Beauty pageant 101: Telling kids that it's what's on the inside that matters, and yet awarding them for being the most dolled-up and pretty, being able to walk a certain way, and have an admirable smile. Seriously, this is completely hypocritical.
I'll admit, there are some pageants that are for good causes, such as the Miss America pageant that raises money for charity and also serves as a scholarship program. However, how many pageants out there actually give back in some way besides making the host(s) and producer(s) money?
Yes, if there is a child that doesn't feel like he or she is "pretty" enough to win, and yet they do win once entered, it can help their self-esteem tremendously. However, boosting self-esteem and raising money for a good cause should be the end of it. Too much exposure and, more importantly, too many winnings of beauty pageants are not healthy for our youth.
I've been doing some research and I've found that, when people support beauty pageants, they include that the pageants are, for the most part, good for socializing and gaining confidence.
Firstly, I'd like to point out that you can socialize anywhere, i.e. school, church, the park.
Secondly, gain confidence? Yeah, when the children are all done up to look their best. Take that all away and ask them after they've lost a contest how they feel. Well, there went the "gain confidence" card.
"I wasn't pretty enough" or "I didn't walk the right way" or "My teeth weren't white enough". The list goes on and on.
Don't get me wrong, this is certainly not the case with every contestant. There are some out there that simply compete for the fun of it, being able to walk around a stage, strut, and have all attention on themselves and feel like a celebrity on the Red Carpet, but don't mind whether they win or lose. However, there are also contestants that compete over and over to prove to themselves that they're pretty enough. I've witnessed first-hand what over-exposure to these competitions can do to people.
For example:
My friend and I were talking with one another during class, discussions the ever-inspiring Lady Gaga and how she is fashionable (in a unique way, of course, but that's for another time). Just then, the girl sitting in front of me, a beauty pageant contestant all of her life, turns around and says, "Oh, me?" (I kid you not, she actually said that). Taken aback, my friend and I looked at one another and I replied, "No, we were talking about Lady Gaga." And that's not even the best part. After my reply, the girl turned back around in her seat and said to herself, "Hm! I'm fashionable." Conceited doesn't even brush the surface of this girl, I promise you.
Now, there could be contributing factors to her, uh, dilemma, such as her mom not showing her enough attention or not encouraging her enough and things of that sort, but all I know is that she has been competing in beauty pageants since she was very young. But I'm not placing her condition entirely on a youth of beauty pageant competitions. However, I'm not ruling it out as a contributing factor either.
In today's society, 11% of children and teens are diagnosed with depressive disorder by age 18, and self-esteem of young people is on a downward slope. So, ask yourself: Are beauty pageants really beneficial or, for the most part, are they ruining our youth?
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