Amanda Daniels

Mr. Murray
English 101
12 December 2014
Beauty or Bust
In 1921, an Atlantic Hotel Owner began hosting pageants in order to keep tourists entertained
and in town longer. However, Child Beauty Pageants did not come along until the later 1960s
and consisted of a beauty, talent, and swimsuit portion in the competition. The Pageants became
a good way to instill confidence, poise, and education into the young contestants. The winners of
pageants often won either a savings bond or scholarships to help improve the future of the girls.
According to the academic article Toddlers, Tiaras, and Pedophilia? The Borderline Child
Pornography Embraced by the American Public, featured in the academic journal, Texas Review
of Entertainment & Sports Law, by Christine Tamer pageants today are a five-billion dollar
industry, therefore helping the economy as well (85). Pageants even played a large part in
equality when Vanessa Williams became the first African-American, Miss America in 1983.
Pageants, once known as a healthy and educational hobby are now exploiting young and
innocent girls for the public to see. Modern Pageants push young girls to look and act like adults
and force the girls to grow up on stage. In order to protect the young contestants from serious
mental and physical harm, Beauty Pageants need to stop sexualizing and exploiting the preadolescent girls involved.
In the academic article Protecting Pageant Princesses: A Call for Statutory Regulation of Child
Beauty Pageants published in the Journal of Law and Policy, the author Lindsay Lieberman
states that over five-thousand pageants are hosted each year all around the United States. Little

girls in the pageants are judged, only on physical attractiveness, and not how well educated or
talented they are. In Tamers academic article she quotes the APA (American Psychological
Association) task force when speaking of the definition of sexualization. The task force states
that the sexualization of a person occurs when "sexuality is inappropriately imposed upon a
person, when a person is made into a thing of others' sexual use, when a person is held to a
standard that equates physical attractiveness with being sexy, or when a person's value comes
from her sexual appeal or behavior to the exclusion of other characteristics (88). When children
are sexually violated or exploited, the police and public take it extremely seriously. The criminals
that sell children to be sex slaves, force children to be with older men and women, or trade the
children for drugs or alcohol are severely punished because this is a terrible offense. However,
mothers pay over one-thousand dollars per pageant just to exploit their young girls (86). The
mothers do not realize that pedophiles and convicts could be sitting in the crowd. This could put
the girls in serious danger of being violated or even kidnapped, but all the mothers worry about is
the prize money and large crowns sitting behind the stage.
Pageants attract over 100,000 young contestants each year and the contestants on average spend
around one-thousand dollars just on the dresses (86). The little girls dance on stage in skimpy,
inappropriate outfits, dressed as sexy cops or sexy school girls. The adults tell the girls to
shake that bootie or work it while cheering and applauding the performance. The contestants
on stage tend to be treated more like twenty-one year old strippers and not young, innocent girls.
Tamer explains that because young girls are dressing and acting like older women, pageants have
been linked to pedophilia (88). Tamers later quotes Anthony Graziano, a psychologist and codirector of the Research Center for Children and Youth at the State of New York at Buffalo.
Graziano states that the fake beauty and vulnerability of the images of child beauty queens

get the pedophile and are very appealing to a child molester (88). Because the mothers
continue to exploit the girls, pedophiles begin to believe the way they feel about young girls is
acceptable and normal. A study done using barely legal photos proved that teaching a five year
old to pose as a twenty-five year old model, will encourage an association between children and
sex (88). The exploitation of the young girls is not only viewed in person at competitions but also
is seen through all kinds of media.
Today television, magazines, and marketing ads are consumed with the idea of the perfect
woman. Both men and women affected by the media also have a high expectation when it
comes to womens looks. The idea of being perfect is now being imposed upon young girls
participating in beauty pageants. Teaching the young pageants girls to be sexy and care solely
about looks gives room for stereotypes to form and for men to feel superior over women. The
beauty pageant contestants are judged on hair, makeup, facial beauty, costumes, talent, etc. The
crazy amount of pressure to be perfect can do serious harm to a young girls self-esteem and
even mental state. In Liebermans article, she speaks about a former beauty pageant contestant
Brooke Breedwell. Breedwell was featured star on the television show Painted Babies, and
endured terrible anxiety and stress as a result of pageants. While competing, Breedwell became
over consumed with the idea of being perfect and always winning. Breedwell grew up fast on
stage and her mother forced her to act like an adult in order to win and this also caused severe
social and psychological consequences and eating disorders for Breedwell in her later life (740).
Another former beauty queen, Nicole Hunter came forward to discuss other troubles the pageants
cause for youth contestants. Hunter explained dressing and acting like a woman at such a young
age compelled her to prematurely confront her sexuality, which in turn lowered her self-esteem
(741). Hunter also admitted to suffering from anorexia nervosa at a young age because of the

