Child Beauty Pageants and Their Role in Society
Aima Humayun
“I hated the make-up, hairspray and fake teeth. But most of all I hated being forced on to the
tanning bed. Mum read to me to make me lie still” – Brooke Breedwell
This is just one of the many testimonies of former child beauty pageant contestants
that captures the horrors of what goes on behind the scenes. What ethical role do child beauty
pageants play in society? A role in which we are united as a country- in the sense that we have
the luxury of freedom and the ability/right to do what we please? Or a more detrimental role in
which children are being harmed both physically and mentally? Is the first just a front or is the
second an exaggeration? In order to answer this question, all aspects of this social movement
need to be analyzed.
Before we look at the negatives and positives of this movement, it’s essential to have
some background information. Child beauty pageants originated in the 1960’s and they are
still a very large part of society today, specifically in America. Children were researched
according to the influence that competition had on education and these pageants even served
as “political, educational, and entertaining events” (Nussbaum).
Many people argue in favor of child beauty pageants, and this includes former
contestants. One positive component of these pageants is the sense of community and
“oneness” that it brings. One former contestant, Marly Ramstad, said that she would often
compete with other girls “as a community, and we would party, have so much fun”
(Goode). For some girls it gives them a sense of pride and brings them out of their shells.
It gives them a chance to come out into the spotlight, to discover themselves, and even
build self-confidence. Even though there are negatives, some contestants chose to
embrace them as positives. One former contestant, Heidi Girkin, agreed that these
Child Beauty Pageants and Their Role in Society
Aima Humayun
pageants were brutal but they prepared her “for real life, because let's be honest, the real
world is not a nice place. There's a lot of mean in the world.” (Goode)
Where there are positives, there are also negatives. Many researchers,
psychologists, and even former contestants argue that child beauty pageants are
extremely detrimental, both physically and mentally, to the health of children. These
pageants can have long-term effects on the children who participate in them. One former
contestant even admitted to still being uncomfortable wearing her hair up as an adult
because of a comment a judge had made years ago when she was a child. These pageants
can shatter a contestant’s self-confidence so completely, that it will follow her around
later in life. Former contestant Laura Goode mentions in her article which features
interviews with other former contestants that not only do these pageants pit children
against one another to compete but it also sexualizes young children in a way that is not
just harmful to the contestants who participate in these pageants, but to the millions of
other children watching and learning from it as well.
Another major concern that arises in these child beauty pageants is the possibility
of child abuse. In one instance, 8 year old Britney Campbell was injected with botox by
her mother and was also given a “virginal” waxing to prevent hair growth (Mazzulo).
Many children are abused in this industry and many of these cases go unreported. Many
former pageant contestants came forward and recounted the many atrocities that they
suffered at the hands of their own parents.
Many children also suffer long-term psychological effects from these pageants as
many researchers have seen in studies. According to a study conducted by researchers in
2005, pageant contestants exhibited more signs of “body dissatisfaction, interpersonal
Child Beauty Pageants and Their Role in Society
Aima Humayun
distrust, and impulse dysregulation than non-participants, and showed a trend toward
greater ineffectiveness” (Wonderlich et al). The majority of studies concluded that those
who participated in pageants showed higher signs of psychological distress, ranging from
anorexia, bulimia, depression, and even full-blown personality disorders.
So it is evident that although there are many positive aspects to this social
movement, the negative aspects far outweigh them. Even though child beauty pageants
can allow children to express themselves, they also allow room for dangerous things like
child abuse and psychological disorders. From this evidence it can be concluded that
child beauty pageants play a harmful role in society and it is in no way ethical for this
phenomenon to continue, especially when children continue to get hurt. So the question
remains, why hasn’t America done away with child pageants? This fad has been around
for over 50 years. If it’s so detrimental, which it clearly is, then why does it still occur
throughout the United States? Why do parents continue to place their children in these
pageants? The answer is that beauty pageants are part of an enormous industry, one that’s
much too large and much to difficult to just put a stop to. This industry is worth billions
of dollars, and as we all know, money makes the world go round and with the way that
our economy is looking right now, it doesn’t seem like people are in a place to turn away
money. These pageants offer cash prizes, scholarships, even modeling contracts. Money
is a powerful motivator. Where there is an incentive, there is always someone who is
willing to do whatever it takes for that incentive. And as sad as it is, that’s just enough to
overshadow the horrors that take place behind the scenes of these pageants.
Child Beauty Pageants and Their Role in Society
Aima Humayun
Works Cited
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Banet-Weiser, Sarah. The Most Beautiful Girl in the World: Beauty Pageants and
National Identity. N.p.: U of California P, 1999. Print.
Bindley, Katherine. "Former Child Pageant Star Warns against Pageant Life." Huffington
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Child Beauty Pageants and Their Role in Society
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