child beauty pagents
 

do you think they are ok and good for the child? or do you not agree with them? have you been in one as a child? have one of your children been in one? would you put a child in one? or would you never put a child in one? we dont have them in the uk that ive heard of anyway, we have baby ones but only pics in a news paper and then people vote what baby they like best. i know there seems to be a lot of them in the usa and other places so i was just wondering how you all feel about them?

I think they should be called child meat markets. They use duct tape to go around their waists to make them look like they have a waist. They teach them to make provocative moves, they spend most of their lives getting their hair done and practicing their talent. Evey little girl likes to play dress up, but play is play, pagents are not play.

yep i agree there, what ive never understod is if its a CHILD pagent then why do they make them look like grown women or mini porn stars or should i say some do?

yeah see that also worrys me, a child shouldnt worry about how they look, women are told you must look like this you must be like that and thats bad enough but at least we can say im happy the way iam.

I would never put my daughter in one. I think that it puts more of an emphasis on the importance of looks than anything else. I think it would be more beneficial to kids if they're taught self-worth in ways other than their looks. I know those things are stressful enough for teens and adults with the dieting, talent practice, posing, fitting for clothes, makeup, etc. How can they expect a child to sit through that and be happy with being forced into all of that? Kids are only kids once. I don't understand the point in putting them in sexy outfits, doing up their hair in hairspray, and all of the makeup. I think those functions would attract pedophiles more than anything else.

i think its plain disgusting!!!!



thats all we need, more people exploiting their children !!!

I agree! Some even get their kids fake teeth! It's horrible! I guess i'm considered fat by some standards, but at least i feel no guilt eating all the ice cream i want! :) :D :D

this is my own personal opinion and i know not a lot of people will agree with it. but here goes....
my thoughts on beauty pageants (for adult or child) is they are way over done. It puts pressure of the teens, children and adult females to look perfect and if you don't look perfect than you don't measure up to be accepted in society. those "beautys" are not perfect either and that is why they have little tips and tricks to make them look perfect. the pageants are not for the real world, they are for the fantasy world. lets put vaseline on the teeth to make them appear shiny or put make up on the legs to cover the veins or fill in this crease to make the skin look smooth. I know lots of beautiful women and they have flaws just like I do. the flaws are different in every one, but we all have them. I know one woman who is not the prettiest person I know but she is more beautiful and pleasing to look at then any of those pageant contestants. it is because of her smile, confidence, humor and personality that makes her better than that "beautiful" girl next to her.
too much is put into commercials to sell the product and it has taken a toll on all females self esteem. There was a time when I would not go out of the house or answer the door because I didn't have my make up on. Not any more.

I was in child beauty pageant growing up and I REALLY enjoyed them. None of the things listed on this site (i.e. duct taping wastes, plumping up lips, fake teeth, ect.) ever occurred. These are all horrible rumors. I accredit pageants to the woman I have become. I am an excellent interviewer, I am confident, very poised, and I have a talent...pageants gave me a reason to take piano lessons for 13 years. I was exposed to all sorts of girls with many different things to contribute to the pageants and I am still friends with many of the girls that I did pageants with when I was growing up. The money I won from pageants helped pay for me to go to college. I can honestly say that I would not be the well-rounded person I am today without pageants.

I would be willing to bet that very few of you who disagree with pageants have ever actually been IN a pageant or even been around someone who has been in a pageant. Just because you don't agree with someone does not mean that it is wrong. It is a matter of opinion.

P.S. -- I hardly ever wear makeup and I've NEVER had plastic surgery. I feel totally confident in my skin.

Great post! I think that every woman is beautiful and special in her own way. I think that god blessed every one of us with something special. Definately no one is perfect and it sucks that pagents try to make it seem like being perfect is obtainable. It's not a realtistic way of thinking and it can end up being very dangerous for a girl to have unrealistic goals about herself.

I will say this about child pageants. The way a contestant feels about herself has everything to do with her parents. My parents NEVER pushed me to "win." They never pushed me period. I was always the one who wanted to do them. They ALWAYS told me that they were proud of me, whether I won or lost. There ARE some parents, however, who push and push and push their girls and tell them that they better not come home if they don't win. That is where the problem lies right there....it's with the parents. But that is how it is anywhere....you can't blame it on the pageants. There are parents causing low self esteem in their daughters who DON'T participate in pageants. A parent has to make their child feel loved and feel that they are beautiful and tell their children how proud they are of them, whether it is in a beauty pageant or in life. If a parent does not do this, then the child is going to have low self-esteem. You cannot attribute that to the beauty pageants.

