Who is Fairest of Them All?
Child pageants such as the ones featured on television show young girls, usually no older than six or seven years old, wearing heavy makeup and parading around on a stage in front of the eyes of several judges and even more spectators. These children are then ranked not by who they are as a person, but by how glamorous they appeared. Because of this, young girls are left crying, feeling that they are not beautiful enough to warrant recognition, and thus these girls are left with the notion that they are lesser than the child who won. Imagine the long-term effects that being told that she was not pretty enough will have on the confidence of a young girl, especially after all the hard work she had put into her performance. These children are being taught that it is outward beauty that matters most rather than who they are.
The young girls that participate in these pageants have to go through a lot of preparation, including spray tans and even painful eyebrow waxing. The television show “Toddlers and Tiaras” has included footage of young contestants crying, begging their mothers to stop because of the pain. It is obvious that in these cases, it was not the child who chose to experience this sort of “beautification”, but rather the parent. By no means is it right for a mother or a father to force a child to suffer through that sort of thing. And should the parents honestly answer why they want their child to have perfect eyebrows, a perfect tan, and perfect teeth, parents will say it is because they want their child to win. These parents are virtually living through their children, choosing what they must endure for the sake of a pageant. Many parents of pageant children argue that their child loves it, and while most children do love winning and being told they are beautiful, no young girl would wish to inflict pain upon themselves for the sake of winning.
Another pressing issue involving the pageant scene is that these girls...