John Smith
Mrs. Hodson
AP/GT Phoenix III, Period 1
23 January 2015
Toddlers and Tiaras
Synthesis Question
ENGLISH LANGAGE AND COMPOSITION FREE-RESONSE QUESTION
ENGLISH LANGAGE AND COMPOSITION
SECTION II
Total time—2 hours
Question 1
(Suggested time – 40 minutes. This question counts for one-third of the total essay section score.)
Child pageantry has become a topic of interest through television shows such as Toddlers and
Tiaras and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo, which feature young children in extremely competitive
and publicized beauty contests. The popularity of these shows has resulted in debate over
whether or not child beauty pageants are beneficial to the developing character of the young
participants.
Carefully Read the following six sources, including any introductory information for each
source. Then, synthesize information from at least three of the sources and incorporate it into a
coherent well-developed essay that argues a clear position on whether child beauty pageants are
beneficial or detrimental to young children.
Your argument should be the focus of your essay. Use the sources to develop your argument and
explain the reasoning for it. Avoid merely summarizing the sources. Indicate clearly which
sources you are drawing from, whether through direct quotation, paraphrase, or summary. You
may cite the sources as Source A, Source B, etc., or by using the descriptions in parenthesis.
Source A (“Toddlers…”)
Source B (De Witt)
Source C (Morgan)
Source D (Inbar)
Source E (Schultz)
Source F (Hollingworth)
Source A
“Toddlers and Tiaras and Sexualizing 3-year-olds.” CNN.com. CNN, 13 Sept. 2011. Web. 21
Jan. 2013.
The following excerpt is from an article discussing the consequences of child beauty pageants.
TLC's Toddlers and Tiaras has been mired in controversy since it debuted in 2009, and much of
the distaste for the series stemmed from concerns about whether we were feeding the stage
mothers' desire for attention, or about the insensitivity in taping and televising children in the
middle of a meltdown or temper tantrum. But whether you think child beauty pageants are just a
chance for little girls to play dress-up, or a training ground for superficial, self-centered
princesses in the making, everyone should agree that sexualizing a 3-year-old little girl is
wrong…
Common sense is all too often a casualty of the media culture we live in. Parents assume the
sexual content and innuendo in the programming they are watching will go over their child's
head, or think it's cute to dress their child in sexy clothes or encourage her to imitate Beyonce's
dance moves so they can post it on YouTube. In reality, they are teaching their children what
kind of behavior will help them get noticed…
Everyone in society suffers when children are sexualized, but those hurt worst are the children
themselves. In February 2007, the American Psychological Association released a report on the
sexualization of girls that found that girls' exposure to hypersexualized media content can
negatively impacts their cognitive and emotional development; is strongly associated with eating
disorders, low self-esteem and depression; leads to fewer girls pursuing careers in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics; and causes diminished sexual health. But it's not just
our daughters who are being affected by these images. Boys and adult men are also learning to
value women only for their sex appeal, which the report says can lead to increased incidents of
sexual harassment and sexual violence, and increased demand for child pornography.
Source B
De Witt, Karen. “Never Too Young to Be Perfect.” NYTimes.com. The New York Times, 12 Jan. 1997.
Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
This article discusses varied opinions on the topic of child beauty pageants.
Child beauty pageants appear to be another example of an America wanting to have it both ways:
a paean to the beautiful innocence that childhood should be, but dolled up with the aura of
adulthood.
''Beauty pageants in particular blur the lines between what is cute and what is sensual,'' said
Laura Pappano, a visiting scholar at the Murray Research Center at Radcliff College…
Christine Sherman, whose 8-year-old, Chelsea, is the 1996 fall cover model of Pageant World
magazine, said the children's pageant world ''brings a lot of kids out of their shells.
''My daughter has been doing this since she was 11 months old,'' Mrs. Sherman said. ''She's a
hula dancer and she sings. She holds several state and national titles. I think pageants are terrific
because kids get a positive attitude toward themselves.''
V. J. La Cour, publisher of Pageant Life magazine, said: ''It's glitz and glitter, a little bit of
Hollywood. That's what the little kids want…''
Camille Paglia, a feminist critic and professor of humanities at the University of the Arts in
Philadelphia, finds something amiss in the participation of children in the pageant world.
''These pageants mark a deep sexual disturbance in the society, a cannibalizing of youth by
vampiric adults,'' she said.
Some characterize that disturbance in terms of a national illness, others as a blend of Biblical
entitlement and good old American upward mobility.
Source C
Morgan, Mandy. “Toddlers and Tears: A Positive Look at Child Beauty Pageants.” Deseret News.
Deseret News, 17 Nov. 2012. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
This article discusses the benefits of child beauty pageants.
