Baby Beauty Pageants
I watch Toddlers & Tiaras. I’ve seen HBO Documentaries about kids in beauty pageants. It’s a fascination to attempt to understand the mentality of making your baby or toddler or little child look like a fahking Flavor of Love contestant.
There’s a whole business behind these pageants. Flippers (fake teeth), hair extensions, “glitz” dresses, fake tanning, and touched-up head-shot photos. It’s not enough to dress your baby up and slap on 2-1/2 pounds of makeup and extensions. You must also touch up the photo to make her look even more artificial.
Untouched
Re-Touched
Go ahead. Take your time. Compare the two pics.
Makes me sad for humankind.
{ 84 comments… read them below or add one }
OMG. SO NOT OK. For the love of all that is holy.
Random funny: my husband had no idea that child beauty pageants even existed, he thought that whole JonBenet Ramsey thing was a total fluke. Then we watched “Little Miss Sunshine” together when I was about 9 months pregnant, and he was aghast when I said that yeah, that’s what those pageants are really like. He turned to me, pointed to my hugely pregnant belly, and said, “I don’t care how pretty she is…” I cut him off and said, “Yeah. Right there with ya, babe. No worries.”
.-= cindy w´s last blog ..Potty-Training 2: Bathroom Boogaloo =-.
my children
will never
be in
a beauty pageant
Disgusting. Just cause the momma is a train wreck doesn’t mean she should instill the core values of “you’re not pretty enough” unless you put on this makeup, fake teeth, fake hair, and the rest of the package. The parents of these kids need testing. Serious testing. I cannot imagine these girls turn out OK or mentally stable in a majority.
.-= Hockeyman´s last blog ..Grown-Up Staycation….sorta =-.
Oh god. I just want to cry. Then find this little girl, wash her face, and tell her she’s smart.
yes. and YES.
That photo makes my head hurt…alot (heh)
.-= jen´s last blog ..<a href=\ =-.
ha ha.
your so funneh.
I watched this show. The price of the dresses, glitz, hooker hair and fake teeth must exceed their winnings, so I am about DONE with the whole “we’re saving her winnings for college” excuse.
.-= brittany´s last blog ..The universe says I am supposed to be super famous and also not an asshole. =-.
entrance fees can be up to $1000 and dresses over than.
dis.gus.ting.
I did a post similar last week, I don’t even want to enroll my daughter in dance class around where we live because when they do the “show” all the little girls put on tons of make-up and get all dolled up. I am sorry I think a 3 1/2 or 4 years old it is not cute it is horrible. I think children need to be children why are we so concerned about pushing them to grow up so quickly. Makes no sense. The stage mother’s are like pimps – lending the children out in hope of winning some contest and making money. What happened to family morals?
people do have different morals, but making babies look like hookers should be a part of everyone’s.
fucking sick. seriously.
.-= flutter´s last blog ..I am no longer satisfied to muddle through, denying the potential of my light =-.
makes me ill.
Yep. This is very wrong. Any endeavor that turns a child into a product hawked by Marie Osmond on QVC is just creepy.
very good descriptor – Osmond dolls.
Definitely not ok. Most definitely freaky!
freaky indeed
I just clutched my hands to my heart and shrieked when I saw those pictures. Ack!
.-= Kori´s last blog ..Protected: The Victim’s Impact Statement =-.
i wanna rescue them.
The whole concept of children in beauty pageants makes me want to hurl chunks. It’s a terrible thing to do to those children and the worst part? When pageant mommies find posts like these (watch out, sistah!) and try to defend their actions. Nothing they can say justifies this. Nothing.
.-= Hilly´s last blog ..I’m Never Gonna Survive Unless I Get A Little Crazy… =-.
i have no problem justifying myself to them. bring it.
She looks like a doll…I wasn’t even sure she was real in the photo. So sad.
~K
Marie Osmond QVC dolls. ick.
