Why Age Restrictions Should Be Enforced in Pageants - Term Paper Example

?Jane Jones Jim Smith English IV 25 April Why Age Restrictions Should Be Enforced in Pageants Sometime in the late night hours of a cold Colorado Christmas in 1996, little six year-old Jon Benet Ramsey’s life was snuffed out. The tiny girl’s horrible death captured the attention of an entire nation and for months was the top headline for the press. The Boulder Police fell under intense criticism for their failure to solve the case and Jon Benet’s wealthy parents were scrutinized and questioned extensively, with the media and many members of the public suggesting that one of the family had committed the crime. One of the aspects of the Ramseys’ previously quiet life was the strange and relatively unknown spectacle of beauty pageants aimed at very young girls. Jon Benet’s mother Patsy not only enrolled her daughter in pageants across the country, she also used her own wealth to fund some of them. The media and public alike were horrified to learn little girls (and boys), sometimes as young as babies, were paraded like their teenaged and adult counterparts. This included makeup and skimpy outfits, including swimsuits. CBS Anchor Dan Rather called the very airing of historical footage showing the little girl “kiddie porn” (Rich) and it was suggested by more than one person that a pedophile had broken into the house and killed her, as some sexual trauma was evidenced. Investigators are now pretty much convinced that neither pedophilia nor the pageants themselves had anything to do with the homicide. Yet the damage was done and what was once a subject that only a small percentage of the American public knew anything about suddenly became front page news. The parents of the contestants were the ones who were criticized the most, as well as it should be, for they were the ones who enrolled their tiny divas and pushed them hard to succeed. Again quoting John Rich, at the time of the sensational killing, the kids’ pageant production was a billion dollar industry with 3,000 contests and 100,000 contestants annually. Critics were harsh and very little if any positive publicity was generated about the pageants in the months following the girl’s death. With that much negative exposure, one would expect the child beauty pageants would have withered and died shortly thereafter. Flash forward more than fifteen years since Jon Benet’s death. She would now be twenty-one years old, the optimum age for either a Miss USA/Miss Universe pageant or a New York runway model. But have child beauty pageants been pushed to the annals of history? No, by no means. One of the most popular shows on Cable’s The Learning Channel (TLC) is Toddlers and Tiaras and episodes are broadcast several times a week. The television show has been on since September 2008 and has been renewed for at least another season. Another show along the same lines was the (presumably) now defunct Little Miss Perfect that aired on another cable channel WE-TV. So why did one show triumph while another failed? It could be said that Discovery Networks (the parent company of TLC) had enough finances and experience to put behind their show and fledgling WE didn’t. Watching various episodes of Toddlers and Tiaras, it is very much evident that TLC puts glitz along with glamour and voiceovers and expert evaluations, whereas Little Miss Perfect evidently just showed the contestants two at a time. As cable networks often do, on Wednesday, April 25, 2012, TLC had a marathon showing of its fifth season of Toddlers and Tiaras. A rerun airing of the show “Darling Divas - New York”, showed exactly how far over the top these kids and their parents go just to win a measly prize (The top prize in Brooklyn was $300). Little girls and their mothers were having meltdowns on camera. For instance, one mother, so upset that her dear little one got stage-fright and froze in front of the judges, literally pushed the cameras away and said she was very much angry with this child, who couldn’t have been more than four. The girls were all between maybe three and eleven (the maximum age for the oldest category), and the show spent very little time on the “crowning” of the contestants and most of the hour was used on various mini-contests (singing, talent, New York City themed, etc.) and behind the scenes interaction between the children and their parents and/or coaches. Some of the little girls were enthusiastic and involved and some were not. In example, Paisley, one of the child stars of the show appeared at the pageant’s front door driving a powered Pink toy Mercedes convertible. For one of her judging’s, she drove the Mercedes on stage where she was supposed imitate Lady GaGa. A veteran of many pageants, even Paisley pulled the car perilously close to the toy piano so that one of her entourage had to come move it. The judges admitted they did not strictly judge the girls as they would teenagers or adults, for their young brains did not have total acute reasoning. Like Paisley, the children were judged on poise, beauty, and total delivery. It seemed the girls were for the most part being little girls, giggling with one another, pulling little pranks, talking about shopping in the Big Apple, and generally having a good time. One toddler, probably no more than three, in full pageant regalia, was shown picking her nose and wiping it on her dress, something any other three year-old would do! So who were the ones stressing throughout the entire show? By far it was the parents. Dads were in evidence but for the most part it was the mothers who ran the entire performance. One mother proceeded to argue with the judges because her little princess was not put into the category she preferred. This same mother made her eight year-old daughter wear a girdle, modified for her, as girdles are not made for