Babies and pageant competitions

[Angelbaby_01]

What are your feeling about babies being enrolled for these competitions. Dressing up and having make up?

What is your reason for the decision? The reason why I am asking is because I just watched a show on tv and think some of the mothers do it only for the money.

I added a poll to vote.

 

[robinator]

Not seeing a poll....?

Anyway, in a nutshell I think they are ridiculous. And sad.

eta: ok, there's the poll

 

[jenniferttc1]

No way! Toddlers and tiaras is disgusting. These 5 year olds look older than me!
I also don't see how pageants give a child self esteem like they claim, I feel it would put pressure on them all their life to look stunning and always feel judged on apperance. Small pageats are alright, still don't personally agree with dressing a bunch of little girls and picking 1 queen, and a few next to best.

 

[tina3747]

There's not an answer I can choose!

As much as I hate beyond belief the Toddlers and tiaras culture I wouldn't consider it child abuse either. The mums on this programme, honestly I'd like to slap their silly pouty faces, having to dance away to songs so the kids don't forget the routines, doing that stupid hands on hip shaking thing and pointing thing... Eughhh, the kids look like little mini lap dancers in all tht make up and hair. Orange skin, fake teeth, wigs and fake nails??? How does that make a 5 yr old pretty!!??
The best bit is when the kids don't want to o it and start tantruming... You can see the gritted teeth through the mums fake smile!!

Rant over!

 

[Eternal]

I dont like them, but I don't think they are abuse. At least not any more so than any parent who pushes their child to do well academically, or in sport or whatever. I don't think it's healthy to put so much emphasis on looks, but neither do I on anything, children should be enocuaged to be rounded indviduals who are happy with themselves.

On the other side of that, pushing kids a bit can be healthy and rewarding too, it's getting a balance. I am sure most athletes would agree that at some point someone pushed them.

I generally really don't like anything about beauty pageants and can no see how it can benefit anyone, but I sure there are people out there who would argue with me about that.

Also I think most little girls would love the idea of putting on a pretty dress and having people clap you.

 

[J.Entwistle]

Dont you think the majority of mothers on toddlers and tiaras are living their OWN dreams through their children.

I personally think its really sad to get them so dolled up. Kids grow up too quickly anyway and its not exactly encouraging them yo do anything pther than being pretty. I would much rather if i had a daughter her be interested in science or sports!

 

[Eternal]

Dont you think the majority of mothers on toddlers and tiaras are living their OWN dreams through their children.

I personally think its really sad to get them so dolled up. Kids grow up too quickly anyway and its not exactly encouraging them yo do anything pther than being pretty. I would much rather if i had a daughter her be interested in science or sports!

I agree, I do think they live vicariously through their children, but so do a lot of parents when they push their children to achieve academically or in athletic abilities.

 

[robinator]

True.

 

[alaskagrown]

Hahahha.....Honey Boo Boo...Hahahaha

 

[michelle25]

not all pageants are like the tv show. my neice has done pageants...no makeup, no glitz...just a little girl in a pretty dress and she enjoys it. im not opposed to it. i voted on the fence. if my daughter wanted to do a pageant i would be ok with it. it would be a pageant of my choosing and not one that expects girls to look like women.

the tv show is ridiculous and gives all pageants a bad name.

 

[PitaKat]

Dont you think the majority of mothers on toddlers and tiaras are living their OWN dreams through their children.

Oh absolutely, I always think that!

 

[Noodlebear]

Think it's awful to start LOs off in life by basically telling them that looks matter. I think it can be really damaging/create some really terribly behaved children and that toddlers and tiaras show makes me want to bash some parent's heads together! x

 

[Jaylynne]

I hate it. There's playing dress up and putting on sparkly clothes and then there's the insanity of making little girls look like drag queens. It's emphasizing that girls need fake things to make themselves attractive and that they aren't naturally beautiful enough to be considered. It's sad! How about judging on effort and good attitudes. Some of those kids attitudes stink because their parents let them get away with anything!

 

[Sarahkka]

I voted the strongest "no" option, but am not sure how much I agree with the word "abuse". The pageant culture I have seen has come from a few snippets from TLC - a channel notorious for exploiting anything out of the ordinary and editing in drama where there probably really isn't any. So, while I was horrified by the snippets I saw on Toddlers and Tiaras, mostly due to the shocking sexualization of tiny children, I am open to the idea of some pageants just being a low-key talent and modelling show. Some posters say those do exist and I have to think they must be right. It can't all be that outrageous, right? There must be some where all the kids feel good about participating and are there by choice.
I am not a huge fan of pageant culture, in general (like Miss America, for example). I think that no matter how much they try to focus on achievements, etc, there is no way you can pretend that those women aren't there because of their looks. Those are not values I want my kids to learn, so I would personally choose very different activities for my kids to be involved in.

 

[smelly07]

NO - its absoultely ridiculous x

 

[Andypanda6570]

It is ridiculous, but I do NOT consider it abuse.

 

[staralfur]

They wouldn't bother me if there wasn't makeup, fake tans, and fake teeth involved for such young girls. It's seriously disturbing. Now, I say they wouldn't bother me but I still wouldn't put my daughter in one.

I've seen clips of the moms saying "my child loves it!" meanwhile the girl is crying/screaming.

 

[lhancock90]

I do consider it physological abuse.
Children are being given this mindset that tan/hair/nails etc are the ONLY forms of beauty, that will shape the rest of their lives, their innocence is being stolen.

 

[PitaKat]

I think that they're oftentimes ridiculous and unhealthy, but not abuse. They do have beauty pageants where they don't have fake tans, fake teeth and makeup.

 

[DanielleM]

Nope I don't believe in the whole baby paegents and beauty competitions, I think they are disgusting.