Toddlers and Tiaras

I just watched a TV show/documentary about Children Beauty Pageant, and I am at loss for words. What are they thinking? The people who hold the pageants, and the parents who dress and paint their children like some kind of mannequin!!!! I really don't get what any of the people try to achieve by doing such things.

Here's what I don't feel comfortable about those people going crazy over the little kids pageants.

First of all, I'm not convinced that it's what the kids really want. Some parents put their children on stage as young as they are just 11 months old. What some parents think when they first see their child is "I've got my pageant baby. I'll have her win trophies." I mean really, seriously?? And they say it's what the kids really enjoy, when it clearly is the parents who want it more then their kids. They say they'll let them quit when the kids don't want to do pageants anymore, but the documentary shows how much the parents will manipulate and persuade their kids to go for the pageants. And the kids who say they want to compete, it seems like they just want to make their parents happy, or just to keep the parents from being angry or disappointed in them. Okay, I'm sure there are kids out there who really loves to compete and go onto pageants without all the parent's heavy influences and pressures, but it seems like most of them want to do it because they've been brain washed about it since the moment they were born, or either wants to make their parents happy or just simply is afraid of what would happen if they say no. As for me, my mom used to love to dress me up in all sorts of lacy princess dresses and stockings, which I absolutely hated wearing since they were uncomfortable as hell and I couldn't run around in playground going all crazy as I wanted to. I once rebelled in elementary school about not wearing one of those ridiculous looking dress to school, mom ignored my protest and forced me into one (mom yelling and me crying), and I ended up crying to school that they. And yes, to this date, I despise puffy princess dresses and will not wear one unless I absolutely need to. So yeah I know what it's like to be all pretty and doll like when I never wanted to, and I know what it's like not to be able to say no knowing how much my mom was intimidating. Even if none of the kids experiences were as bad as my memory, do the kids really know what they want? Or even why they want it?

Secondly, it just isn't right. All that make up, shaving seven-year-old's legs, spray painting and tanning, pedicures, fake teeth and wigs to the point of where there is no regular kid recognizable left. What do I think doing such things to kids? I think it's an indirect way of telling the kids that they are not pretty if they don't paint themselves. That being pretty is the most important thing about them. That people love and cheer for them only because they are wearing pretty dresses, waving and dancing and smiling. One of the parents said that they put their kids into pageants because they want the kids to look like "little princesses." For me that is just ridiculous. They should be "the little princess" to the parents' eyes, no matter whether the children are covered in makeup or not! They should look pretty and happy even if they are not wearing a single sparkling outfit. The children should feel like their parents are proud of them not because they are so pretty or can look confidant in front of judges, but because of who they are. So what if they can't dance or sing as well as other kids? So what if their kids are not as pretty or tall and lean as other kids? So what if the kids are not as smart as other kids? Does it really matter that much to the parents pride? It's like they are making the kid the personal trophy of their own . The parents should be happy and proud that their kids are healthy, joyful, and bright kids. Any other talents that come into their life is just an extra thing. The looks and talent are not what defines who the children are, nor they ever need to feel that way. I mean come on, 5-7 year old kids should not be thinking about what they look like, or how much points they can get from gesturing to the judges. Not when they are little kids.

And lastly, I don't like the "competition" part of the whole pageant. Like, what does that even mean?? They rate the kids, give point values to what they look like, how they act and how they dance. Not everybody wins. There are only handful of winners, and only one big winner. What does that mean to the other kids who did not win? That they are not pretty enough? That they are not the perfect children worthy of trophies? Why on earth would anybody do that to the little kids? To my eyes, they are all beautiful children, even without all the makeup and all, and they should be treated as such. No other competition says such things about children. Not sports, music, dance, or art. Other competitions might say that some kids are better at some things than others, but the pageant suggests in ways that you were not the perfect child that the judges were looking for. And the kids who did not get anything get heartbroken. They are not just not as good at one thing, they are not good enough to be the beautiful child. The parents look even more disappointed, for god's sake. The parents say they want the children to go out there and have fun, but it's only fun when they win, right?

The kids should be allowed to be just kids. Play around, get dirty, make a mess, and worry about nothing. It's normal for teens and may be pre-teens to start worrying about what they look like, but is it really necessary for little kids not so bigger than babies?