Mason Alison Mason

Gardner

English 10, Period 4

26 October, 2014

Tyranny and Tiaras

Fellow students, we are all familiar with the topic of beauty pageants. People may have attended, participated, or perhaps seen them on Toddlers and Tiaras. These pageants continue to happen even though they are a horrific example to boys and girls across the world. Pageants award teens and children only as pretty as Barbie for putting on layers of makeup, hair extensions and flashing that genuine smile. According to Daisey Mae, an 8 year old pageant contestant, Facial beauty is the most important thing in life, and as a contestant of glitz pageants we can infer she isn't talking about natural beauty. Children, from a young age should be taught about the importance of natural beauty and loving yourself. They should not have to put mountains of makeup on to be told they are pretty. Everyone should be taught that beauty is not about your makeup, its about what makes you up. As we watch pageant children grow up, we see their self-esteem slowly slipping away. Children dont realize the negative effects of pageants but as parents and viewers we should watch out for the future Americans. When moms and parents, Like Marlo the mother of a eleven year old on Toddlers and Tiaras, tell their daughters things like, It doesn't matter if you can breathe or not. It only matters if you look beautiful. we know there is a real problem. According to Martina Cartwright, six percent of pageant teens have been diagnosed with depression and ex-contestants have a higher rate of body dissatisfaction. Six percent may not seem like a lot but if youre at a pageant with 200 girls, twelve of them are most likely suffering from it and that is twelve more kids that shouldn't have that burden in their young lives. In addition, according to Erica Sandberg, parents spend on average $1,500 for just one single glitz pageant. Would you spend thousands of dollars just to try to win one trophy? Families could use that money for better things, not just one prize. From hair-straighteners to hair extensions, foundation to spray tan, mascara to fake eyelashes, the beauty pageant world is a cut-throat game that makes it easy to see why theyre so many problems attached with beauty pageants. Fortunately there are several things we can do to stop or lessen the act of beauty pageants. Tv shows dont thrive unless people watch, so first, people, stop watching things like Toddlers and Tiaras, stop watching broadcasted beauty pageants, and stop watching the Miss America Pageant. We can easily start writing letters to director heads explaining our issue. The more letters that go out, the more people become aware and really consider what's going on. Other countries have bans and restrictions on it. The French Parliament passed a law saying that people under sixteen cannot take part in pageants. There are also several different online partitions people can sign to help raise awareness to end this horrible form of tyranny.I do acknowledge that pageants mean a lot to certain people, and banning them is part of a world that they never wish to see. Pageants are hobbies for many moms and daughters and may be a way for them to bond. Pageants are family traditions that people plan to uphold. Pageants are a way to show off your kid to others and let them have fun dressing up. But when you weigh the pros and cons of this activity, the removal of pageants is in the best nature for everyone.Pageants have come too far and need to be changed. When four year olds get spray tans, when toddlers get fake teeth and hair extensions, when eight year olds are told that they need to lose weight and be skinny, when adults judge children they dont even know on whos the best and most beautiful, when little pageant boys on national television say I told her she was pretty. I lied, when kids develop mental illness because of pageants-- that is when we know pageants have gone way too far. There are so many things we can do to prevent them so why not start now. I can help stop them, but more importantly, so can you. Thank you.

Cartwright, Martina M. "Child Beauty Pageants: What Are We Teaching Our Girls?" Psychology Today: Health, Help, Happiness + Find a Therapist. N.p., 12 Aug. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2014. Sandberg, Erica. "Toddlers, Tiaras -- and Debt: The Costs of Child Beauty Pageants." Creditcars.com. N.p., 2014. Web. 30 Oct. 2014.

"Toddlers & Tiaras: TLC." TLC. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2014.