Comments on: Do kiddie beauty pageants border on child abuse?

By: capnip

capnip — Sat, 16 May 2009 19:19:32 +0000

beauty pagents are about MONEY. It’s not about beauty at all. I know a guy who is a huge organizer of pageants in the Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, area, who served time in federal prison for felony theft. He organizes these pageants and makes a fortune. He barely even likes these kids and hates the mothers. It’s just easy money. What else is he going to do? He can’t get a real job, but he’s suave and clever, and let’s face it, the mothers of these kids are easy pickins for getting money. They don’t even care enough about their kids to do a background check to see if any of these organizers or directors have criminal records, yet they’ll spend a fortune on pageant bafoonery. Like I said, a fortune to be made in this business.

By: RR

RR — Sun, 03 May 2009 21:46:13 +0000

Pagents are so much more then what they are showing on “reality shows” which are edited and cut to look a certain way. these girls are taught poise and self confidance, they loose and win grace fully. What alot of people arnt getting is that THEY ARE NOT THESE GIRLS WHOLE LIFE. yes it looks like in on the shows but again….edditing. I have done pagents, so has my aunt and her daughter, and all of us did way more then just look pretty, My aunt was on drill team, and danced, I dance and played soccer, while my cuz is a tripple she competes, is on a competaive cheer squad and plays soccer, and all at he own request. She is not forced and she loves it, and the moment she says stop, and means it, it would all stop. out off all the people who say they have a distace for pagents id like to know how many of you have actually been to a pagent yourself?? if you havnt then you have no right to judge what the media typicaly misconstrues.

By: Bella's MOM

Bella's MOM — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 22:34:13 +0000

Also, agree with above comment. I was a pageant child either. The media portrays it in a neg light! There are soooooo many rules at pageants to keep the kids safe for example, NO outsiders, you have to purchase a door pass, and to purchase one you have to be directly associated with a contestant. They have rules as to what kind of pics to take. The media shows what will get ratings! We are a military family as well, I can tell you what is going on over seas is FAR from the actual whole well rounded truth!! You may view it how you wish B?C YOU ONLY SEE ONE SIDE OF IT!! Don’t pass judgements until you see all the facts. Besides it’s not like we allow our kids to walk around a mall this way, and COME ON a spray tan, it’s surface, comes off in 24 hours! While I would not spray tan a baby, no way, most don’t, it is like putting lotion on, seriously? Are we that critical, comes off before you even get home, what is wrong with looking healthy?

By: Bella's MOM

Bella's MOM — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 22:29:33 +0000

Wow, too many people need to keep opinions to themselves. What if the child wants to do it? And EXACTLY like the second column said, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. JUST LIKE ANY SPORT! There is good and bad a parent can do in any sport. I have seen parents act worse at a gymnastics meet or soccer game. I have seen moms at my daughters music studio, behave worse over a missed note. Pageantry is widely misunderstood and wow go figure BY THE MOMS WHO KNOW NOTHING ABOUT IT! Take time to learn the facts before you make a judgement. There are extremes some moms go to but NOT ALL PAGEANT MOMS ARE LIKE THIS! You have extreme moms in every level of child rearing, not just pageantry or even sports in general, there are many aspects of parenting where parents go to extremes in the minds of other parents.

By: Dragonlove

Dragonlove — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:24:11 +0000

I would have to answer YES… However you need to carefully READ the question. The question wasn’t “Is it child abuse”, but “Does it BORDER on it”. I believe what makes it potentially abusive is the parents who either go overboard or allow slutty pictures to be taken of their tots. However this potential ALSO exists everywhere else that children compete if parents go to extremes. It does seem, though, that the kiddie pagents do seem to cross that line more often than do sports competitions.

With that said – I do have to state that the slutty pictures of tots *DO* qualify for child porn whether they were taken for a pagent or not. But I do admit, that as with all porn, there’s a fine line for some subject regarding what is simply “cute” to one person, can be “porn” to another.

By: Taylor

Taylor — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 15:53:58 +0000

I think that parents entering their kids in pagents is 100 percent fine parents do this sort of thingto help their children. now im no pagent mom but i was a pagent girl and on tv they ONLY show you all the bad parts. dont be a hater

By: Scarlet

Scarlet — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 22:14:18 +0000

Sexualizing little girls??? You can’t be serious! You will look at a 6 year old girl in a bathing suit and claim its sexy?!? You are the REAL pedophiles here! Not the pageant people. As far as the extreme parents argument goes well, your judging your opinions on T.V. shows. You can’t really know until you’ve been there. I have seen some pretty damn fanatical parents in other sports and activities I have done. But, never in pageants.

By: Frustrated

Frustrated — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 20:34:41 +0000

Aw-

You are absolutely right….I was in the band in middle school…it just turned out to not be what I was looking for, but I gave it a go and I did the best I could…which at the time was good(1st chair) with how little I stayed with it…but I still took it as a competition…But when the time came to choose between extra activities, I enjoyed my sports WAY more.

There is a part of me that wants my kid(s) to be into sports, and I am sure a part of me will be bummed if they decide a different path…. But I will support them and learn with them in whatever they choose to do for fun.

By: AW

AW — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 19:52:00 +0000

Frustrated, that’s awesome! I’m a sports mom, because that’s what the kids wanted to do. (The music lessons fizzled…) I have my own comfy bleacher chair, and log many hours working concessions and doing fundraisers and banquets. PLEASE, PEOPLE! If you can, buy what the kids are selling to support the booster clubs. Public school funding does not cover sports, and sports help kids develop good health habits, learn to work with others, set goals, and learn to win, lose, and deal with disappointment. It also keeps them off the streets, bongs, and (I hope!) each other in a nekkid sort of way. For awhile at least.

I’m just sad that art and music programs have also faded for the younger generations. Not everyone wants to do sports. Art, music, and theater, etc. provide similar benefits for the children who aren’t interested in athletic competition.

By: Frustrated

Frustrated — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:30:34 +0000

Hi AW!

I can respect your opinion on never entering your child into a pageant. And I want you to know I am not pushing my child to want to do anything. But I want to be a supportive parent, I want her to have the confidence in trying new things. Whether she wins or not is not important to me, it is that she gives her best in everything she does.

There are a lot of beautiful women in the world, but just because they are prettier, doesn’t make me ugly…. I guess that is how I see the pageants..it doesn’t make or break you if you win or lose, it is the support you get from those around you letting you know you gave it your best go.

I am all for having scores at little league games. Sure, it is for fun, but there is a lot to learn from being competative and wanting to strive and pass your set goals. With the show last night, I saw the losing girls cry, but not because they thought they were ugly….it was because they wanted to win.. Which is no different than any other competition. You cry when you don’t win a big game, but not because you sucked at it…because you just didn’t win!! And it makes you try that much harder in the next thing you do…whether it be another game or how well you do on your homework in school..

I know not everyone is going to agree with me, but I think one of the most important things I learned as a kid is my competative attitude. It went from the ball field to the basketball court, to the track field, to my homework to the colleges I applied to. Even today, I make myself strive for better things….whether it be my physical health, my mental health or a new recipe in the kitchen.