Are Beauty Pageants the Problem or the Age of the Girls?

Beauty pageants have been given a negative connotation recently, due to the hit TLC show, “Toddlers and Tiaras”.  Is it the age of the girls participating in these pageants that causes the controversy or is it the beauty pageants themselves?

            Toddlers and Tiaras is a reality television show that gives viewers a day in the life of many young girls and their families as they prepare and participate in pageants.  The show has created much controversy due to the mature costumes that many mothers feel give their daughters the edge to win.  Some costumes which have caused much discussion were a girl dressed up as Dolly Parton and a young girl dressed as Julia Roberts in “Pretty Woman”.  However, with all of the controversy many people find the show entertaining.  Each episode is thirty minutes long and is filled with funny dialogue between the young girls and their parents.               

            Women, who are apart of the pageant world, feel that this show is giving pageants a false identity.  The show portrays pageants as a way for people to receive their fifteen minutes of fame.  These young girls are learning how to be the center of attention and that only winning is important.  “For me, pageants were where I learned my public speaking skills and interview skills,” said Sarah Klein.  Klein has participated in ten pageants through the Miss America organization.  She participated in her first pageant when she was fifteen years old.  Klein believes that starting in her teen years allowed her to gain useful skills that she will be able to use when applying for her first job.  “I hate the image that Toddlers and Tiaras is creating for pageants.  I hope to change this false image because pageants are so much more than the crowns and money,” Klein said.  Many pageants that the Miss America organization puts on are about the community service that each participant volunteers for in their community.

           

            With all of the glittery dresses, hair pieces and flippers the pageant lifestyle is not all it portrays to be.  Many families spend large sums of money on the multiple costumes, the cost of traveling and the entrance fees for each pageant.  However, the parents feel it is all worth it when their child comes home a winner.  The winner usually receives money along with a crown.  For Lauren Lundeen, Miss Oklahoma U.S.A., she wishes the show would teach the girls that winning is not everything.  “I think that the parents take the winning concept too far,” Lundeen said.  Lundeen recently placed in the top ten of the Miss U.S.A. pageant in Las Vegas, Nevada.  “I watched some of the women from other states get so upset about not winning Miss U.S.A.  These women were put into pageants at a very young age, it was the only thing in their life that they felt was important,” Lundeen said.  The young girls need to understand the importance of pageants is not winning, but presenting yourself in a confident and positive way.

            For now, Toddlers and Tiaras still receives high ratings, but overtime it will be interesting to see if this show stays on top.  Many enjoy the show, but understand that the message conveyed is not one that should be put into the minds of young children.