The child beauty pageant world is extremely popular in all parts of the United Sates and is very fast growing. There are over 100,000 competitions every year with millions of entered contestants across the country. In recent media child pageants have been portrayed by showing little girls caked with make-up and stage moms who will not accept losing as an option. However, in a lot of local pageants there is a variety of reasons for parents entering their children in pageants. Many parents see it as a way to bring their shy children out of their shells, some want to give their overactive child a fun outlet and at the teen level there can be scholarship money involved. Anyone can enter in local pageants as long as they have made the extensive preparations for the big day. All contestants must have a portfolio with pictures that can be taken professionally or candidly and a composite which is a collage of photos on one piece of photo paper. Most pageants have day one dedicated to registration, orientation and sometimes the interview portion and the events take place on day two. The common pageant has categories in evening wear, casual wear, swimwear, and sometimes a model search where scouts from agencies come to look for talent. Aside from the overall winners in a lot of pageants there are side categories girls can win like best dressed or best personality. At the local level heavy make up and complicated hair dos are not required so if a parent wants to enter their child just as a fun thing to do they do not have to feel pressure to make their child look perfect. All pageants are different and have a variety of girls who show up so some are more intense than others but for the most part if a parent wants to enter their child and not worry about winning the crown, their daughter can have a fun experience without the pressure.
Works Cited
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/54786/what_to_expect_from_a_childrens_beauty.html?page=2&cat=25
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Liz,
I have watched shows on E! and the Bravo channel about child beauty pageants and crazed stage moms all the while thinking to myself that these pageants are a disgusting portrayal and objectification of young girls. While reading your blog, I was reminded of the movie LIttle Miss Sunshine, in which the young girl breaks the mold of a pageant queen and instead takes a more down to earth. She is removed from the stereotypes and opinions on beauty pageants and naive to the part it plays in emphasizing gender roles. I thought you did a great job of emphasizing the idea that young girls can enter beauty pageants to become more outgoing and "break out of their shells". I had never thought of this aspect of beauty pageants and the strength that is needed to walk onto a brightly lit stage in front of hundreds of prying eyes. Your blog's ability to help me, a staunch protester of beauty pageants to see them from an opposite angle.
Reading the breakdown of how beauty pageants are judged was very informative in seeing what exactly judges are looking for in these women. I always assumed that the interview was worth almost nothing, while the swimsuit portion was enormously important. In reading the percentage breakdown I was interested to note that my perceived conclusions were totally off. It's also obvious that you were able to really see the beauty pageant contestants in a totally new light. Your understanding of the contestants and their reasons for entering the pageants really helped me to understand why pageants themselves are so appealing.
The media portrayal of beauty pageants is the only portrayal I have ever encountered. Your friend who has entered beauty pageants was able to give some really interesting "behind the scene" details that others, like myself, would have bypassed in formulating opinions on beauty pageants.
Your connection between beauty pageants and dance competitions was a link I had never thought about. A lot of the praise that dance performances receive versus the negativity beauty pageants receive is entirely culturally constructed. I really enjoyed this comparison and your personal insight into the beauty pageants, from a dancer's perspective. You did a really great job of getting ranging perspectives of beauty pageants and the way they are perceived by the public. I think it would be also very interesting if you were to look into beauty pageants and their influence on gender roles in American society.
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