Actually my little sister was in pageants. I didn't agree with it then and I still don't. My little sister was beautiful and she still is even though she cut all of her hair off when she joined the Army. She was ALWAYS very tall for her age. So it kind of grossed me out how men thought she was 18 when she was only 14.
Anyways, in pagents there's way too much emphasis on looks. I just wonder what would happen if a girl that's not pretty but is very smart and talented entered. What if her face just happens to be disfigured? How would the judges honestly vote? My little sister was always getting comments on how she should model and go into pagents. So that is why my mother put her into both of them. She was very strict with her. My mother never cared about what I ate but the second my little sister reached for a peace of cake my mom would make a big deal about it. The pagent life isn't for kids or even for teens. Growing up is hard enough without the added stess.

My daughter competed in beauty pageants from 13 to 17 and loved them. At that age it's up to them to present themselves, not Mom. They have to do community service, stay informed about what's going on in the world, eat healthy, exercise, participate in interviews. I found the whole experience to be very good for my daughter and they gave her tons and tons of confidence and skills to communicate with adults for college entrance interviews, jobs, etc. Pageants are also very expensive so she had to get business sponsors to help with the expenses. She really learned a lot, but we as parents suppported her and made her do things (like getting sponsors) on her own - we weren't standing there with an open checkbook like some parents.

i always like to try and see everyones view about things so here it goes, i dont like them cos i would be worried about my childs feelings if they didnt win, what that would do to them , i wouldnt want my child to worry about how they look, i wouldnt want to expose my child to the public to judge, or for any sicko to lust after, thats why i dont like them. ok now look at if im a child that wants to do them, she likes doing them cos when she wins it gives her a boost she meets lots of new friends wins money which can help in life and makes her parents proud, ok i can get that. now parents who put there kids in to them, the mum thinks her childs pretty and wants to show the world, the child feels great when they win, the child meets lots of friends, the mum meets lots of friends, the mum and child get to spend time together doing something they both love, ok get that too. but what about the kids that dont win? how do they feel growing up? what about spending time just being a kid? what about not having to worry about how you look? what about a child not even thinking about how they look? what about a pagent not about looks? even though i can see what some have said about it being a good thing in there life i just think there are a lot more negative things about it than positives. and i just cant understand why if its a child pagent then why dont they look like children?why put make up on them? why dress them as women? why get them to dance about and stand in sexy ways?

Maybe child modeling would be better ? I know my sister and I modeled for the limited kids when she was 14 and I was 10, and we had a blast. They never asked us to be provacative and my parents were there supervising us the entire time.We also did fashion shows not pagents. Even though I did do one when I was 17, it was okay, but I still prefer modeling. It was alot of fun.:thumbup:

If a child is forced to do it, then no, I don't agree with it. But, if it's something that the child enjoys, then I don't see a problem with it.

Think of those of us that have put our daughters through dance class. At the end-of-year recital, they wear little costumes that may not be something that they would appropriately wear...yet we put them in recitals so that we can see all of the work that they've accomplished.

I know that my daughter's dance recital last year, during their tap performance, they were dressed similar to the flappers of the '20s & 30s. Her skirt was nothing more than strings that hung off of a waist band and it showed their bottom. While she'd never wear that out of the house, still there were hundreds of parents there and were able to view these skimpy outfits.

Thats a really great point!:thumbup:

these are parents of other children not any old tom dick or harry off the street though. and yes i no that doesnt mean they cant be a sicko. i dont no about in the usa but in the uk most schools only let parents go to school plays and things, also no pics can be taken.

I gave pageants a positive review, but I will have to admit my daughter did win a lot of money and prizes and was one of the fortunate ones to bring home a crown and title. She also modeled and did a few commercials.

and i expect your daughter feels really good about her self ive no doult about that, i no if id won something and been told im the best looking i would of felt great too as a young girl, so i no it can be a good thing its just the other side of the coin i worry about the kids that come home with nothing and feel ugly.:(

I saw a program on cable once about child beauty pageants and I was shocked. Those moms were horrible to their daughters!! They put so much pressure on those little girls to be perfect it was sickening and abusive. Some of the girls were so tiny, I kid you not, some of the mom's actually had to walk them out to stage. These were toddlers with makeup :eek: . Of course this was showing the extreme side of pageants but the point is the same. I am sure there are many people who draw positive experiences from pageants but I would never allow my daughter to participate in one, no matter how beautiful she may be. I think getting girls involved in sports, community service and educational afterschool activities can yield the same positive results without compromising her childhood or self esteem.

