Beauty Child Pageants: Should it be banned?

My daughter was in one pageant because she loves dressing up and being a "princess". That was the only one she was in and it was an all natural one. I don't really think this is the type of one your talking about. But this one was great! If they were wearing make up they were disqualified, which I liked. And, every single girl got a prize! Absolutely no one was left out...And they were wearing pretty dresses, no bathing suits or anything crazy like that! So this kind I don't see an issue with at all. However, as they get older these get bad. Then there is the issue of parents putting them in just to show off their beauty and girls start thinking thats all that matters is what they look like. That is not good. My daughter did it for fun. She is beautiful but she knows that is not whats important, its what is on the inside that is important! =)

Well, I have 4 very beautiful daughters and I would never ever have put any of them in a beauty pageant when they were really young. There are enough people in the world that judge by looks and I wanted my girls to realize their inner beauty.I think that putting them in contests at such a young age sends a message to them that their self worth is based on looks. Looks can change as they grow and they go through awkward stages, get zits, may put on weight...I wanted them to feel confident that they were worthy and beautiful people regardless of those things. With all the emphasis that the media and people put on looks, that was a hard enough job. I can't imagine making things worse by putting them in beauty contests and can you imagine how much worse the sibling rivalry would have been?

Well, I used to think as many do, that it's not good. I teach dance, to kids, teens and adults. They all do performances. The kids need to put on pretty costumes, and some make up, for the stage. When a friend of mine put her 3 year old daughter into them, I thought that she was crazy, but it's just another way of performing. They practice and they are NOT judged on beauty, but how well they perform on stage. We tried my granddaughter in a small one, in a mall. She was almost three. She LOVED it and wanted to do it again. So, a few months later, we did another. She loved the clothes, loved the kids she met, loved being on stage and wanted more. Now, we only do 2, or 3, at most and do not do the glitz pageants with make up and fancy dress. We do not pay for extensive coaching. She has won prizes and money and I work with her practice, but never push her if she is cranky. She likes doing it and the people we have met are nothing like the crazy parents that they show on tv shows. The organizers make it fun and make sure that all of the kids go home with some sort of prizes. I have met some wonderful parents and kids, who are now our friends. If it is handled with the FUN factor and not about winning at all costs, or using it to try and make the kid a star or the parent living through the child, then it's okay. Essentially, if the kid loves it, why not? If not, then pushing them into it is just plain wrong, just like pushing them into any other activity that they do not need to do. I attached a photo of my granddaughter with her crown and sash. She won toys, too. She had so much fun that day, and so did we.

Hi, yup I feel that it should be banned as I see very young kids of about 5 years and above all dolled up and "competing" in these pageants. They also try to act adult!! There should be an age limit or guideline as to these pageants as some parents may see this as an opportunity to churning a side income for the family. Children should just be children and enjoy their childhood. They may not in any way enjoy these pageants actually.

I think there's a difference between a pageant to boost their confidence and self esteem and a pageant to pressure them into winning. I got sucked into watching that show toddlers and tiaras the other night and I wasn't very happy at what I saw. For a 3 year old to have to wear fake eyelashes is crazy in my opinion. One mother threatened to pull her daughter out of the pageant because she was crying that her hair piece was hurting her and was telling her child that she was ruining her make up. Well when the mother finally listened to what her child was saying she checked her hair piece and saw that one of the bobby pins was stabbing her child's head. It just amazes me how psychotic the mother's get on that show and how crazy it makes the child. I don't see how wearing make up, fake teeth, fake eye lashes, hair pieces, heels, and whatever else they do or wear boosts a child's confidence. In my opinion it's telling the child that they're not pretty unless they do all these things. I hope I didn't offend anyone, I am just stating my opinion.

I think it is disgusting what our society is turning into. Why would you ever want to see a little look like that? It is unnatural and weird to see. It is upsetting to see that humanity has put so much into winning. We need to be the best at everything and that competitiveness is destroying us. Soon there will be wars within our country and we will plummet. Well that may be taking it too far, but really why do we need these pageants for girls who don't even know how to be little girls? It does not make sense.

