Toddlers in Tiaras By: BriElla Nelson

After a marathon of one of my favorite shows, The Game, I was flipping through the channels and came across one of TLC’s shows Toddlers and Tiaras. This is a documentary about children between the ages of one and seven and their parents while they are tediously prepped for beauty pageants. As a former pageant contestant I immediately connected with the young children and their struggles. It wasn’t until later that I realized there could be potential issues with exposing these children into the pageant world.
First, these children are in there most formative years where they are constantly absorbing information from their surrounding that will potentially structure their character. Many of the parents on this show put great amounts of money into making their children “beautiful”. They buy wigs and hair extensions, false teeth, take them to tanning salons and even spend thousands of dollars on costumes, lessons, and pageant coaches. To put so much money into appearances shows these children that outer beauty is most important. Also these children spend the majority of their time preparing for their appearances in front of the judges. The stress of competition and performing for crowds that is put on these children forces them to grow up and lose a lot of their childlike innocence.

Pageants can be beneficial in some aspects. They tend to increase the participants self-esteem, confidence, and manners. Many parents enroll their children in pageants to raise money for their education. Pageants expose children, who otherwise would not travel around the world, to different cultures, lifestyles, and people who are not like themselves.

As I watched this show I saw these positives and negatives and the effects they had the attitudes of the children. They were sometimes very confident in their performances. Other times they were very mean and unruly to their parents and treated them as there assistants. Then they would quickly transition into a tantrum and remind the viewers that they are in fact young children. It makes you wonder, it is really fair to force these children to deal with real life issues such as rejection and body image at such a young age?



Response By: Raavin R Evans


     The chosen topic, although not very popular or controversial as other mainstream topics, this topic is very important and interesting and has an influence on how individuals view themselves and others around them. Like you Ms. Nelson, I two have watched Toddlers and Tiaras and have had the discussion several times on how subjecting young children to such extreme conditions such as having false teeth along with wearing make-up and other “beauty secrets” in the pageant world, can have a drastic effect on them both positive and negative. From your argument I am assuming that you feel that there are more negative aspects of subjecting young children to pageants. If my assumption is accurate, personally I agree that the extensive involvement in pageants at a young age can have more negative effects than positive ones on a young child.

     Although pageants can aid to self-esteem, manners, allows exposure to different cultures, along with being monetarily beneficial, these positives do not outweigh how these children childhoods are stripped away from them. One episode that I remember watching, one child was asked if she liked being in pageants in which she replied “no” that she did not. After her response her mother instantly said that the child was just a little upset and in fact she loves being involved in pageants. Whether that statement is true or not, that response raises the question of parents living through their children and if pageant moms go a little too far? As stated earlier pageants can be positive; but what is learned in a pageant can also be learned elsewhere. Manners can be learned in etiquette courses and even summer youth programs that are offered for free or at a discounted rate if there is a hardship. Self-esteem can be gained by a simple “Honey you are beautiful” from a parent to a child, although there are other ways to increase a young child’s self esteem.

     As mentioned in your blog, the negatives of a pageant include but are not limited to this false sense of beauty along with creating a false sense of what “winning” means. On the very same episode that was mentioned earlier, it was one youth who did not win the pageant, although I could understand how she was hurt, when the young girl stated that she did not win because she was not beautiful enough, that phrase alone coming from an innocent child really took be by surprise. Pageants also create a need for material things, which life in general is more than false teeth, pretty dresses and extensions. It does not make sense for any youth to be deprived of sleep, because those hours that would have been for sleeping have been dedicated to dance lessons, picking out costumes, getting extensions, and learning the right pageant walk. Also it is not fair for these children to have the chance at a real childhood taken away from them against their will.



Toddlers in Tiaras By: Jasmine Sadat

"Pageant"...
According to an online dictionary, the meaning of pageant is a pretentious display or show that conceals a lack of real importance or meaning. I'm not sure how I fell about a young girl or boy doing such a thing. At this tender age these kids are supposed to playing with dolls not be a doll.

The fact that pageants are also performed by adults I believe that it takes a toll even on adults. Such activities should not be a part of a child's life. The one thing I can say is that I do not think pageants are bad; I don't think a child should make this a career. I watched the show a few times and to me it seems like the parents are living through their kids. I agree with the statement that often times the parent talk to their kids as if they are their assistants. This type of behavior is unacceptable.

Toddlers flaunting around wearing make-up and heels is an adult act. The idea that they are competing to see who is the prettiest blows me. To formulate such a mindset at a tender age will only have a negative turnout as that child grows up. There are exceptions but majority of the time there are not. Acting thirty years older than they are just isn't healthy. From personal experience, a child at that age mock and absorb everything is this has an impact on their lives.

I blame the parents. I believe that a parent should not make their seven year old daughter (or son) a business partner. This not only happens in the pageant world but it also happens in the entertainment world. This childhood celebs do not live a successful childhood or adulthood. Look at the Olsen twins, Hillary Duff, Michael Jackson, Lindsay Lohan, and Britney Spears.

Although many of the pageants do have some positive outcomes but I just don't condone it at a young age. These kids are not puppets. Honestly, the way the look wearing wigs and hair extensions, false teeth, tans, and costumes looks ridiculous. I agree, to put so much money into appearances shows these children that outer beauty is most important. Let these children grow up and let’s try to hold on to their innocence.