I just wonder how many women put their kids in because "the kids love it" and how many put them in just for easy bragging rights of saying that they have a pagent daughter. I really think 90% of the moms do it for themselves. I just feel sorry for the daughters because I think they just do it to gain love. To me this doesn't teach the child their own self-worth and that they are special. Children need to be given opportunities to learn and succeed, but I see failure in it more than anything else. What does it teach a child if he or she wins or loses? To try harder at looking prettier next year? It's unrealistic.

I think I saw the same thing. Was the main little girl they were following names Sky or Star. She was blonde, and she lost a tooth at the end of the documentary? Some things the parents did were a little extreme like you said, but not all parents are like this, like you said, haha.

Yes, that's exactly the one. I think they even make the kids wear false teeth when they loose one. It is crazy!!

I would like to see children being able to be children. In todays world ( for too many years now) they are taught to grow up far too fast, live life to the fullest at a young age, and then when their world starts falling apart, they do too. I really pray for the youth of today, thankful I am not having to grow old in their time. God only knows what lies ahead the way this world is going. We are so thankful that our children are all married happy and raising their children in the way they should grow. It takes a lot of effort and hard work on parents part, but isn't that our God given responsability. It doesn't take a porn store to display the filth of their magazines, they are in our grocery stores, just recently I saw the calenders in a center isle of Wal-Mart of half nudes. We just deleted a lot from TV dish net work, we never subscribed to the channels that they decided to now and then throw on for free, so disgusting! Then when I complained they said, you can lock out these channels. As far as I am concerned they should lock them out period, and anyone that wants to view that stuff should have to program it in. All in all, what I am trying to say is; these sickos don't have to view a beauty pagent to be a detriment to society. The detriment is all about, even in a family store such as Wal Mart. Beauty is only in the eye of the beholder, it is what is in the soul that counts. I posted on another forum regarding Jon Be Net, my feeling there. I am just hearing on the news now where someone in NJ has been arrested on child porn. We are hearing so much of this in the United States but why isn't more pressure being put on these that are putting all this crud out there for the sickos to feed on. This again is one little ole ladies opinion, mine. Patti

Self-esteem is very important, and play a big part of life. I think SOME of the women who put their kids in pagents( as well as other things "stage moms") tend to not have a great self worth, and usualy are trying to live their life through the childs. However, I think that society plays a lot in how people feel, and think about themselves...So pagents aren't the only way's and places to dictate self-esteem, self-worth, and self confidence...

I was also in pagents in my younger days. First pagent I was in was when I was not quite 7 years old and the town I was living in was having their Miss Mississippi pagent...they decided to have a Jr. Miss Walthall and a Little Miss Walthall County pagent (this was their first year to have the Little Miss) - waaaaay back in 1970! My mom entered me in it for no reason other than I wanted to do it. All we had to do was wear our best Sunday dress (mine was handsewn by my grandmother who made all my clothes at that time), walk out on stage twice, smile at the judges, and that was it! No talent, no changing clothes, just walk out there. I remember it as if it happened yesterday! Many years later, I chose (because of a dare) to enter a local pagent, not really wanting to, just to do it for the dare! I don't applaud the pagent system nor do I demean it - it is simply something that "is" and will always exist. I think that the pagent system can offer a lot to a person, i.e. scholarships, improving self-esteem (by that I mean getting up in front of a crowd, talking to strangers, meeting new people). As you've said, you would not be who you are today if not for your experience and I'm happy for you:) Would I put a child of mine in a pagent today? Thankfully, the Lord took care of that for me and blessed me with 2 boys so I don't have to answer that but....if he had blessed me with a girl, who's to say if I would have or not.

The important thing to remember here is that there are those who disapprove of the entire pagent system and then there are those who recommend it and stand behind it. We are all entitled to our thoughts and opinions on the subject. I can say that from what I experienced almost 40 years ago in pagents is nothing to what I've seen showcased in today's pagent system for the young girls - it HAS changed!!!

maybe this all depends on how YOU were raised. I guess there are pros and cons to everything!!