I am sure most of you already know what a beauty pageant is but have you ever heard of beauty pageants

for children? Beauty pageants started in 1921 when the owner of an Atlantic City hotel struck upon the idea to help boost tourism !owever" the idea had already circulated through #Most Beautiful Child# contests held in ma$or cities across the country %he &ittle 'iss America pageant began in the 19()s at *alisades Amusement *ark in +ew ,ersey -riginally" it was for teenagers from 1. to 1/ years old" but by 19(0 there were over .1"))) participants" which prompted an age division %he modern child beauty pageant emerged in the late 19()s" held in 'iami" 2lorida 3ince then" the industry has grown to include nearly 21"))) pageants It is an increasingly lucrative business" bringing in about a billion dollars a year %he murder of ,onBen4t 5amsey in late 199( turned the public spotlight onto child beauty pageants Critics began to 6uestion the ethics of parents who would present their child in such a way %he reasons parents give for putting their children into beauty pageants are to boost their self7esteem" to teach them poise" public speaking" tact and confidence" and some of the parents even say that they want their children to be aware of the fact that there will always be someone better than their children" while wealthier parents e8plain that the competition is essential for their children to become successful 3ome of the parents say that they entered their child into a pageant $ust because the child wanted Although it is believed that beauty contests for children may improve their confidence" it has been proven by studies on girls that participated in contests are more dissatisfied with their bodies and have trust issues than girls that haven9t participated in pageants *arents also contribute to the se8ualisation of their daughters by entering them into contests in which the girls wear a lot of make7up" false eyelashes" bleached hair" spray tan" revealing gowns" provocative poses %hese parents spend a lot of money by entering the girls into such pageants 7 the entering fee ranges between :1) and :/))" makeup and hair is usually done by a professional makeup artist" dresses that cost between :2)) and :;))) depending on designer and the amount of details on the garment %here have been cases of families going into debt or losing their homes because of overe8tending family resources to cover the costs that the pageants re6uired I believe that people should be aware of the fact that a child is a child A child doesn9t need makeup to look beautiful and this kind of behaviour only encourages superficiality and trust issues Also" it is known that wearing makeup from such a young age damages the skin Children should be playing" learning how to ride a bike and maybe $oining a team of football" swim team" whatever seems appealing to them 3ome parents think that pageants are a great family activity" but all they do as a family is dress up their children and make them do certain routines on a stage <ell" isn9t that what dolls are made for?