Are Pageants bad for children?

[BreakfastSurreal]

Are they all bad? or do they just have the potential to be bad depending on how parents coach their children? or is there nothing wrong with them at all?

Personally I think they are fun, and as long as you treat them as such and not put excessive amounts of pressure on your kids to win, then it's all in good fun. I don't want to raise kids who don't learn how to handle any type of stress at all, because I think that would hinder their development later in life. The pageants themselves aren't bad...it's the parents who can sometimes be awful...they act like children and seem like they are living their dream through their kids...some of course aren't bad. If I have a really cute little girl I will probably put her in a pageant or 2, but I'm not going to travel the country for it or be competitive about it. What do yall think?

 

[Tegan]

To me it's the same as sports. If used correctly, it's a great outlet for competitive energy, a great way to learn sportsmanship and how to handle being scrutinized. But as you said, bad parents can make the whole experience really crappy. Football parents were the absolute worst, screaming obscenities at refs and coaches, getting angry at their kid if they didn't "play up to their standards", etc. I am lucky my parents just wanted me to have fun. Honestly, it made me a better football player, because I wanted to be good because I loved the game, not because of external pressure from my parents.

 

[All Else Failed]

I don't like the idea of little girls being turned into "older looking women" to look attractive.

 

[alleycat]

I think its pretty creepy myself, but I was an ugly duckling and dreamed of being beautiful.

 

[BreakfastSurreal]

if you wanna look at it that way....in the same sense though, what about little boys that have play tools, and powerwheels? Aren't they just trying to be like men too?

 

[Boomer]

I think its ok, but the parents have some explaining to do. Teach the child to be humble. Not turn them into an egotistical monster. Also, the parents cant get twisted up in it and start living their dreams thru the child either. That usually fucks the kid up. I say, if you make it fun and dont take it waaaay too seriouse, then I dont see anything wrong with it. IMO

 

[BreakfastSurreal]

yeah i was an ugly duckling too. But I always wanted to be in a beauty pageant when I was little. I would never MAKE my kid do it but if they were cute and wanted to I would for sure support them. I think little girls need to learn to develop a backbone sometimes...especially looking at the lack of one I had as a kid..man i was a fucking crybaby.

 

[BreakfastSurreal]

those are the little girls they had featured on VH1's pageant documentary...its pretty funny and interesting, it aired last weekend but should be on during the week this week because they always replay their shows too much. lol.

 

[alleycat]

omfg thats creepy!

 

[Boomer]

Yeah, thats pretty fuckin creepy. You know what, revoke my post. That shit is uncalled for.

 

[BreakfastSurreal]

of course the competition they documented was like the BIGGEST one in the country..where all the moms are psycho and shit... low level pageants arent like that..they give an award to almost every girl..like they will give out a "best eyes", "best personality", "best outfit", etc...the top ones are crazy though..

 

[alleycat]

I have been to a place called the Pageant Shop in Minneapolis to get a prom dress. You should see how much these dresses cost!!

 

[All Else Failed]

They should be focusing on being young, not trying to be grown up at age 9.

 

[Boomer]

For real! Why are they worried if they are attractive? Who the hell are they going to attract? Child molesters, Perverts and people that need a bullet in'em I tell ya.

 

[BreakfastSurreal]

it's not about attracting anyone. It's about looking pretty. Every girl wants to look pretty when they are young...unless theya re a tom boy...every girl loves to play dress up and put on makeup. That's the fun they find in it..not attracting anyone...6 year olds dont think that way.

 

[Boomer]

Yeah, but I saw little girl thongs for sale at the mall once. That shit is disgusting. Why would a little girl need one of those? Im tellin you. Its an epidemic. GROW OLD AS FAST AS YOU CAN KIDS! SCREW YER CHILDHOOD!

 

[All Else Failed]

it's not about attracting anyone. It's about looking pretty. Every girl wants to look pretty when they are young...unless theya re a tom boy...every girl loves to play dress up and put on makeup. That's the fun they find in it..not attracting anyone...6 year olds dont think that way.

The whole Idea of looking pretty is for attraction.

 

[BreakfastSurreal]

not when you are 6 dude. No way.

 

[BreakfastSurreal]

and the whole idea of looking pretty is not for attraction..it CAN be if you care about that kind of stuff...but some people don't care about that, some people want to be pretty because it gives them confidence.

 

[All Else Failed]

Yeah, confidence in making them look attractive to others.



Its the parents that are doing this, not the kids. The parents have to make their kids look attractive to win. Ugly girls in competitions like these don't win.