One of the most popular TV shows around right now is “Toddlers in Tiaras.” According to Kristen Shamus in her article "Ugly Truth: TLC Show is an Abomination" published in 2010, this popular reality show entertains its 1.2 million viewers by exploiting child beauty pageant contestants and their families. This show entertains audiences with dramatic tantrums, heated arguments and outrageous attitudes. But, behind all this fun and games, there are real dangers that can distort the lives of contest participants. These children have been taught that perfection and beauty are the only goal in life. According to PBS in their article “American Experience: Miss America” published in 2002, beauty pageants have been around since the 1920s. Since then, pageants have given women the idea of more relaxed morals. However, as stated in Cheryl Critchley's article “Everyone's Winner, a Baby” published in 2011, child beauty pageants originated in the 1960s. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The rules of children's beauty pageants are quite simple. A child takes to the stage wearing an outfit suited to the theme assigned for each round. Each contestant must prepare sets of choreography and music for each round. There are several judges who criticize each participant. These judges consult with each other and calculate the scores, announcing the winners of each division at the awards ceremony held after the competition. Growing up, most of us were taught the right morals and ideas that have benefited our lives today. Now it's our turn to teach today's youth. However, teaching them to accept and follow a society that cares more about appearance than constructive ideas could cause moral confusion for our future generations. Child beauty pageants, in particular, brainwash the fresh minds of our young and innocent to think that looks are the key to success. These competitions must be closed to prevent our future from accepting these ideas. In this talk, I will inform you about the problems caused by contests, the cause of participating in contests, and the ways in which we can solve these problems. So, first of all, children's competitions cause many problems that affect both the child and his families. When a child participates in a beauty pageant, it can cause serious psychological problems that can affect their ideas about their body, personality and self-esteem. In Jessica Bennett's article “Disney Princesses and the Battle for Your Daughter's Soul” published in 2011, girls have already started to worry about being overweight. When a child participates in beauty pageants, the pressure to look and behave a certain way increases. According to Reist Tankard's article "Pageants Reeking of Blatant Exploitation" published in 2012, pageants can cause an increase in denial in a girl's relationship with others, with her body, and with her feelings. Lack of self-esteem can cause anxiety, depression and eating disorders. Participating in beauty pageants can also change a child's natural psychological development. A child misses out on a normal childhood when she competes in beauty pageants. According to the article by Rebecca Eder and her associates "Is Winning a Show Worth a Lost Childhood?" published in 1997, participants in children's beauty pageants may grow up confused with her behavior and emotions. Children are not yet significantly ready for the results of beauty pageants. THE:, 12(3), 237-248.
tags