Children in Beauty Pageants

Children in Beauty Pageants : Good or Bad

Increasingly younger children are participating in beauty pageants throughout the country . We have all seemingly accepted Miss Universe or Miss America on television as an inherently positive event for women involved , it is not quite as clear that only a positive experience is afforded to younger participants in local beauty contest . In the table below are listed some common pros and cons regarding the participation of young children in beauty contests . Here we examine each one in greater detail and show that a case can

be made for both sides , and that a clear decision for or against remains difficult to make

A case can be made that beauty pageants are training for the competition of life . In life there are winners and losers , and losing a beauty pageant is just as character building as winning . Being able to handle competition at an early age helps children develop stamina and resilience which can be easily extrapolated to other activities such as college SATs or job hunting . During the competition children practice speaking and delivery , and develop poise in public and stressful situations . Such skills cannot be learned from textbooks , and so the only way is to experience things . There is no question that children are much more adaptable , and early experiences a formative . Usually younger participants in such pageants continue to compete at higher and higher level and hone their skills over a significant time frame . There is no other activity except sports which grows with the child and provides steady development

An equally valid argument against the participation of children in beauty pageant is that the event over emphasizes competition at a stage in a child 's life where bonding experiences with are extremely important if the child is to grow up into a well-adjusted positive citizen with life-long relationships based on common experiences . There is no question that many of us would complain the world today is too competitive , and that training children at an early age to be competitive simple exacerbates the problem

Pros Cons

Training for competition of life Children need not compete at an early stage , sets the mind toward excessive competitiveness

Practice poise and public speaking Fragile self confidence based on fleeting external criteria

Focus on active achievement rather than passive pursuits like video games Winning a contest based on appearance is not achievement

Parental /child activity sharing Too much pressure from parents to appear older than child has actually developed

Scholarship opportunities Winning a scholarship based on beauty is not the same as winning based on intellectual achievement

Allows society to appreciate outstanding young people Puts too much focus on the adultification of children , potentially encouraging pedophiles Another contrary case against child beauty pageant can be made when one considers the fact that in a contest there can only be one winner , and the vast majority of children will never achieve first place despite great effort at preparation . The danger is that these children instead of...