Do child beauty pageants damage young teen girls self-identity and self-esteem?

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Do child beauty pageants damage young teen girls self-identity and self-esteem?

2 Answers

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Answer 1

I don't think they do any more than sending a girl to the average highschool to be honest.

If you want to get an idea of how stressful and hostile the world can be, you only need to step into the halls of your local school.

I get that the pressure from beauty pageants can create an unnecessary anxiety, but some people like the competition and the showing off.

I guess it's the girls that end up "stuck" doing the pageant rounds because that's what their parents wanted for them, maybe those girls don't have such a great time.

Also, in terms of whether these pageants make other "ordinary" girls feel insecure and lower their self-esteem, that's possibly true... But how is that different from cheerleading, modelling or being on TV?

All those type of women are portrayed as "ideal" in one way or another - which kills the confidence of anyone that does not fit that mould. Well that's what I think anyway

Answer 2

Yes, of course! Too many young girls are pushed into this freakshow by their parent and the pressure is immense!

Why would you want to put so much emphasis on how a child looks? They should be teaching them proper values and skills that will help them in life.

Maybe when they're older and they've decided they want to flaunt their looks and become obsessed with their image and weight etc then that's their choice, but to impose that culture on an innocent child.. I think they should be banned!