Children have their own way of perceiving life. There are certain things that adults do that children follow. The naïve minds of children are slowly drifted to a different level as they grow old and mature. Without knowing, the children themselves give adults a taste of how life should be treated fairly. They learn through experiences that respect is not bought anywhere, but gained over time.
The movie, Little Miss Sunshine, showcased the realities of life, as seen through the eyes of seven-year old Olive Hoover. She was not the beauty queen material, but she showed high spirits. From the start of the movie, it was evident that Dwayne and Uncle Steve were against the contest. This was because they knew that those who joined beauty pageants looked like Barbie dolls, and looked not differently from Olive. They wanted to spare Olive from being embarrassed and laughed at by people from the crowd.
The Beauty pageants of children seem like a miniature version of typical beauty pageants. Those who stand out the most are ladies who are physically attractive, and those who have a perfect body. Not much importance is given in their mental capabilities and the contributions that they may give to society. Olive possessed all of these qualities, but she was physically different.
From the time that Olive got accepted in the pageant, she worked hard in order to be recognized. She even rehearsed a dance with her grandfather. Unknown to them, this was the last project that they would be working on. Although problems occurred before going on their trip, the Hoover family was able to decide in supporting their little Olive’s dream of joining the prestigious pageant.
The trip from Albuquerque to California seemed to be endless, yet allowed everyone of them to see how much spirit Olive had in herself. She did not just join for the fame and money, but to also prove that she can stand up and be known for her actions. The persistence that she had in life overpowered the negativities that her family had towards life.
As Olive reached the pageant area, she was surprised to see how different the other children looked like. They were like little Barbie dolls, who acted like they were miniature adults. Her naïve mind was shattered to see the stereotyped environment that she was in. Her family knew how embarrassed Olive would be if she continued on with the pageant, but allowed her to still continue to make others see how her individuality would stand out.
Olive represented something more than just a naïve child. She showed everyone how our differences and imperfections in life would make us beautiful people. Showing others how life should be handled was the best thing that Olive could do. She taught her older family members how important it was to just be true to oneself.
As Olive tried to show people her imperfections during the Talent portion, the woman in charge of the pageant became upset. This may be attributed to the fact that Olive was not prim and proper as the other contestants were. In addition to this, she performed an obscene kind of dance that left the organizers in shock. Olive naively performed the dance that she and her grandfather have prepared, not thinking about what the reactions of others would be. She did what she believed would make her remember her dead grandfather. Instead of stopping Olive from her wacky antics, her family joined her one by one on stage to show how much they support the child.
As a result of their actions, Olive and her family were banned from joining any other beauty competition in the state of California. Olive never really minded this, for one round of being accepted in the Little Miss Sunshine Competition was enough for her. Besides, she was a beauty queen in the eyes of her family – she was the sunshine who always left a smile in anyone’s face.
