Pulling The Plug On Child Pageant Shows
Posted by meredith on 03-09-2009
My stance on child beauty pageants has pretty much always been willful denial. Sure, I knew that somewhere out there the tradition was being kept alive, but because they were out of sight I could keep them and my personal objections to the practice out of mind. That is, until recently. When not one, not two, but three pageant-centric series cropped up on TV. Now I'm beginning to fear that not only will the discomforting phenomenon of underage beauty contests become harder and harder to ignore, but because viewers have started to tune in, this may only be the beginning.
My biggest problem with shows like "Little Miss Perfect," "Toddlers and Tiaras," and "Little Beauties," though is not the pageants themselves (that's a different debate for a different time), but rather the spectacle they become when put on networks like WE, TLC and especially VH1. Unlike other competitive shows like "American Idol" or "Top Chef," the TV audiences, for the most part, aren't a reflection of the crowds who would actually attend these pageants in person. They're not watching to root for any of the girls to win or lose, but rather to gawk at the culture of spray tans and fake teeth (referred to as "flippers," they cover up the gaps of missing baby teeth) that they'd otherwise not be privy to seeing. Viewers are curious to see just how delusional the pageant moms are, how precocious the little girls will be — the entertainment value of these shows is rooted in this discomfort of knowing how "wrong" they are.
This cringe-inducing dynamic has pretty much become the standard for VH1′s recently rebranded "celebreality" programming ("Flavor of Love," "Charm School," "I Love Money," etc.) where contests act as a flimsy platform to showcase contestants who will voluntarily degrade themselves for the home audience's viewing pleasure. But what about those who aren't in on the joke?
The girls who participate in these pageants in earnest are far too young to posses the type of self-awareness that typically comes being a reality show celebrity. And what about the possible younger viewers who come across these programs and view them as an unrealistic measure of beauty? With statistics showing half of girls ages 8 to 10 as being unhappy with their size, 40 percent of fourth graders admitting to previously being on a diet, and more than half of girls ages 9 to 15 having exercised to lose weight, we don't need more "reality" programming stressing these unrealistic ideals.
While older teens and adults may understand how inappropriate and exaggerated these girls look and act, a younger teen or a tween might not. Similarly, the difference between watching to mock, and watching to admire may be lost on them as well. When it comes to reality television, we've learned it's a slippery ethical slope, and the only way to stop a show that spells trouble is to take a stand and stop watching.
For more coverage of the tween space, check out the Ypulse Tweens Channel, sponsored by the Tween Tribune.
Categorized under: Tweens
March 10th, 2009 at 9:22 am
My eight year old dranddaughter thinks it is a mess. The girls where fake hair teach makeup and hair.they are pop u blockers of their mothers misguided unsecure lives, They are teaching these girls that plastic is pretty. (can I have implants for eigth grade plesae DDs are sooo fifth grade?????????????
March 10th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
I'm personally disgusted by Beauty Pageants for children.
Fake hair, Fake tan, fake nails, fake eyelashes, some who've lost teeth have fake temporary dentures, more makeup than I wear as a 30 year old, provocative costumes, swinging their hips across the stage in a too sexualized manner… it's a pedophiles dream.
Worse yet, what about the kids and their psyche. How great is it for their self esteem to lose to a girl because the other girl was "prettier"?
do you notice how many of the mothers are overweight, slightly unattractive, overly pushy pageant moms who seem to live vicariously through their child?
Look, if your child can't win without fake tans, fake hair, fake eyelashes, hooker makeup and fake tans…
Then you're kid musn't be that cute. get over it.
August 19th, 2009 at 12:54 pm
I just wrote something about this today.
Apparently it’s acceptable in the United States to dress toddlers up like full grown women and parade them on a stage in their swimsuits so they can be rated on their body, face and outfit by a panel of judges. This is not only a waste of time but it’s totally twisted. I sure these pageants are swarming with dirty old men too.
http://doodiepants.com/2009/08/19/pedophiles-wonderland-the-world-of-kiddie-pageants/
January 14th, 2010 at 9:57 am
I think that shows like "Toddlers and Tiaras" are total ruining us. I'm a teenager and I don't wear THAT much makeup. Little girls are walking around on a stupid little stage, "strutting their stuff"! THEY'RE LITTLE KIDS!!!And I have to agree with Mayu, the moms on these shows are always insecure about themselves and that's why they push their own kids into stupid, ignorant and wrong things like child beauty pageants like these. And then the world wonders why the percepetion of beauty is so distorted. Absolutely ridiculous.
June 25th, 2010 at 11:22 am
While I am as much against parading little girls around in tons of makeup, fake tanning, and fake hair as the next person, I really believe that most people blow this campaign against child pageants way out of proportion. I would never allow my child to wear that much makeup and dress that provocatively for an audience but I don't think it's fair to hate on EVERY SINGLE PAGEANT MOM. Some mothers have positive attitudes, choose decent age-appropriate wardrobe for their children, and truly use pageants to help their little girls overcome their shyness. Not every little girl out there is forced to be in peageants, and in some cases on these shows we can genuinely see that. We all know the way these shows sometimes protray the mothers as some attention seeking demons who want to live their lives through their little girls. But come on now, honestly. It's reality TV, people. Who would watch the shows if they lacked the crazy moms? Pageants don't have to be such a huge deal if we just see it for what it is intended to be(a competition). If we see it as just little girls playing dress up and having fun on a stage, it can be clean and no one would ever have to think of it as "sexualization". No one is forcing you to put your kids in it, but don't go around judging. Little girls wear makeup for dance recitals and bikinis for swimming competitions. No one ever objects to that. Besides, pushing children into things happens ALL THE TIME in sports. Tell me youv'e never run into that crazy dad who pushes their little boy way too hard into soccer/baseball/basketball. Why doesn't anyone judge that? I am sorry if i have offended anyone. it's just my opinion.