According to a recent study conducted by Wonderlich et al., “Of the 131 females who participated in beauty pageant contests, 48% reported a desire to be thinner, 57% stated they were trying to lose weight, and 26% had been told or were believed to have an eating disorder.” Child beauty pageants lead to serious consequences due to the extreme pressures put on the young contestants. Many children participating in these intense competitions leave this “beauty pageant world” with problems that can affect them for the rest of their lives. Child beauty pageants have become a popular scene throughout the United States because many believe the competition can boost a young girl’s confidence. Because pageants lead to the exploitation of young children and sexualize young girls, parents should not allow their children to take part in beauty pageants because the competition negatively affects the child’s body image.
Beauty pageants often lead to the exploitation of these young children. The girls are often too young to make the decision on whether or no they would like to compete. Similarly, these children are not old enough to establish their own opinion on whether or not the pageants benefit them. This exploitation can possibly lure sexual predators. Reality television shows that exist promote the pageants worldwide which is another risk regarding the children’s safety. Child pageantry can lead to serious exploitation of these young contestants.
In addition to the exploitation of the contestants, beauty pageants often sexualize young girls. The competition promotes the girls to dress in scandalous attire and to enhance their image with padded bras, makeup, and high heels. The parents encourage the children to dress too mature for their age, so the consequences result in the girls being overly sexualized. Also, the children also often show inappropriate dances for the talent portion of the competition. Children participating in beauty pageants are often over sexualized due to revealing outfits and scandalous dances.
However, many believe that beauty pageants are a great way for girls to boost their confidence starting at a young age. It is believed that the competitions give the girls a chance to show off their talents and become comfortable with themselves. In contrast, the pageants put extreme pressures on the children causing these girls to become more likely to succumb to eating disorders and low self-esteem. It is likely that these competitions give a girl the idea that she is supposed to look a certain way. If she believes she does not fit this “image”, she is likely to go to extreme measures to reach this unrealistic ideal. Therefore, pageants are the exact opposite of a confidence boost and can lead girls into being affected by serious disorders.
Because child pageantry leads to the exploitation and over sexualization of children, young girls should refrain from participating in these competitions. These children are too young to know right from wrong and are unable to understand the consequences of these pageants. The girls often dress and act in scandalous ways that promote a negative image that is too mature for their age. The pressures of this world can result in serious disorders that can affect the contestants for the rest of their lives.