France Votes To Ban 'Hyper-Sexualisation' Of Minors In Child Beauty Pageants

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

You are kidding me right?

Maybe we are thinking of different things here.

I am thinking about the annual spring parade that goes through town, not going "on tour as a full time event.

One of the fundamental lessons parents must teach kids is how to handle failure and success. Winning builds confidence, loosing instills a sense of empathy towards others later on.

A spring parade is very different from the child beauty pageant and the lifestyle it creates.

Winning and losing are good lessons to learn in life, yes. But maybe not based on how your padded bra fits, as a 4-year old.

[Darnell 8,478]

Yup - two different things, O Danno.

Maybe we are thinking of different things here.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Why doesn't it shock me that Danno's the only one defending child beauty pageants?

Edited September 19, 2013 by Penny Lane

[Darnell 8,478]

He's not really defending them.

OTOH, he seems to purvey a level of ignorance about Child Beauty Pageants.

That's ok, too - someone can help him out with more info.

Not me, of course, but someone...

[Danno 1,228]

He's not really defending them.

OTOH, he seems to purvey a level of ignorance about Child Beauty Pageants.

That's ok, too - someone can help him out with more info.

Not me, of course, but someone...

To pass any law there should be "compelling reasons" to do so, what are those compelling reasons beyond hunches?

are there any statistics which show of all those who were ever in a pageant experience a much higher rate of suicide attempt or eating disorders etc?

Before we trample the rights of the parents in order to "protect" children, lets first establish (with facts) that there is actually a danger or harm.

Is that too much to ask?

We could easily establish that other childhood experiences place children health and development in more certain jeopardy, yet we do nothing, in fact, the state plays a part in the harm.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/14/brooke-breedwell-former-child-pageant-star_n_1885132.html

Brooke Breedwell, a former child pageant star who had a full-time modeling coach by the age of 3, is once again speaking out against the pageant circuit and warning parents not to put their children through what she endured, the Sun reports.

“Since I was three I was pressured by my mum to be perfect. But living up to her expectations was impossible," Breedwelltold the UK publication.

The former child star, now 22, had won 75 pageants in the U.S. by the time she was 5 years old. On top of the rigorous schedule that involved attending pageants each day, Breedwell claims her mother, Pam, would criticize her performances for things such as not making enough eye contact with the judges.

She told the news outlet she wishes she'd just been allowed to play outside like other children her age:

“But my mum would pull me away from my friends and transform me from a tomboy into a beauty queen because she insisted I needed to practise every day. I absolutely hated the make-up, the hairspray and fake teeth. But most of all I hated being forced to go on the tanning bed and I would cry every time. That was three times a week for 20 minutes at a time," she said.

http://www.goodtherapy.org/blog/beauty-pageants-and-children-not-always-pretty-1115127

Pageants, particularly those designed for younger children, focus primarily on appearance, attire, and perceived “cuteness.” Talent competitions occur in some pageants and often are a secondary component of the experience. Thus, pageants suggest to young children that there is value in focusing on their appearance as judged through the eyes of others. This can lead to significant body-image distortions, and adults who once participated in child beauty pageants may experience low self-esteem and poor body image.

As with most adult pageants, child pageants often require crash dieting. Parents may encourage children to quickly lose weight so they can fit into small costumes or display tiny bodies in swimsuit-centered fitness competitions. Some parents put their kids on crash diets designed to help them gain energy and enthusiasm. These diets may consist solely of sugary snacks and sports drinks for several days. This can harm both short- and long-term health and teaches children unhealthy approaches to food that can contribute to the development of eating disorders.

http://theweek.com/article/index/225572/5-reasons-child-pageants-are-bad-for-kids

1. The girls are too young to say no

"There are examples of young girls screaming in terror as their mothers approach them with spray cans," Australian lawmaker Anna Burke tells the Sydney Daily Telegraph. Clearly, pageants risk "the exploitation or potential exploitation of very young children who really do not have the capacity to express their own views."

