live out their dreams through their children. That, in my opinion, is the sickest and a very WRONG thing to do to your children - to not allow them any freedom as to what they want to do with their lives. I think even young children should be able to have the chance to explore their OWN interests and dreams and skills and develop their OWN plan for what they want to do with their lives, not just obey their parents who have a specific goal in mind for them. I also think beauty pageants themselves are horrendous - as an idea, VERY superficial. It's a competition based upon looks. As you grow older, you learn how to handle this type of thing (although I still think that beauty pageants, even for adults, is wrong) - but as a kid - a detrimental time when we start to develop self esteem - losing to someone else because the judges think SHE is prettier - is reason enough to develop an eating disorder if you ask me. And besides? What makes a good person is certainly not their looks, and I think kids should definitely learn that. Looks are not everything. Hard work, determination, virtues, kindness, and so on - are what make us truly successful people, NOT appearance. And it's sad that some parents don't teach them this.

I think that it's strange that they are called beauty pageants and not one of them highlight the little girls' inner or natural beauty without makeup and the expensive outfits. They should rename them Little Girls Looking Grown Pageants because they judge the children on how adult-like they look and act. Sad!

I support you 100% on this…no way would I encourage or even introduce my child to modeling or catwalk. When my son was a baby, he modeled for a lot of baby products but the moment he enrolled at school, we stopped all that. First of all, modeling and catwalks inculcate a false sense of pride, power and achievement which is extremely harmful to a young impressionable mind. Kids grow up thinking that they are the best just coz they are exposed to the flashbulbs, get to wear lovely clothes and accessories and strut before so many people, and are recognized by quite a few others (something which most of their friends are not doing) , and the make-up and people hovering around …all these goes to the head and is harmful for future growth, not to say that many kids miss out on a normal life having to run around on so many assignments and studies take a backseat for many. Parents are of course to be blamed completely for this mess …in the same tone, let me add that I condemn kids participating in glitzy reality shows for the same reasons.

I don't really like pagents. I think it is a form of expoitation and would not encourage my daughter to take part in any. Beauty will not get you everything but if you have brains, you can achieve much.

I totally agree. My ex's niece is a pageant girl. She is only 6 but looks in her teens when her mom is done "making her up". That little girl has to take 4 hours out of her day for hair and make up. My daughter is 6 and I would rather she run around, play, get dirty, and enjoy her childhood. The girl's mother was in a few pageants when she was younger, but never did well. She entered her daughter in the first one when she was 6 weeks old. One of her dresses even cost almost 1200.00! For one time use! I couldn't believe it. Do you know how many months of rent I could pay with that amount of money? HA! I think it is too much and kids should be allowed to be kids. If they ask to get in them when they are older...at least it is their own decision.