A look at child beauty pageants, beyond the make-up, catwalks and pretty dresses: "A 2007 study by the American Psychological Association asserted that pageants teach young girls “to see themselves as objects to be looked at and evaluated for their appearance”. The three most common mental health problems for girls: eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression, may be fuelled by exposure to a culture that promotes performance-based esteem and a judging criteria that views highlights, fake tan and heavy make up as appropriate for girls who can’t even read. The more extreme parents subject their little girls to botox, facial threading, waxing, hair and nail extensions and fake teeth. All this gender socialisation to re-enforce traditional limiting female stereotypes forces little girls into the adoption of a veneer of premature precociousness that is profoundly disturbing." Irish child psychologist David Carey said "Let children be children. Put the parents on the catwalk if they want to compete and see how they feel about it at the end of the day.” Would you agree with his sentiments or would you enrol your child in a pageant if you had the chance?
Posted on: Mon, 09 Sep 2013 08:40:47 +0000
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