I want to vomit. I don’t understand parents that put their children through that..and I hate to be so freaking judgemental..but that is just wrong.
it’s not being judgmental when it comes to these poor babies.
Fake teeth? Are you kidding me? Extensions, makeup, ok, whatever. But fake teeth? Holy crap!
I want to borrow that little girl for a day, put her in sweatpants and let her run around, play, and get totally dirty and messy. She’d probably have the time of her life.
yes, fake teeth. you know, because that horrible gap left from a baby tooth is just too ugly.
sickening.
It’s terrible.
yes.
Gross. Just gross. Those poor little kiddos…As if her skin and eyes weren’t already gorgeous, they enhanced them…sad, tsk, tsk.
.-= LZ @ My Messy Paradise´s last blog ..Top Ten Tuesday: Are you ready for some football? =-.
she’s a pretty little girl, but they had to make her fake.
Horrible. Just horrible.
We had friends over this past weekend, and the mom was telling me all about the pagents she entered her daughter in. She said that she only entered her into the “natural” pagents, but was is so freaking natural about a 3 year old (and younger!) having make-up on?! And, $400 for a dress? To wear once? And win a $100 savings bond? Heh. Not so much.
.-= Kara´s last blog ..<a href=\ =-.
there’s nothing ‘natural’ about a child beauty contest.
WTF? These people should have their parenting licenses revoked.
.-= Karly´s last blog ..Back To School Blues. That’s The Lamest Title I’ve Ever Used. Forgive Me. =-.
if only someone would give out licenses…
Please tell me you saw Kathy Griffin interviewing some of the parents of these girls on Larry King Live? It was the funniest thing I have ever seen.
YES! i can’t believe (ok, I can) that she said she was gonna call DCF on them. high-larious
i’m going to see KG this saturday in concert. SO excited!
But I bet she’ll marry a doctor.
fart nuggets
.-= Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing]´s last blog ..This? Is not OK: Baby Beauty Pageants =-.
ss
.-= Xbox4NappyRash´s last blog ..Books in her belly =-.
are you a nazi? ss?
.-= Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing]´s last blog ..This? Is not OK: Baby Beauty Pageants =-.
maybe… btw you should change the title of the first pic from ‘untouched’….
.-= Xbox4NappyRash´s last blog ..Books in her belly =-.
you’re so wrong in so many ways.
.-= Angie [A Whole Lot of Nothing]´s last blog ..This? Is not OK: Baby Beauty Pageants =-.
the parents that do these have some mental disease. i just know it. exploitation is NOT glamorous.
living vicariously. sick.
I like watching all the fat ugly moms who are jumping around in the audiance pointing at their cheeks and mouthing “SMILE”.
.-= Shelli´s last blog ..Responsibilities =-.
Can I be frank here? I think I know you well enough that I can.
Here’s my two cents: I find it really sick that TLC continues to air this show, knowing full well that
a) it’s borderline child abuse – eg, child SHIVERING for 20 minutes in front of a fan after being spray tanned;
b) it’s a trainwreck at the expense of children (see also Jon & Kate Plus
c) it’s blatant sexualization of children and you KNOW there are men whacking off to this show everywhere. not only that, what the hell do you think these little girls are going to deem important in life?
d) that picture? that’s just some really shady Photoshop dude.
.-= Karen Sugarpants´s last blog ..Apparently Having a Dog Is Not Enough =-.
ha – that was supposed to say Jon and Kate Plus 8 but I guess you add a bracket and all hell breaks loose.
.-= Karen Sugarpants´s last blog ..Apparently Having a Dog Is Not Enough =-.
just the fact that “spray tan” and “child” is in the same realm of thought is disturbing.
You can be frank, but only if I can be bob.
.-= The Mother Tongue´s last blog ..Puzzle pieces at BlogHer =-.
Most horrendous.
.-= Secret Agent Mama´s last blog ..Meet Terra =-.
most definitely.
Too bad they forgot to photoshop a frakking smile on that kid’s face. She looks totally miserable.