Television shows such as Toddlers and Tiaras and Here Comes Honey Boo Boo have introduced
millions to the pageant world, but that coverage of the child pageant world is limited and
sensationalized to those who see the positives of involvement in pageants.
Anna Berry of Littleton, Colo., competed from pre-teen pageants up through the Mrs. category,
and now has a 13-year-old daughter, Ashley, who considers beauty pageants her sport. She fell in
love with competing, and three years later is "the most well-poised, outspoken young lady you
will meet," said her mother. Ashley is a national spokesperson for an anti-bullying campaign and
an active community volunteer.
The Toddlers and Tiaras industry has a negative impact on the public's view of pageants, and
Berry believes it takes away the positive side to what the girls are doing…
Berry believes there is nothing wrong with children competing in the pageants if it is a hobby
and something they like, instead of something they are forced to do or too young to even
understand.
"I understand why public perspective tends to be so negative about the competitions, because
they are little girls. I wish the public saw more about the experience we get," Berry said.
"Pageants (Ashley) does are geared toward making her a better person and giving to the
community, and can help her receive scholarship money. We take it very seriously, but she's a
kid outside of that."
Berry believes, that though the sensationalized view of children and youth pageants is portrayed
on reality shows, there are positive aspects and effects to be found for many girls who choose to
make it a hobby.
Source D
Inbar, Michael. “Parents Defend Putting Their Kids in Beauty Pageants.” TODAY.com. NBC News, 27
Jan. 2009. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
This article from NBC News discusses the controversy over child pageantry.
Two years after “Little Miss Sunshine” made a splash at the Oscars, the spotlight is shining once
again on the often cute — and often controversial — world of child beauty pageants. But a panel
of parents and their young, competing offspring assembled by TODAY said that putting their
children in front of the stage lights builds their confidence rather than distorting their selfimage…
Parent Phyllis Jones, accompanied by 9-year-old daughter Meaghan, told Ann Curry Tuesday
she’s used the pageants to help make her daughter more outgoing.
“I was trying to give Meaghan some exposure as far as public speaking,” Jones, of Garland,
Texas, told Curry. “When she was young, she was really, really shy. I wanted her to develop her
own type of personality…”
Still, child psychologists have suggested that having children compete in pageants can wreak
havoc on their psyches. Curry asked the parents whether they feared an overemphasis on
appearances could distort their kids’ self-images.
“It depends on the way you carry yourself and the way your child carries themselves,” replied
Jones, whose daughter has competed since she was just 8 months old. “When you dress them in a
certain manner, you know you have people that would think certain things. But wearing makeup
just enhances their beauty in beauty pageants only. We don’t wear makeup during playtime, we
don’t wear makeup to school.”
Jones added that her daughter participates in a wide array of activities, from cheerleading to
gymnastics to dance. “I just want to give Meaghan a choice of things she could do in life.”
Source E
Schultz, Kristen. “Beauty Pageants Draw Children and Criticism.” ABC News.com. ABC News, 26 Feb.
2012. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
The following discusses varied views on the issue of child beauty pageants.
Children are the fastest-growing segment of the beauty pageant market, with annual children's
competitions attracting an estimated 3 million children, mostly girls, ages six months to 16 years,
who compete for crowns and cash. Infants, carried onto the stage by their mothers, are
commonplace.
April Brilliant, reigning Mrs. Maryland and the director of Maryland-based Mystic Pageants,
says pageants give little girls a chance to "play Cinderella."
"It's more like playing dress-up," says Brilliant, who coordinated the Little Miss and Mister
American Pageant earlier this month in Summerville, S.C. "Like if you were home doing your
hair, doing makeup, dressing up in fancy clothes. Playing Cinderella for a day."
But playing dress-up on the pageant stage costs parents financially, and some experts argue that
it can be harmful to girls, teaching them that their self-worth is measured by how pretty they are.
"What they are learning basically is that they have one characteristic which is of total primary
importance, and that is their body and their attractiveness," said Syd Brown, a child and
adolescent psychologist practicing in Maryland. Brown warns that baby swans often become
ugly adolescent ducklings, a development that could usher in a host of emotional problems in
young adulthood…
Another concern is that the contests may breed narcissism. While a certain degree of self-love
and value is critical for children, Brown feels that pageants tip the scale of what is healthy and
natural child development. He is concerned that children will put too much emphasis on physical
attractiveness as they form relationships with others.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Business_News/2012/02/03/Monsanto-to-pull-GM-operationfrom-Britain/UPI-35731328253135/#ixzz1lJa5F1K1
Source F
Hollingworth, Sheila. “Children’s Beauty Pageants.” Cartoon. Web. 21 Jan. 2013.
The following is a political, satirical cartoon that highlights the controversy of children’s beauty
pageants.