I know a lot of people think pageants are great, but I'm one of the few that don't. I think it teaches little girls the wrong things to focus on by placing beauty ahead of other qualities. It also teaches them to be competitive at an age where they should just be enjoying childhood. In every pageant there is a 'winner', which means that even if you're a 'runner up', you are still a 'loser.' While they don't actually call them 'losers', children seem to think that if you're not a winner, then the logical conclusion is that you're a loser. I think it sets them up for poor self-esteem at an age where they should be developing a good sense of self-esteem. I don't know if it would be legal to ban them, it probably would violate some kind of civil liberties law, or 'the pursuit of happiness.' I've got to agree with flagaz post: All children are beautiful!

Forcing any child to be in a beauty pageant I feel is not a good idea. My preference was not to put our kids in any pageant. We have three daughters, who are now grown, but thought it wasn't a good decision to allow them to be involved with any beauty pageant. Our girls were athletes and quite frankly, I was much happier watching them participate in sports, learning how to share a win or loss and making new friends. I enjoyed meeting new parents also and we are still friends with several of the parents we met years ago while our kids were participating in sports.

Honestly, I don't think that pageants are a good idea. I find that there's too much emphasis on boosting confidence because of your looks and such. There's more to each individual and child than their looks. I am pregnant with my first child, which happens to be a little girl, and there's no way that I would put her in a beauty pageant. If she wants to dress up and play princess, I am absolutely fine with that, but she doesn't need to be in a pageant for that. She doesn't need that type of pressure. I just want her to be a kid, and to just be herself, whether it's playing dress up or not. I don't think that it's good for kids to be in pageants like that. But that's just me.

Children are beautiful no matter what. They are young and so tender and they can be really delightful. Nevertheless I don't want to see them in beauty pageants wearing two piece bikini and being forced to do things not becoming of a child and also undergoing difficult rehearsals which deprive them to play and enjoy their lives. I find it really distasteful. It is okay to see them showcasing their talent like singing and dancing but for them to be subjected to the torture of winning a contest by doing all sorts of things is not at all good.

Hi! For me, there's nothing wrong with kids who want to join beauty pageants as long as they also want it to and not being forced by their parents. This can also boost their confidence and show their talents which we can support if they'll still want to push it through later in life.

I agree with the concept of banning child pageants - personally I think that its terrible of parents to exploit their children in this way. I have seen documentaries showing kids of 3 and 4 years old wearing hairspray and make up and fake tan! What kind of a childhood is that? Its ridiculous, and it certainly teaches kids to value the wrong things - what kind of damage are you doing to a vulnerable child's self esteem when she is that young and being told constantly that she is not good enough just the way she is. And how is this same kid supposed to feel about being dragged all over the country to compete in these pageants, especially if she doesn't win - there is a huge amount of rejection and disappointment there that can only damage the child even further. So in my opinion, these pageants should certainly be banned!

I had been joining beauty pageants when I was a teen-ager. At those moments I always thought it was nice and help boost my confidence. Till it was my time to judge some. And when I look at the contestants, I tell myself (although I can't exactly figure what is wrong with it), "why did I ever join things like these before?" And that gives me the feeling of awkwardness. Now a have a four-year-old, and even if I still can't figure out what's wrong with it, I knew now in my heart that I wouldn't get her into pageants. Perhaps what you are talking about are the reasons which I never exactly figured why it isn't a good thing. Maybe it is okay for grown-ups but I never thought of getting my child into pageants even if I seemed to enjoy it a long time ago. I am glad my feelings about it has been right. Good topic. Thank you.

I think beauty pageants put alot of undue stress on teens. Especially if the mom is pushing them too hard! What needs to be banned are little girl beauty pageants! I watched a show on tv I think Toddlers and tiaras. Anyway it sickened me what the parents were doing to their babies! Those kids aren't old enough to tell the parent no. They put makeup on the kid and otherwise parde them around like little adults! Shame on you parents!