There are many pros and cons to entering beauty pageants. Most people feel that there is no reason to even enter a child into a beauty pageant at all. Some people believe that the mother of the child is trying to re-live her childhood through her child, and obtain glory in some other way. Then on the other hand, there are the many pageant moms who have fun and have the funds available to be able to take the pageant world by storm and enter all the categories necessary to win a crown for their child and have fun at the same time.
Based on my own experiences with child beauty pageants, I feel that the time, effort, and costs associated with the pageant world are very stressful and time consuming, and my child had fun, but at the same time felt the pressure of having to feel that she needed to win to fit in with the other girls who may have been doing pageants their whole lives. According to buzzle. com, “The process through which a child becomes fit and worthy enough to enter a pageant is an absolutely rigorous one and teaches the child a lot.
As the contestants progress towards the pageant and the crown, the whole experience is mesmerizing and can be life changing. On the other hand, it is hard work and leaves alone the physical demands; such a contest takes a toll on your mental state as well. That can be worse than the physical stress. ” The stress of participating a pageant can be very stressful on kids. They have tendencies to not want to eat, sleep, and they get really cranky when something doesn’t go the way they want it to. The kids always feel that they have to win in order to make their parents happy, which is a very unhealthy thing for a child.
In doing pageants with my daughter, I found out that she felt that she had to be perfect at everything she did in order to impress the judges because she thought it would make me happy. All I wanted for her was to have fun, make friends, and enjoy traveling to different places and competing. The outfits that the children wear can be very expensive to obtain, or to put together. I know I have spent thousands of dollars over at least 9 years of my daughter’s life attending and participating in beauty pageants. Buzzle. om says, “Getting into a beauty pageant, presenting a child flawlessly and gracefully in front of the others is a fantastic booster for the child’s self-confidence. Furthermore, looking good, is another asset and habit the child gets into through a beauty pageant. Well, a disadvantage is that the child might start becoming too superficial and may give importance only to outer appearance rather than sensing the deeper meanings of things. ” A lot of the pageant scenes promise big money and lots of trophies and crowns for the winners, and make everything glamorous.
But in reality, what you usually end up getting is a ribbon and a small 6 inch trophy or even a certificate showing that you competed. It’s all a farce when it comes down to it. The pageant leaders suck you in just to get your money. In the end, the parents walk away with less money in their pockets and a child that feels like they let themselves down. Their self- esteem goes right out the window. “A beauty pageant is not just about being rewarding for the child as a person, but it is rewarding in the materialistic sense as well (who wouldn’t mind earning a few good bucks eh! . Most of the times pageant winners get cash prizes, a chance to travel and explore places as well as scholarships, with regards to teen beauty pageants,” says buzzle. com. “This is in addition to the trophy or crown and ribbon. On the downside, if the pageant involves traveling around, there is a financial and emotional stress on all family members. ” Pageants can help for some of the older participants in building their self-esteem and make themselves feel better. They have a whole new respect for themselves and their competitors.
They can truly figure out that beauty is only skin deep, but friendships and experiences last a lifetime. The child can come away with a positive outlook on pageants instead of a negative one and feel some sort of accomplishment. Buzzle. com also added, “A pageant can help individuals become go-getters and achieve what they want. Consequently, those who win are brimming with confidence. On the other hand, those who are mentally not strong enough might not be able to bear the pain of losing and not achieving what they want. This can lead them to go into depression.
Those who won might become snobbish and over confident, paying no heed to others. This is amongst the unfortunate but significant beauty pageant pros and cons. ” The website, Buzzle. com goes on to say, “They say that the child’s intelligence and congeniality is tested, but a child never knows what the judges have on their mind. But there are some who vehemently claim that the judges do test the intelligence of the contestants and there are activities where they can display their intelligence. At least this is what facts about beauty pageants state.
The winner or the top 5 or 10 contestants of the beauty pageant have a great chance to be role models for the ‘mere mortals’. Be it social service or excelling in their careers and academics, this is what they put across for others to follow. On the contrary, some might misuse this platform for all the wrong reasons and for their vested interest, rather than doing something for others. ” Lastly, if a child wants to participate in a beauty pageant, fine, but avoid going overboard about it. There are some who can go to any extent to be the Miss or Mr.
Perfect and still lose everything. Moreover, the race to have that perfect body and face can result in eating disorders detrimental for an individual’s health. Beauty pageant pros and cons should be seriously considered by those wanting to enter one. An individual should have a very strong reason and self determination to sail through. Only then it is worth a shot. This is totally relevant to what Oscar Wilde had said about beauty- “No object is so beautiful that, under certain conditions, it will not look ugly. “