2. Pageants sexualize young girls

French lawmakers want an all-out ban on child pageants, says Henry Samuel in Britain's Telegraph, accusing the media and reality TV of "promoting stereotypes that transform young girls into 'sexual morsels.'" Just look at the growing number of "schoolgirls as young as 8 [who] wear padded bras, high heels, or makeup, and strike suggestive poses." Really, what is this telling our children about how they present themselves to society?

3. They cause cognitive and emotional problems

A 2007 report by the American Psychological Association found that the hypersexualization of young girls is strongly associated with eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression, says Melissa Henson at CNN. It can also even lead to fewer girls pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

4. Too much hair spray can stunt growth

One of the most widely used products in child pageants is hair spray, which contains phthalates, or plasticizers, that can act as hormone disruptors, says Travis Stork of CBS's The Doctors. For an adult beauty contestant, this is no biggie. But for a growing girl, the effects could prove detrimental. Excessive exposure to phthalates has been linked to stunted growth and even lung cancer.

5. High heels aren't made for small feet

If you're Suri Cruise, wearing high heels as a toddler is just a part of life. But when little pageant contestants wear heels, Stork says, it unnecessarily pushes their weight forward, causing lower back pain and hindering proper development of the feet. In some cases, these girls are forced to continue wearing heels outside of pageants because their feet have grown in a way that makes wearing other kinds of shoes very uncomfortable.

Edited September 19, 2013 by Penny Lane

[Penny Lane 8,159]

[Teddy B 17,252]

This pic is disturbing to say the least. It reminds me of that Jon Benet Ramsey (sp) girl. That whole case gave me the creeps.

[Póg mo 1,749]

Yikes!

[Penny Lane 8,159]

This pic is disturbing to say the least. It reminds me of that Jon Benet Ramsey (sp) girl. That whole case gave me the creeps.

After her death, her father spoke out against the pageants she was put in.

Yikes!

That's the reality of child beauty pageants.

Children, sometimes not even old enough to walk, getting their eyebrows waxed, fake teeth, being spray tanned while they scream and cry, having fake eyelashes glued onto them. It's a disgusting culture.

Danno needs to understand we aren't talking about some cute little Spring parade.

Edited September 19, 2013 by Penny Lane

[Teddy B 17,252]

After her death, her father spoke out against the pageants she was put in.

That's the reality of child beauty pageants.

Children, sometimes not even old enough to walk, getting their eyebrows waxed, fake teeth, being spray tanned while they scream and cry, having fake eyelashes glued onto them. It's a disgusting culture.

It's really odd that they have yet to find who killed that girl.

[Penny Lane 8,159]

http://abcnews.go.com/US/california-daughter-injected-botox-longer-custody-mom/story?id=13611279

Here's a heart warming tale of an 8 year old girl whose mother made her get BOTOX for a beauty pageant.

[Harpa Timsah 13,258]

[Danno 1,228]

1. You have shown incidents of the absurd. Not numbers of what the average kid in a hometown pageant experiences.

I would suggest any PARENT who has a hobby of using their kid this way should be looked at and their fitness questioned.

2. I could show more "sports parents" doing essentially the same thing with their kid.

3. The proposed law bans ALL pageants not just just the extreme cases.

4. I still think the greater danger is to allow the Gov't to over ride parental authority without compelling facts which demand it act.

5. If you notice they are not banning padded bra's or any such item for children.

6. Provide for me fact, numbers, proof that a sizable number of little girls put in local beauty pageants are harmed,

[Penny Lane 8,159]

Honey Boo Boo, as odd as she is, seems to genuinely enjoy doing pageants. They only do them when she wants to and she never wears inappropriate outfits. Just ugly dresses.

From what I've seen and read, she's taught that pageants are about having fun and not about how you look. I don't think I've ever seen or heard of her mother punishing her for not performing well.