Girls, glamour, and villains are all part of the world called show business. A pageant, also known as a beauty pageant, is “a contest in which entrants, usually women, are judged on physical beauty and sometimes personality and talent, with the winners awarded prizes or titles” (“Beauty Pageant”). Because children are pressured to look “perfect”, beauty pageants should not be a culturally accepted activity for children.
It is no secret that a child’s sense of self-worth is important to a child’s well-being. According to Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention, Inc. “Physical-appearance”>physical-appearance of the body physical appearance says little about a person’s character and value “When someone with a negative body image believes that only other people are attractive and that their body size or shape is a sign of personal failure.” Also, a man who is ashamed, self-conscious and worried about his body” (Small. ). , especially of women, they see negative body images, like children, on television or elsewhere;
“The message from the media is that good girls and women must be cute and thin. Beautiful, slim female bodies, which instead of being used by alcoholics to sell shoes, they send the message that appearance is more important than character, personality, or social association (Small).
Improving a child’s or adolescent’s body image includes promoting diversity: the idea that people come in all shapes, sizes, colors and whatever body type what he possesses may be valuable and worthy of love (Small). Eliminating unnecessary conflict in a child’s life also fosters positive self-esteem. Competition takes place in society for work, but in academic or physical matters, competition can be nothing more than a hindrance to confidence;
“In a competitive culture, the child is told that he is not good enough – he must triumph over others. Success is defined as victory, although in reality these two are very different. Even when the child manages to win the whole thing, psychologically speaking, he becomes vicious: the more he competes, the more he needs to feel good about himself (Kohn).
According to ABC News, “Boys are the fastest growing segment of the beauty pageant market…attracting an estimated 3 million children, mostly girls, ages six months to 16 years, who compete for crowns and coins. They’re carrying babies. The stage is shared by mothers.” (Schultz & Murphy).
Beauty pageants use the medium of competition to reinforce the disinclination to look “perfect,” no matter how the term is defined by culture at a particular point in time. The show sends messages to boys that physical appearance is the most important thing for success: “… beauty competitions that have existed for a long time to establish a Cinderella myth for women. It seems beauty for every woman to behave well and, as a corollary, beautiful should be the main interest of all women” (Watson & Martin).
Competitions based on a child’s physical appearance are proven to have a negative effect on lifestyle and mental health;
“…And these days, the body of dissatisfaction begins in the grammar school. According to a 2004 study of the dove Real Beauty Expedition, 42 percent of first- to third-grade girls want to be thinner, while 81 percent of 100-year-olds fear fat girls in the NPD study—’clearly they’re looking for imaginary flaws, says Harvard psychologist Nancy Etcoff.’ (Bennett)
According to a study by the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, there is “a striking association between youth attractive participation and increased body dissatisfaction, difficulty trusting interpersonal relationships, and more aggressive behavior, and an increased tendency to ineffective emotions” (Wonderlich., Ackard, &
Some also argue that girls showing off their beauty have turned into objects of male desire: “…if beauty spectacles were substantially more than the practices of girls looking at them, why should men be spectacles too” (Watson & Masculine there are some spectacles, but none are so popular as the female actors.
Christian listeners argue that the beauty of the show should be taken away from the message of 1 Cor 6:19-20: “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God?” For you were bought at a great price. Let Christians believe that it is wrong for men to pay unnecessary and potentially sinful attention to one body. Likewise, if anyone glorifies himself, the glory is taken away from God, who deserves all honor.
For many children, the decision to participate in a beauty pageant is solely a parent’s. Parents often claim that beauty pageants enhance social skills, talents, abilities, and values (Wonderlich, Ackard, & Henderson). It is argued that children learn skills and often have opportunities to travel that would otherwise not be possible.
However, the children wandering around in the struggle decide at will which one left is more attractive, not to the benefit of the children’s well-being. Parents should not encourage the child to beauty contests under any hobby. Society should not show pornographic media that brainwashes girls into looking for what they think is perfect.
Works Cited
“A fair contest.” Dictionary.com. 2011. Web. 7 April 2011.
Bennett, Jessica. “Are we turning tweens into the ‘Diva generation’? – Newsweek.” Newsweek – National News, World News, Business, Health, Technology, Entertainment and More – Newsweek. 30 March 2009. Web. 13 April 2011.
Kohn, Alfie. “The Case Against Competition.” Alfie Kohn Homepage. 1987. Web. 08 April 2011.
Schultz, Kristen, and Ann Pleshette Murphy. “Most Parades Draw Children and Criticism – ABC News.” ABCNews.com: News, Politics, World News, Hello America, Exclusive Interviews – ABC News. 26 Feb. 2011. Web. 08 April 2011.
Little, Kelly. “Body image.” University of Calgary Webdisk Server. 2001. Web. 08 April 2011.
Watson, Elwood, and Darcy Martin. America’s Mission Spectacle: Pluralism, Feminism, and Cinderella All in One.” JournalPublic Culture. /a > 34.1 (2000): 105-126.
Wonderlich, Anna, Diann Ackard, and Judith Henderson. Childhood beauty pageant competition: Associations with adult Disordered eating and mental health. Disorders 13.3 (2005): 291-301.
