Spring Break
Toddlers, tiaras and trauma
Lara Oliver
Issue date: 2/17/09 Section: Opinion
I've watched "Lock Up," "Intervention," "To Catch a Predator" and probably too many "Law and Order SVU" episodes for my own good, but none of those shows compare to the horrors I saw on TV the other day. This show left me depressed much longer than any other "very special" episode of any sitcom I've ever seen in my whole life. It was "Toddlers & Tiaras."
For those not in the know, "Toddlers and Tiaras" is one of those TLC shows that follow around a certain subset of the population to give insight into what their lives are like. However, unlike shows like "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" or "Little People Big World" that depict families breaking stereotypes, "Toddlers & Tiaras" documents one of the worst stereotypes in America in action -- the pageant mom.
But this isn't your ordinary, run-of-the-mill pageant mom. The show, as its name suggests, focuses on pageant moms that involve their daughters (and sons in some pretty creepy cases) in pageants at an extremely early age.
I know a lot of people out there were involved in pageants of some kind during their childhood or teenage years and I know many of the former contestants say that they begged their mothers to be involved in it, but, you know what I used to beg for when I was a kid? An above-ground pool next to the garage so I could jump off the roof into the pool. Had my parents indulged my wish for that pool, I would have probably seriously injured myself and ended up scarred for life.
See where I'm going with this?
I don't see how it's possible for any mother, or father for that matter, to possibly think that child pageants do anything but lower self-esteem and traumatize young girls to the point of no return. Fake tans, teeth whitening, perms, makeup and high heels are all things that belong to adult women, and very few of the women I know of in real life do any kind of regular maintenance that even resembles what little girls involved in pageants do.
And if you ever get a free moment on the Internet, be sure to check out the photographers who work these pageants. Not only do the girls end up with wigs, teeth caps and more makeup than a televangelist, but the photographers digitally edit out any signs of childhood like freckles or minor skin imperfections. Some of them even add tiny amounts of cleavage to the girls' chest.
Despite this bizarre and -- frankly, disgusting -- sexualization of children, some parents insist that it's the child's idea to get involved in the pageants. They say they would be extremely depressed if they didn't compete, even though some of these persistent children appear to be infants (who can't speak).
How about, instead of shoving your kid into the spotlight to be judged based on her looks, a rite of adulthood she'll experience too early without your help, why not involve her in a competition that values her for something else besides her appearance?
Maybe a skill or talent that she could actually use in her adult life -- like soccer, horseback riding or gymnastics.
Or just buy her a dang crown yourself and quit making them get spray tans.
This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com.
For those not in the know, "Toddlers and Tiaras" is one of those TLC shows that follow around a certain subset of the population to give insight into what their lives are like. However, unlike shows like "Jon and Kate Plus Eight" or "Little People Big World" that depict families breaking stereotypes, "Toddlers & Tiaras" documents one of the worst stereotypes in America in action -- the pageant mom.
But this isn't your ordinary, run-of-the-mill pageant mom. The show, as its name suggests, focuses on pageant moms that involve their daughters (and sons in some pretty creepy cases) in pageants at an extremely early age.
I know a lot of people out there were involved in pageants of some kind during their childhood or teenage years and I know many of the former contestants say that they begged their mothers to be involved in it, but, you know what I used to beg for when I was a kid? An above-ground pool next to the garage so I could jump off the roof into the pool. Had my parents indulged my wish for that pool, I would have probably seriously injured myself and ended up scarred for life.
See where I'm going with this?
I don't see how it's possible for any mother, or father for that matter, to possibly think that child pageants do anything but lower self-esteem and traumatize young girls to the point of no return. Fake tans, teeth whitening, perms, makeup and high heels are all things that belong to adult women, and very few of the women I know of in real life do any kind of regular maintenance that even resembles what little girls involved in pageants do.
And if you ever get a free moment on the Internet, be sure to check out the photographers who work these pageants. Not only do the girls end up with wigs, teeth caps and more makeup than a televangelist, but the photographers digitally edit out any signs of childhood like freckles or minor skin imperfections. Some of them even add tiny amounts of cleavage to the girls' chest.
Despite this bizarre and -- frankly, disgusting -- sexualization of children, some parents insist that it's the child's idea to get involved in the pageants. They say they would be extremely depressed if they didn't compete, even though some of these persistent children appear to be infants (who can't speak).
How about, instead of shoving your kid into the spotlight to be judged based on her looks, a rite of adulthood she'll experience too early without your help, why not involve her in a competition that values her for something else besides her appearance?
Maybe a skill or talent that she could actually use in her adult life -- like soccer, horseback riding or gymnastics.
Or just buy her a dang crown yourself and quit making them get spray tans.
This writer can be contacted at opinion@theeastcarolinian.com.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Ashley
posted 2/22/09 @ 10:10 AM EST
That's whats great about America! You can bash pageant parent's with no idea what you are really talking about! How about you actually go to a pageant and talk to some of the girls then run your mouth!
Simple Mom
posted 8/14/09 @ 9:17 PM EST
This post is to Ashley. I don't think that Ms. Oliver was out to bash you personally. But you do have to admit that she does have a valid point. I myself wanted to get my child involved in the beauty Padgets, until I saw some of the outfit, heavy makeup and things the other parents "forced on their children. (Continued…)
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