There are a lot of questions out there now about Pageants and child pageants of today. Questions like, “Do child beauty pageants have a negative effect on the participants or Are pageants abusive to the participants and Do they sexualize the participants? Another one I’ve heard; are child beauty pageants harmful to participant? There is a yes and no answer to these questions.
Children are one of the most valued gifts from God. Parents are entrusted to protect and take care of them. As children, they are not able to make decisions so their parents are the ones to step up and make good decisions for their well being and future. They are to make sure the children can grow in an environment that is safe and full of extra curriculum activities that they love, have fun and can grow.
I am a parent but I can say I am not a perfect parent but my main goal was to protect, nurture, love and care for my children with Gods’ help through many prayers. My children were involved in many activities in which they asked to participate. In all their request most came with a resounding ,yes. They played the sax, clarinet but stuck with the piano. They were involved in dance, cheerleader, modeling, basketball, football and yes, pageants.
My second daughter wanted to participate when she was 8 years old. My husband and I decided that she was too young and that she needed to wait. Every day, month and year we got asked that same question…can I be in pageants? At 10 years old we decided to let her participate. We started our research to finding a reputable pageant that would not exploit our daughter. We were successful, we found two at the time and let her enter. She won the first and was crowned Miss American Beauty, came in 1st runner up at the Miss America Pre-Teen Coed, entered the same pageant the following year and won and crowned Miss Arizona Pre-Teen. She represented Arizona at the National Competition, and placed 3rd runner up. Then it was over, she told me she did not want to do it any more so she stopped even though she was a natural.
The experience for her was fabulous. She met so many friends, experienced different states, gained a wealth of knowledge of how to carry herself with poise, dignity and confidence. She soared and was so excited at each venue. I’m not going to lie to you but I really enjoyed myself too.
The terrible thing about it she did meet a number of girls that she felt sorry for because they did not want to be there, they were being forced by a parent or both to participate. That is one thing she would express. I too noticed it and did not like it and even tried to talk to a parent about it, who in turn thought I was trying to sabotage her daughter. This was a reputable pageant I hated to think about the ones that would exploit the participants. There are bad pageants out there that do not have any boundaries and condone their participants to looking like 25 year olds with sexy out fits without any age appropriateness in mind. That’s where the parents come in and need to protect the children from such things and already have boundaries and appropriateness in mind to say no or yes to any activity.
Their are plenty of good pageants that are not all about the money and have your child’s well being in mind. Pageants that can teach them values, confidence, discipline, integrity and grace instead of who could be the biggest brat with the worst attitude. I don’t want you to think I am beating up on pageants and the parents but there are other venues us parents have to make sure our children are not being exploited. Take a look at dance studios, cheerleaders, football, basketball and other extra curricular activities our children are involved in. Each one of the activities that I mentioned a parent can force their child to participate in just to fulfill their own desires, fantasies and lost chances.
Pageants are good…so are homecoming queen’s and kings, cheerleaders, football, basketball, tennis, dance, karate and I can go on and on. This list can also be bad if a parent does not take the stance that they are going to do the best they know how to protect, nurture, and make good decisions for their child.
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