.-= The Mother Tongue´s last blog ..Puzzle pieces at BlogHer =-.
totally sad.
I just threw up in my mouth a little bit.
These little girls (and their parents) totally creep me out, way worse than those crying dolls you posted about. I don’t understand where your head has to be, to think that this is okay. Blech.
.-= Melisa with one s´s last blog ..Fly Like An Eagle =-.
Makes me feel sick to my stomach.
If the moms do this to them when they are so young, only God knows what they will want when they are teens, then the moms & dads will ask “Where did this come from”……..Children are beautiful in their own natural way, why make them freaks! My heart goes out to those kids…..but are they really kids or made into what their moms failed at. Give me a pigtailed mud pie making kid any day……They are the true beautiful children of the world!
I have never once tuned into that show and I never plan on it, because it saddens and disgusts me. As parents we are supposed to protect our children, not expose them. As parents were are suppose to shelter them from the shallowness of the world, not throw them in the midst of it and expect them to win first place.
GROSS.
.-= Sarcastica´s last blog ..Mandy =-.
Why would any parent want their child to look like a Bratz doll? Baffling.
.-= Assertagirl´s last blog ..26 weeks pregnant: Planning the baby’s nursery. =-.
Horrible!
I just don’t understand it =/
.-= Danielle´s last blog ..Thursday Three: The Pioneer Women’s Pasta with Roasted Pepper Sauce =-.
Dude. Those parents are fired.
MediaCurves.com just conducted a study with 300 viewers of a video featuring the recent controversy surrounding child beauty pageants. The results showed that the majority of viewers reported that “disturbed” and “sad” were the emotions the felt most while watching the video. The study found that 84% of viewers reported that they felt the long-term effect on contestants was negative. For more in-depth results, please visit http://www.mediacurves.com/Culture/J7495-pageants/Index.cfm.
Thanks,
Ben
I watched part of T&T last Sunday until C changed the channel because I kept yelling at the TV. It was making me HULKSMASH angry — it literally sickened me to watch those little girls and hear what was coming out of their parents’ mouths. There’s absolutely no valid reason on earth to subject a child to this.
.-= Chibi Jeebs´s last blog .. =-.
I realllly try not to be all Judgey McJudgerson when it comes to other people raising their children.
But this shit pisses me off. Because it’s cruel. And it hurts ALL girls and ALL women, I think.
I cannot for the life of me understand the fascination with making little girls look like 30 year old women.
And then when they hit 20, we’ll be obsessed with telling them to look younger.
.-= Miss Britt´s last blog ..Ugly. =-.
OMG. That is so scary. Why not just dress dolls up and walk around with them in your arms.
.-= Brie´s last blog ..Tweet me =-.
Totally agree with all the comments – have you ever noticed that most of the moms of these poor little girls are um, kinda homely? Not all, but it seems like the ones they feature on the show are living vicariously through their daughters.
Also, I think KarenSugarpants is right – there are scary people out there who are salivating over this show (ack-gag).
.-= deej´s last blog ..Wow, that sounds . . . um. . . neato? =-.
This show made me want to take all of my daughter’s dress up clothes and burn them. Ireally hate TLC… except for Cake Boss… I just don’t wanna give up cake.
I had a comment all ready and then I saw Boxboys comment and lost my freaking mind.
Bwaaaaa haaaaaaaaa haaaaaaa
Um. I mean. Bad Boxboy, very bad.
One of my friends in high school had been doing the beauty pageant thing her whole life. It was something her mom REALLY wanted her to do, but I’m pretty sure the chick was into it. The really, really sad part was that she was about 50 pounds overweight and, while cute, she was in a whole other league from the other girls there. The league where PhotoShop couldn’t really fix all that ailed her, if you know what I mean.
She had. no. idea.
Every time she competed in a pageant, she was genuinely pissed she didn’t win.
It was really hard not to make fun of her.