children that young! Shian, the daughter, told the cameras offstage that her mom even made her wear the girdle to bed. When the woman was arguing with the judges, her little girl called her a “crazy pageant mom”. One has to wonder what this child is actually allowed to eat and it is little surprise that anorexia is on the rise among younger preteen girls. Another mother actually wore a tee-shirt with “Team Isabella” on it, along with a picture of the child as a contestant. Another mother (not that particular episode) has maxed her credit cards for thousands of dollars to finance these ventures. Why? Is it because they actually truly want their kids to succeed? Or are the majority of the American public correct when they say the parents are doing it for themselves? Everybody has heard of the term “soccer mom”. By the classic definition, a soccer mom is a person who gets totally involved in her children’s budding athletic careers, pushing them to excel at all costs and it is not contained specifically to sports. Musical instruments, dance, cheerleading and Asian self-defense arts are among extracurricular activities also included. Since minivans and SUV’s are the preferred mode of transport for these events, there is even a funny commercial from a car maker that gently pokes fun at its customers by showing the parents transporting the kids to chess and art tournaments. But to be fair, soccer “mom” is a misnomer. The dads are most of the time just as involved and can go even further over the top than their wives. There have been numerous reports of parents getting into physical altercations with coaches and other parents at events. Some of those fights have led to fatalities, such as the 2000 incident where two men got into a fistfight over their sons’ hockey game. One of the men died, one was sent to prison for eight years, and two families were irreparably damaged over what, a children’s game and probably neither of the boys were the next Wayne Gretzky. Yet even if they had been, that was not worth it. The same holds true on Toddlers and Tiaras, for there was one episode where two mothers had been involved in an online dispute in which each had physically threatened the other. Fortunately, the judges were able to separate the two, threatening to have them (and their daughters) expelled from that pageant. Hopefully that was enough to make the women settle down and let their children compete. That is what all of that is about. Either the parents were unable or unwilling to compete when they were children or they never quite grew up and are trying to live some kind of strange fantasy, in which the child’s glories are transferred to them. There is also a prevailing theory that parents compete with other parents to see whose kids participate in the most events. Those who have their children in the most sports and other things “win”. One can see this theory is quite evident in Toddlers and Tiaras, because the mothers are the ones pushing the hardest. ABC News did a story about children being pushed way too hard to compete in which a noted child psychiatrist, Doctor Alvin Rosenfeld referred to such attitudes as “.. parenting the most competitive adult sport” (James). So if the parents are turning into these unrecognizable monsters when they get on the playing field, what is happening to their children? The stress these children are feeling is incredible. Psychology Today reports on one case study where Kevin was under such tremendous stress from so many extracurricular activities that at nine he suffered from clinical depression with all the classic symptoms, including insomnia, overt nervousness and chronic tiredness. When the psychologist suggested that the amount of time spent at sports and other things might be the root cause and maybe the mother should consider cutting back on some of her son’s activities, she dismissed the notion as ludicrous, because the activities he was undertaking were supposed to be fun for him (Elkins). When young minds are driven to excel, they also snap physically. Watching professional athletes hurting each other and suffering very little, if any, punishment might cause the child to believe that physical and mental violence, both on and off the competitive arena, is okay. Bullying is coming to the forefront of society’s conscience and with good reason. Although there is no good excuse for hurting another person, perhaps one of the reasons for such widespread bullying and school violence is the increased pressure that kids face from all sides. Another issue for young people is physical problems. For one thing, pushed on by the pressure of parents and peers (like Shian above), girls as young as six have began to suffer from anorexia, bulimia, and other eating disorders. Figures are often difficult to obtain but a recent article in the Los Angeles Times suggests kids under twelve (girls and boys) are the fastest growing segment of the population with eating disorders. Another fear of the medical community is the growing factor of physical injuries among young people, such as tearing and breaking of the extremities and concussions/skull fractures. Injuries to the young are much more dangerous, because bones and ligaments are still growing and the child could be disabled for life. Several youth have also died from undiagnosed heart ailments and heat injuries. The young contestants on Toddlers and Tiaras are likewise susceptible to these type injuries, due to the pirouetting and dancing required. The word diva has been used frequently in the past few years, sometimes to excess. Normally it applies to a singer who excels. Yet all too often in today’s society it means a woman who wants, nay demands, all of the fame, celebrity, and all other perks the walk of fame has to offer. The Urban Dictionary defines her as “a bitchy woman that must have her way exactly, or no