Pageant Princess

Author’s note: I decided to right about pageants because I watched Toddlers and Tiaras on TLC and I think what those young kids have to do is awful.

            What were you doing when you were 1 year old or even 2 months old? My guess is that probably you were pooping, sleeping or, crying your little heart out. But for some unlucky children they were doing pageants. They were on the stage even before they could walk. Putting make-up on and getting dolled up just to go on stage performing before strangers. Girls that are in fifth grade probably haven’t put that much make-up on yet. Picture one year old girls and boys caked up on makeup. It makes me sick. I believe little kids shouldn’t be able to do pageants until they are five and they shouldn’t be forced into it by their parents.

            Usually the kids that are in pageants have been there since they were infants. Since they have been doing it since they were so young I bet it has costs a great deal of money. An average pageant costs $20,000 just for the essentials, not including hotel, food, beverages, and transportation.

Glitz pageants are so intense. They have a signature saying for these kinds of pageants, “Go glitz, or go home”. They take glitz to a whole new level. Picture huge hair done by stylists, golden-brown spray tans, perfectly French manicured fingers, shiny black shoes that you could practically see yourself in, teeth extremely straight and a blindingly white, and outfits that are spectacular with virtually no flaws.

            Getting all this stuff is only half of the work. You have to get your kid to do it. They will probably be really tired and cranky most of the time if they are little. It will be a challenge for them to get all their make-up and clothes without throwing a tantrum every couple of minutes. “My dress is too tight, something in my wig is poking me, she stabbed my in the eye while putting mascara on me!” It gets a lot worse throughout the day too. Little kids can’t take it, so why put them in there so young? 

            My beliefs on why parents put their children in pageants are because they want to live their dreams out through them. They push their kids to do it even if they hate it. Hours and hours of practice to go on stage for 30 sec. The worst part is they have possibilities they couldn’t win anything at all. Which is basically being told you aren’t pretty enough, your props aren’t good enough, you clothes aren’t glamorous enough, basically don’t shine above the rest. Then you come back to the irritability of loosing. Your weekend just wasted and your kid feels dreadful.

            That’s a lot of stress for one weekend. Is it really worth it because I think pageants are bad for you in the long run. Stereotyping what pretty is when everyone is beautiful in their own way. Young children shouldn’t be put into pageants until the age of 5 when they can make up their mind and have a sense if they really want to go through with it.