Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Beauty Pageants

No everyone agrees with me about this, and that's ok. But, I've held this opinion for all of my adult life and I'm not likely to change it now.

Beauty pageants featuring very young girls are just wrong. Actually, they're all pretty silly, but at least by the time a girl is 16 or 18, she has a chance to keep things real.

Jonbenet Ramsey was, tragically, a perfect example of the way parents (usually mothers) exploit their daughters. Take your typical five year old girl, Daddy's little princess, Mama's doll. For all of her short life, she has been told that she is the cutest, sweetest, smartest, most adorable little girl in the world. And, she believes it. Then, she comes in second, third, fourth, or even last in the pageant that started out being so much fun. She doesn't understand what happened. Could Daddy and Mama have been wrong?

The next time, Mama puts 3 lbs of makeup on her, and dresses her up like a cute little cowgirl, or a beguiling Vegas showgirl wannabe, teaches her a song and choreographs a booty-wiggling dance, and she's cuter than ever. She doesn't understand what all the wiggling is about, but the pedophiles do.

This is a far cry from trotting the little princess out in front of dinner guests to recite a poem, or sing "I'm a Little Teapot".

Jonbenet never had a chance.

11 comments:

Maya's Granny said...

The naked body gives very clear indication of whether the person is a child, an adult, an elder. It says who is sexual, who is fertile, who is a child. When we put on clothes that confuse the issue, we end up with problems.

Betty said...

Saz: You're right. No one seems to want to let their children be children.

Maya's granny: You're right, too. Look at all the pre-teens who, because of their clothing, appear to be much older than they are.

Anonymous said...

And yet one more "AMEN" from the amen section...

Peggy said...

Parading your little daughters around with all that makeup. Yes, they're pretty but they're not women they are little girls. Don't blur the line! Bad things happen when lines get blurred.

Kell said...

When we were in college, Al worked at a hotel nights. There was a pageant for little girls and many of them stayed at the hotel. He said it was awful! All these mothers screaming at their daughters, brushing and teasing their hair until they cried, apllying make-up, and telling them they have to do better. I just don't understand how these mothers can say, "but she loves it. when she doesn't love it, we'll stop." Yeah, right.

Newt said...

I'm going to have to stick with the "Amen" group.

Mari Meehan said...

You've quite a congregation on this one. I add my Amen!

Tink said...

I absolutely agree! Activities like that force the kids out of childhood long before they're ready. And it's always for the parents. I don't know a single kid that would CHOOSE this for themselves.

F&W said...

Amen here too! (and boy did you conjure up some memories for me by mentioning "I'm a little teapot!" LOL)

Anonymous said...

As far as I know these junior beauty pagents do not exist in the UK, at least not yet, for we tend to copy all things American (good and bad).
What I do find disturbing here is how very young girls are being dressed almost as little 'hookers'.

lisajoelle said...

I agree with your comments to a certain extent. My dad entered me in my first pageant when I was in the 4th grade. I had a beautiful white eyelet gown that a friend of the family made for me and I wore white patent leather shoes. There was an evening gown, competition, talent and an on stage question. We had to do this HUGE curtsey on stage. I am almost positive that I did not wear any make-up. I enjoyed myself, it was my first experience on stage, so I asked my dad if I could try it again the next year. Again I had a blast, I met other girls my own age we were all dressed appropriately, and again little if NO make-up. I don't have a daughter but if I did yes I would love for her to enter a pageant. I think that they can teach many things, to include self-esteem, public speaking, proper wear of a dress, how to sit, manners and a whole lot of other things that I think are lacking in todays young people. (granted my mom enforced all of these things when I was growing up) With that said, although my experience is one that I am proud of, I too am appalled by what the little girls look like that enter in the majority of todays pageants. What is even worse is the photos of them that have been touched up, to make their faces look aboslutely perfect and FAKE! Like china dolls, it is sick. So I
guess I am torn, pageants do not have to be a bad thing for kids, but adults have turned it into an industry that that uses children in a bad way.