way at all. often rude and belittles people, believes that everyone is beneath her and thinks that she is so much more loved than what she really is. selfish, spoiled, and overly dramatic”. The term has been applied to such celebrities as Celine Dion, Britney Spears, and Beyonce. So it is no coincidence that more than one episode of Toddlers and Tiaras has the word diva in its title. The youngest of some of the girls are spoiled and demanding, acting out Urban Dictionary’s above definition. For instance, Daisy Mae is an eight year-old contestant on one episode. When speaking to the camera offstage, she offers her opinion that “ugly” people should not be allowed on what she considers “her” pageants. Daisy Mae also feels facial beauty is a person’s most important attribute and is what people should be judged by. One wonders with that who exactly the little girl expects to determine such beauty/ugliness, herself? Another good example of a junior diva is five year-old Bridgett. She is the classic example of the antiquated word “tomboy” who wanders about her rural Illinois farm home, killing insects. She also states that her long term career goal is exterminator. Maybe later she could transfer to another reality show, the popular A&E Billy the Exterminator! Not bad so far but later Bridgett confesses to a desire for killing teeny-bopper sensation Justin Beiber. Maybe a sentiment shared by many others (career-wise not physically!) but her reason is that he might possibly take away from her fame. Boys are also spotlighted on Toddlers and Tiaras. One little guy, Zander, calls himself a “pageant diva”. He has been in over sixty pageants at the tender age of five, was a winner many times and has an ego to match. His mother boasts that she has seen other contestants withdraw when they find out Zander is entered. The lad also proclaims himself to be a winner before the contest even begins. But what do the kids really feel about all of this? Kevin with the depression told his therapist he would much rather be playing with cardboard boxes with his friends, like he used to, before his mother put him in all those activities. Zander said off camera that if he didn’t win, his mom “might be sad”. From some of the temper tantrums filmed on the show, it is evident most of them are like Kevin, in that they would rather be at home just being kids. When the little girls are dressed up in some of their outfits on Toddlers and Tiaras, with the heavy makeup and dresses reminiscent of a grown woman, that is exactly what they resemble, a miniature adult. How do the children feel about being dressed like that and what exactly does it do to their psyche at such an impressionable age? Sure all little kids (girls and boys) like to play “dress-up” and pretend to be the Mommy or Daddy for a little while but it is exactly that, a temporary fantasy and soon they are ready to go back to being five once more. Yet for these children, it is neither temporary nor a fantasy. It is a constant presence in their young lives. But unlike their peers, they don’t dab Mommy’s makeup into a blob on their face. Makeup is expertly applied by their mothers or coaches, their eyebrows are plucked, and artificial tanning is sprayed on them. The suits do not hang ridiculously off of them and the dresses aren’t baggy with Mama’s oversized purse. The clothes are impeccably tailored. For instance, Zander in one clip wears an oddly colored pin-stripe suit with long tie that no normal little boy would be caught dead in. He is also shown in a miniature cowboy outfit that would otherwise be cute if he was dressed for trick or treating! Ditto for the girls, for their highly made-up faces and evening wear make them appear ludicrous but the situation is far from funny. Alluding sexuality is another factor of contention for these pint-sized television stars. Like Dan Rather above, one of the chief criticisms of the show is that it is fodder for pedophiles. They have good reason for this line of thought. Little girls are given cone shaped brassieres, they are paraded in skimpy swimsuits, and mothers have been known to pad the girls’ bust areas and derriere. One parent even dressed her three year-old daughter as Julia Roberts’ prostitute character in Pretty Woman, long wig, knee boots, and miniskirt. Isabella’s mother from above is actually suing several media outlets for thirty million dollars. Her reason for the lawsuit was that the media portrayed her daughter as sexualized. The five year-old girl was seated in a Manhattan restaurant singing “I’m Sexy and I Know It”! Okay so she wasn’t dancing as the media said, but please, the Mom actually asked the media to film the kid (Velez). In conclusion, it is no great surprise that people all over the United States and Canada (it’s there too) have started petitions and online requests to either have the show banned or at the very least seriously curtailed. Banned is perhaps too strong a thing for any TV show in a free society but maybe the age limits for such pageants could be raised to at least where it wouldn’t seem so ludicrous. Also maybe the sexual parts could be curtailed or eliminated so that there is no danger. WORKS CITED Rich, Frank, “Let Me Entertain You”, The New York Times, January 18, 1997, Web, April 23, 2012, < http://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/18/opinion/let-me-entertain-you.html?src=pm> James, Michael S, “Are Parents Pushing Kids Too Hard”, ABC News, March 15, 2002, Web, April 25, 2012, < http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=89986#.T5l77NVNUgI> Elkins, David, “Are We Pushing Our Kids Too Hard?” Psychology Today, May 03, 2005, Web, April 25, 2012, < http://www.psychologytoday.com/articles/200303/are-we-pushing-our-kids-too-hard > Velez, Adriana, “Who's Sexualizing These Little Girls”, Cafe Mom, January 26, 2012, Web, April 25, 2012, Read More