Beauty pageants at a young age

[Kristen]

I was watching a doco about this. A mother in America was getting her four year old daughter to win a beauty pageant so they could have a car.
They spent thousands of dollars on costumes and the poor girl was absolutely dripping in makeup when she performed. Her costume was racy despite her age and she was frequently shot yawning.
What's your view on this?

[Dan_]

The parents who allow their kids to take part in this are out of order to be honest, they are far too young to be wearing make up and to put them through contests where alot of the time they are going to end up losing is not exactly good for their self esteem and could lead to problems with them in the future.

[Sunny_01]

I feel for these kids, there was a huge case around Jon benet ramsey in America a few years ago. She was a kiddie beauty queen who was murdered in her own home, was pretty awful and her killer has never been caught. I wonder had she not been involved in the pagent scene would she have still been alive.

[GlitterEyes]

I think it depends on the pageant some of them can be quite cute and fun for the kids to do and enjoy it but the pushy parent types I don't agree with. I think it all comes down to whether or not the child enjoys it...if its tired or bored then it isn't going to enjoy it but if its laughing and wide awake I see no harm. I think clothing wise there are boundaries...some clothes can look "cute" and others inappropriate.

[stacey]

i think it depends on the parents a glitter eyes said, some parents can see it as fun for their kids and if the kids enjoy it then they can but i think it should be the childs choice whether they do or not but not to overdo it if they do want to do it

[bananarama]

I don't think such contests are good for the children. To win a car is just using a child.......

Simple pageants for fun may be ok if the child has a choice.......but I wonder...Will some kids who don't win be liable to developing an inferiority complex at some stage thinking they don't look good enough.......I think let children be children and leave beauty pageant contests to adults if they so choose.......

[lilmissnaughty]

I think Beauty Pageants are a waste of time full stop.

[Diablo]

I think it out of order, these very young children are just being used as objects to give their mother something to bleat about at the school gates. I think its cruel the kids will feel under pressure to do well and will have to take rejection and huge disappointment at such a young age.