Child Beauty Pageants Are Not Beautiful

1. Child Beauty Pageants Are Not Beautiful By Tessa Rife

2. Imagine that in the future, each of you have a daughter. Would you want her to look like this?

3. Video clip #1 Introduction to the “pageant world”

4. History of Pageants Adult beauty pageants began during the 1920s in order to give hotels more business. Later, in the 1960s, child beauty pageants came about. About forty years Participants compete in modeling sports wear and evening wear, performing a talent, and speaking publically.

5. How are the Girls Judged? Judged based on appearance, poise, perfection, and confidence. “An ugly American subculture has been formed as a result of this emphasis on perfection” (Giroux).

6. Example of this subculture Video clip #2 Notice the satirical nature of this clip

7. Child beauty pageants negatively effect the lives of young girls involved. 1. ) Loss of self esteem 2.) Waste of money 3.) Teaches skewed values 4.) Creates unrealistic ideas for their futures Fake nails!!

8. 1.) Loss of Self Esteem Pageant industry abolishes respect for natural beauty, and replaces it with fake tans and false lashes. Being surrounded by a culture obsessed with perfection makes girls insecure. Not taking home a tiara makes the girls feel that they are not pretty enough, talented enough to satisfy the society that “bred” them.

9. 2.) Waste of Money Pageants are extremely expensive Entry fees  at least $500 Travel costs  upwards of $200 Outfits  $700 Total = $1,400 Money that could be spent to “establish a [savings plan] to help…alleviate the cost of a college education” (Giroux).

10. 3.) Pageants Teach Skewed Values Competitiveness / Cattiness Teaches the belief that beating every other person = success Greed Strive to attain the large amount of prize money Sexuality The industry sexualizes young girls at much too early an age Emphasizes sexuality while onstage to impress the judges

11. 4.) Pageants Create False Hopes for Girls’ Futures Within the world of pageantry girls can be successful due to their appearance Girls believe that this is transferrable later in life Some aspire to be models or actresses Get by on looks More often than not, this does not happen. Less than 1% of Americans are runway models Chances are slim

12. If Abby did child pageants… If Maggie did child pageants… …she would have less money later in life. …she would grow to be insecure. If Rachel did child pageants… If Alexx did child pageants… …she would become overly competitive in the future. …she may end up jobless.

13. Therefore, participation in child beauty pageants truly does corrupt the lives of young girls by lowering their self confidence, wasting their money, teaching them skewed values, and creating unrealistic goals for their futures.