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While beauty pageants for women draw criticism for focusing too much on outward appearances, how relevant are children’s beauty pageants? At a time when they should be playing with peers of the same age, they are adorned and pushed onto the stage to be judged on the basis of how they walk, talk, and look. Being judged on standards set by society for grown-ups can lead to body image issues and a low sense of self-worth among children as they grow older.
What Are Beauty Pageants?
In a regular beauty pageant, contestants are judged based on their body statistics, appearance, demeanour, and more. They are also quizzed to judge their intelligence, talent, and attitude toward current affairs. But this is only a small part of the entire exercise.
What Is A Children’s Beauty Pageant?
A beauty pageant for children judges contestants under 18 years of age on their looks and personality. Similar to pageants for adults, these have several categories like interview rounds, casual wear, sportswear, evening wear rounds, etc. Girls as young as 3 sometimes participate in pageants for under-10 kids. Contestants wear make-up, high heels, fake tans, artificial hair, and expensive dresses – accessories that we do not otherwise associate with children.
Fame Is Short-Lived
Much like talent shows on television, beauty pageants expose children to a glamorous way of life. But only for a short period. Once the associated fame subsides, children have to go back to their regular life. Used to getting attention, they might find it difficult to adjust to the life of a regular kid. This can lead to low self-esteem, mood swings, and even depression in some cases.
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Why Should Children’s Pageants Be Banned?
Beauty pageants expose girls to the world of beauty at a very young age. Children who participate in or follow these pageants tend to associate perfection with beauty. They focus on outward appearances, instead of building their skills, character, and personality. Education takes a backseat, risking their future lives and career. Children are too young to say no, and parents can be overcome by the desire to see their child succeed. Hence, it is better to completely ban beauty pageants for children.
FAQs
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Why are beauty pageants wrong?
Children’s beauty pageants create a misdirected sense of worth for children, focusing on outward appearance instead of personality and character.
Pageants may cause children to lose focus on education and skill development. These may also cause low self-esteem and depression.
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Are child pageants ethical?
Parents often force children to participate in pageants. Very young children, even if they do not wish to get on stage, cannot say to their parents. This brings forth questions of ethicality.
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Can child pageants cause health disorders?
Psychologists believe that children’s pageants promote an unhealthy image of the female body, which may lead to eating disorders like bulimia and anorexia.
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Are beauty pageants exploitative?
Yes, child beauty pageants judge children through the eyes of judges and society. They create a standard of beauty that should not apply to children.
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