.-= Burgh Baby´s last blog ..Birth Control for Preschoolers =-.
Weird and creepy and moms who need a hobby like making creepy naughty corner dolls.
.-= habanerogal´s last blog ..Oral Fixation slapdown =-.
It looks like a cartoon!!! WHY would a judge accept that in the first place?? What the heck was wrong with the first one (besides the obvious). I too watch T&T – it’s a train wreck, I cannot look away.
.-= Dea´s last blog ..Goal Setting =-.
My husband and I watch these- and he yells at me to turn it because he’s so repulsed- but it’s like a trainwreck that I can’t turn off.
It makes me sad for the little girls… but I LOVE watching the uncoordinated mothers in the crowd doing the routine and mouthing the words and coaching and living vicarously through their little ones and then I pretend that I am a sharp shooter and shoot the moms.
.-= tena´s last blog ..Exorcism for breakfast, anyone? =-.
Holy fuck, that is some sick shit. Really. What the hell is that saying to the little girl? Aww you are pretty, but lets add makeup, teeth, hair, and more make up…but you STILL are not pretty enough so we will air brush your pictures until you look like a creepy doll.
BARF!
.-= Jenni/mom2nji´s last blog ..Six. More. Days =-.
I just wrote something about this today.
Apparently it’s acceptable in the United States to dress toddlers up like full grown women and parade them on a stage in their swimsuits so they can be rated on their body, face and outfit by a panel of judges. This is not only a waste of time but it’s totally twisted. I sure these pageants are swarming with dirty old men too.
http://doodiepants.com/2009/08/19/pedophiles-wonderland-the-world-of-kiddie-pageants/
That’s vile.
.-= VDog´s last blog ..Serenity Now Sunday – August 16th, 2009 =-.
What is wrong with me that I can’t stop looking at the second picture? It’s like one of those magic eye posters – I keep expecting something to pop out at me. NOT okay.
.-= Mama Bub´s last blog ..A tale of two gifts, gone awry =-.
The second one looks like a plastic replica of a child!
.-= ourcrookedtree´s last blog ..Because I am Mom, and I Have One Too =-.
Baby beauty pageants completely FREAK me out! But have you seen kids doing ballroom dancing??? There is a new reality TV show about it. Scares the bujeesus out of me.
.-= Mountain Momma´s last blog ..Can I tell you something? =-.
Nice they took the time to airbrush out any laugh lines….who has time to laugh and enjoy being a kid dressed like this all the time. Sheesh.
.-= Karen Hartzell, Graco´s last blog ..Wondrous Wednesday #86 =-.
Is this her “abused and exploited” pose?
Umm… That’s mykinli and she loves pageants, I’ve seen her at quite a few and Shes always exited to go on. Im in pageants and I’m 10 and my moms really pretty. In no way does she force me to do them and most of the girls I compete against do it on their own free will. Toddlers and tiaras seem to find all the mothers who push their kids into it and make them seem 20 times worse. My mom has never made me go on a diet, practice when I don’t want to, or bribe me to do one. Pageants are really fun and unless you go to any pageant in the US and ask every beauty queen if She likes to do pageants you can’t really say anything bad about them. What you see on TV is a show that uses it’s material in a way that makes them get higher ratings. And all this talk about pageants should be illegal is STUPID. If you’re going to illegalize pageants you might as well illegalize baseball as well because it’s just a hobby kids enjoy.
look her up on you tube.. she loves doing pageants and being beautiful and getting glitzy and having her pic taken
I think this picture is very pretty. She is a beautiful little girl and she enjoys doing pageants. This is okay if the mother allows it, nobody ask for your opinion! I’m sure the mother payed a lot of money to have the photo retouched and it is her money she is spending, so get over it! She is beautiful!
i think ya’ll just need to shut up not every pageant is like how they show it. u all should know that the tv producers pick the most craziest girls to put on there, and choose certain scence. so unless u have been in a pageant or put ur child in one u shouldnt leave a comment