burden of pageants (741). Breedwell and Hunter are just two of the hundreds of examples that
prove the pain and suffering young girls in pageants go through. Family therapists state the
detrimental effects of child beauty pageants interfere with healthy child development. And as a
result, little girls who participate are prone to persistent lifetime changes, including body shame,
perfectionism and eating disorders (741). This quote further proves pageants seem to be doing
more harm than good for the youth contestants involved.
The television show Toddlers and Tiaras premiered on TLC on January 27, 2009,
and has been stirring up problems ever since. The show has an average of over 1.3 million
viewers each week and follows young pageant girls striving to win the highest title and prize
money (Tamer 86). Lucy Wolfe the author of Darling Divas or Damaged Daughters? The Dark
Side of Child Beauty Pageants and Administrative Law Solution an academic article published
in The Tulane Law Review speaks some risqu costumes seen on Toddlers and Tiaras. Two-yearold Mia, performed on stage wearing a cone shaped Madonna bra (Figure 1 in Appendix). Threeyear-old Paisley is also seen on the show dressed as Julia Roberts in the movie Pretty Women and
the character she played is a prostitute (Figure 2 in Appendix) Wolfe also mentions four-year-old
Maddy, who wore breast and derrire enhancements in order to pull together the Dolly Parton
costume (Figure 3 in Appendix) (429). Paisleys mother stated to People Magazine that she
believed Paisleys costume (Pretty Women) was tasteful and funny (430). All three girls seem
to be having a great time on stage; not realizing millions of pedophiles could be watching and
admiring the contestants. Dr. Nancy Irwin, a Los Angeles-based psychotherapist states As a
treatment professional of sex offenders as well as victim of sexual abuse [] They are
sexualizing their young children. Do not be surprised if your child is preyed upon as result of this
high degree of visibility. Men can pose as agents/managers and track you/your girl down through

the show. Further, know that they will be pleasuring themselves while looking at your daughters
YouTube clip (Tamer 89). Pageant mothers that have been bashed in magazines or books
actually went as far as attempting to sue the media for wrongful accusations (430). Mothers do
not realize putting the girls on television can be very dangerous because predators could be
watching at any given moment. The sexualization of these girls can and will permanently scar
and even put the girls safety in serious jeopardy. However mothers in the pageant world believe
putting the girls in pageants help to boost self-esteem and better poise, along with numerous
other benefits and see no harm.
Nonetheless, there are some benefits associated with Child Beauty Pageants, for example,
Eden Woods is a well-known beauty queen who has been competing since age one and appeared
on the famous television show Toddlers and Tiaras. Through watching Toddlers and Tiaras
myself, I learned that Eden has become a well-known pageant queen, and a plethora of
opportunities have come her way. Eden has become a singer and actress, receiving a record deal
and a few small acting parts. Lieberman states that Edens Mother, Mickie Woods, has spent over
seventy-thousand dollars on pageants in which Eden has won around thirty-thousand dollars and
an extraordinary number of crowns and sashes (739). While on stage, Eden seems to be a happy,
young girl truly enjoying pageants, but this may not be the case. Psychiatrist Carole Lieberman
quoted in Leigh Bickleys article in Hollywood Life, labels Eden as a victim of her mothers
obsession to live vicariously through her because mom doesnt feel pretty or sexy enough
herself (qtd. In Wolfe). Mothers need to begin paying better attention to the risk of exploiting
young pageants girls and realizing the danger the girls could be in.
Instead of judging a five year old on looks and costumes, beauty pageants should be more about
intelligence, talent, and confidence. No little girl should prance around a stage wearing a swim

suit or any sort of sexy costume to show herself off for the world to see. Although it would be
nearly impossible to ban children beauty pageants altogether, because it is a billion dollar
industry, removing the sexulaization of anyone under the age of eighteen in a pageants should be
required. The pageant world should begin encouraging more natural beauty pageants, where girls
are urged to avoid makeup and inappropriate clothing. Also pageants should require the girls to
have coaches there to instill confidence and manners into the girls. Punishing the people and
pageants for sexualizing little girls will better protect the contestants innocence, prevent
exploitation and even protect the girls from being sexually violated or kidnapped.

Works Cited

Jackson, Lindsay. Toddlers and Tiaras Mother Now Banned from Entering Daughter, Five, into
Pageants as She Fights for Custody. Mail Online UK. 20 Aug. 2012. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
Kurtz, Hillary. 2 Year Old Dons Madonnas Cone Bra for Toddlers and Tiaras. Today Pop
Culture. NBC News. 7 Jan. 2011. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
Liebeman, Lindsay. "Protecting Pageant Princesses: A Call for Statutory Regulation of Child
Beauty Pageants." Journal of Law and Policy 18.2 (2010): 739-74. Academic Search Complete.
Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
Tamer, Christine. "Toddler, Tiaras,and Pedophillia? The Borderline Child Pornography
Embraced by the American Public." Texas Review of Entertainment & Sports Law 13.1 (2011):
85-101. Academic Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.
TLC/Splash News. Toddlers and Tiaras Tot Wears Pretty Woman Prostitute Costume. US
Weekly. 9 Sept. 2011. Web 8 Dec. 2014. Digital Image.
Wolfe, Lucy. "Darling Divas or Damaged Daughters? The Dark Side of Child Beauty Pageants
and an Administrative Law Solution." Tulane Law Review 87.2 (2012): 427-55. Academic
Search Complete. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.