I know beauty pageants are a way of life for many. Almost a rite of passage for little girls and often times a family affair.
Little girls parading around looking much older than their years.
Make up.Check.
Fake eyelashes. Check.
Curled hair. Extensions. Check.
Fancy Dress. Check.
High heels. Check.
Fake tan. Check.
The list can go on and on....
Do this, don't do that. Eat this, not that. Wear this, walk this way, stand up straight, smile...
Families drop tons of money into these things. Mortgage their homes, max out their credit cards, travel all over the place, staying in hotels night after night and for what? The rare chance that their child will be crowned "Little Miss Sunshine?" Have you had a chance to watch the show toddlers & tiaras ? My stomach churns any time I get a glimpse of it. I feel so sorry for these little girls. For the mothers (& fathers) that are part of this billion dollar industry. Many times they seem to live vicariously through these little girls. The titles the little girls win, fulfill their own (the parents) self worth.
And did you hear about the mother in California that has injected her 8 year old daughter with Botox in hopes that it will help her advance in the pageants she enters. Was injecting your daughter with a poison, for a slim chance at winning a pageant, worth losing her to the State of California? I mean seriously! What the heck was she thinking? She wasn't obviously.
I just don't understand, I guess, why some parents would want to eagerly throw their child to the wolves. From what I have heard/seen second hand about the pageant world is it is cutthroat. Dog Eat Dog World. I realize an argument can be made that by entering young children in a pageant gives them experience for real life issues such as acceptance of failure, dealing with difficult people, etc. And if they win, then the recognition bolsters their self esteem and fills their college bank account. But why would you want to so willingly subject your child to this at such a young age when they are so impressionable and ill fit to deal with all the adult things that come with the pageant world?
Let them be little girls, play with dolls, not dress up and act like Bratz dolls.
As a mother of two daughters, who in my eyes are beautiful and yes, it makes me smile when others tell me how cute or beautiful they are but I know, at least for the oldest one at this point, there is so much more to her than beauty. She is a beautiful person inside and out.
She is considerate, compassionate, smart beyond her years and very loving. I don't need to enter her in a pageant and give her botox injections to make me see this or to prove to others that she is beautiful and therefore worth something. And for my 1 yr old, obviously she is too young to shine yet but I am certain she will be more than just a pretty face.
I do hate to judge but that mother in California should be ashamed of herself.
(Ok, I will get off my soapbox now)
What do you think?
I couldn't agree more! I think that the mother of that child and the doctor who injected the botox should be brought up on criminal charges. Pageants sicken me.
ReplyDeleteI'm on that soapbox with you.
ReplyDeleteSorry but I was judging her and while as mothers we all make mistakes - deliberately jeopardising your child's life for 5 seconds of fame is not exceptable.
Kids should be able to simply be kids, adulthood and its dramas comes way too soon
Hope there's still room on that soapbox for me too. I was APALLED at that mother's behavior because of what she's teaching her daughter. She's teaching her that her outside looks are most important and that's just disgusting. I did hear the little girl was taken from the mother while they are investigating too.
ReplyDelete