Beauty pageants are commonly associated with high-glitz and glamour. Audiences love watching women compete in different categories such as talent and beauty, as well as hearing about their opinions on global and social issues. The celebrated Miss America platform, for instance, requires each contestant to “choose an issue about which she cares deeply and that is of relevance to her country.” Although the pageant viewership has declined over the years and the contest has its share of critics, the effort to include thoughtful, compassionate individuals who have the potential to affect the world positively is redemptive. In contrast, child beauty pageants are solely focused on a girl’s appearance and attitude. Their “sparkle” is often over the top and even repulsive. The issue goes far beyond the ostensibly innocuous dressing up and the false maturity -- the child diva is lauded and rewarded. Even though child beauty pageants are often considered entertaining and “adorable,” they promote the exploitation of girls and pose alarming threats to their health and safety.

JonBenet Ramsey would be twenty-three years old if she were still alive today. Instead, she forever remains a six year old beauty queen frozen in time, hair curled in perfect ringlets and face in full makeup. Possibly the most well-known child pageant “princess”, she won countless awards at these beauty competitions. Her life ended tragically when she was found murdered in her own home in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996, by an unknown assailant who presumably left a ransom note. Although the murder was never solved, if the ransom scenario is to be believed, her pageant popularity was the likely root cause. An investigative journalist Stephen Singular postulated in his book, Presumed Guilty, that the murder may have been connected to child pornography as a result of her pageant experience, which would have attracted the attention of pedophiles (Bellamy). Are these pageants worth putting a child’s safety on the line?

On TLC’s ridiculous reality TV show, Toddlers and Tiaras, pageant girls spend days caked in makeup, high heels, and thick hair extensions. On top of that, they get spray tans while their parents pour money into expensive dresses and pageant coaches. Some girls even go so far as to wax, tweeze body and facial hair, and wear “flippers” -- perfect, fake teeth. What parents may not realize is that there is a price to be paid for this craziness. As pretty as toddlers might look in those sparkly heels, their proper growth is compromised. Travis Stork of CBS’s The Doctors says that high heels force body weight forward, cause lower back pain, and hinder proper foot development (The Week). Stork also says that excessive amounts of hair spray have plasticizers that can act as hormone disruptors and stunt growth. Is this a risk worth taking? Do parents have the right to not only cause them unnecessary discomfort but also play with their health?

Child beauty pageants are exploitative and demoralizing. Parents spend mini-fortunes on costumes and accessories to make their children look “sexy”, claiming that it’s “harmless and cute” (The Week). In reality, these parents fly too close to the sun. The ramp walks and provocative poses are meant to make little girls look seductive and are horrifyingly crude. Imagine what would happen when these girls reach their gawky teenage years and acquire braces and acne. With all their attention focused on perfecting their image, how would they handle changes in their bodies as they grow? Pageant life impacts girls’ mental and emotional development. It affects their self-esteem and concerns them with their body image. Should we expose a child to judgement over appearance and poise at an age when her friends are busy making mini-castles in sandboxes? Society is already plagued with diseases such as anorexia and bulimia which are results of unattainable media-imposed images of “perfection.” Do we need yet another phenomenon like child beauty pageants to add to these ills? Kids need to be focused on learning and growing, not on ludicrous pageantry.

Parents have the responsibility to close the doors on child beauty pageants and wait until their kids are older -- they must choose their own destiny. Pushing children into these tawdry contests is akin to child labor and bordering on child abuse. They pander primarily to mothers seeking to live their glamour dreams and to parents hunting for high-dollar prizes and crowns. How are these parents different from dealers treating children as commodities? The French senate seems to agree that pageants contribute to the “hypersexualization” of young girls. In 2013, it passed a ban on beauty competitions for children under sixteen and a $40,000 fine for anyone who organizes or supports such pageants (Cruz). The US needs to wake up and smell the coffee. Leave pageants for adults who can be role models -- those with talents or abilities that make this world a better place when shared. Throw out the flippers and the red rouge. Give these children the opportunity to foster a passion for whatever their heart desires. Let kids be kids and let the sun shine on their beautiful, imperfect, toothy smiles.