Image by pbump via Flickr
Clicking through the channels one day brought me to a horror show…something to do with toddlers and tiaras…oh…my…word!!! Unbelievable! I’m not talking about these little county fair pageants where you put your baby in a frilly little outfit and take them on stage…I’m talking beauty pageants where the little girls are wearing all kinds of make up, their hair is done by a stylist, they’ve gotten manicures and pedicures, and they’re wearing sexy clothes more befitting a young twenty-something…twenty years, not twenty months.
Honestly, I just sat there with my mouth wide open, unable to utter a word, my head shaking back and forth in denial. What are these mothers thinking? What are they teaching their precious baby girls, that the way to succeed is to use your body? That how you look is more important than who you are?
I’m all for dancing, I think it’s great exercise and a wonderful stress reliever, but these tiny little girls were dancing in a manner more appropriate for an adult night club…and even then, most of us wouldn’t want our daughters to dance like that in any situation.
These were baby girls made up to look adult, sultry, sexy…things they shouldn’t have the first thought about at that young age. The thing I came away with was that most of the mothers seemed to be living through their daughters…almost like they had always had this dream for themselves, the dream of being a beauty queen…but had “settled” for living vicariously through their little girls…a sad situation for everyone.
Oh, and one thing I almost forgot to mention, most of those little girls were…how shall I put this? Hmm…brats…loud, whiny, spoiled little brats…when you instill that kind of behavior in your daughter, you’re not doing her any favors. They won’t develop true friendships, people won’t want to have anything to do with them, and they’ll have a skewed view of life.
Come on, people…let your kids be kids…don’t force them to live your dreams.
Related articles
- Toddlers & Tiaras SHOULD NOT MIX (lifesableep.wordpress.com)
- Let Me Be a Child: Reasons Against Child Beauty Pageants (brighthub.com)
- The scariest show on TV…. (candybarbie.com)
Filed under: family, life, social issues | Tagged: Beauty, Beauty contest, Children |
Run4joy59's Blog 
I was reading a news story about lingerie for toddlers! It is so sad to see the objectification of girls and the sexualisation of children. I can’t believe there was an actual programme about the pageant!
I think it’s a series of shows…very disturbing…
Oh my heavens, I watched this show not too long ago – it was like a traffic accident – horrific, but somehow I couldn’t turn away. I agree that the mothers are trying to live through their daughters. And I was open-mouthed at these women who said ‘Oh, she loves it. I keep asking her if she wants to stop, but she doesn’t.’ Can’t they see that no child wants to disappoint a parent at that age? I loved dressing up as a little girl. Sure, I wished I could have been a beauty queen – but a grown-up one (and I was never exactly beauty queen material anyway). I think at some point, certain lives will become like The Truman Show – these little girls will go from this show to 16 and Pregnant to Teen Mom and on and on. Guess I had a little rant about this in me.
I so agree, I couldn’t stop watching it either…haha…not too many of us are beauty queen material…some of those little girls would be so cute if allowed to be little girls…but with the make up caked on (I mean, false eye lashes? for a little girl?) they just look tarted up…ick…I hope you’re wrong about the path the lives of many of these little girls will take, but I’m afraid you’re correct. Just so sad.
The mothers keep these girls doped up on sugar. They give them pixie stix which is called pageant crack and red bull. I just saw a clip from the today show (I think) about lingerie for girls as young as 4. It’s called loungerie. Totally sexualizing little girls. Inappropriate poses and clothes. Advertising firms have gone too far in showing this. But again, the almighty dollar wins.
I had no idea about the sugar/red bull thing…that’s scary. I hadn’t seen the lingerie clip…I just don’t understand what these mothers are thinking (or are they thinking at all?). And what about the dads? What rational, thinking dad wants his baby girl dressed up in inappropriate clothes and behaving in a sexual manner…and the mothers say the little girls don’t know what “sexy” is, but I can guarantee that there are some perverts out there who are salivating over this…sick…let your kids just be kids…hey, kind of like Hannah, right?
There have actually been dads on Toddlers and Tiaras. One made his daughter’s fancy dresses and on performed on stage with his daughter. Some of these people need their heads on straight.
sheesh…why? what are they thinking?
That is so wrong.
hmm…you are so right…
Like so many shows I come across on tv that are disturbing or plain stupid, I can’t even tolerate commercials for this one because it’s both.
I really feel sorry for the kids…they didn’t ask to be turned into made up little brats…