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Sinha Janjua

Professor Ikram

English 105

November 29, 2022

Position Argument Essay

Why beauty pageants are harmful for young girls

A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking

the physical attributes of the contestants. Beauty Pageants are an important part of the

American culture in the 21st century. Many women, including small children, strut down the

runway, dressing up in fancy clothes and makeup and charm, with the only and clear intention

of catching the judge’s eye. There is no question that beauty contests are popular in the United

States. The Miss America pageant, for example, has been around since 1921. Many claim that

beauty pageants are a harmless activity that contestants can get a boost of confidence from.

However, there is growing concern that these pageants may be harmful to young girls. Beauty

pageants have long been a controversial topic, with many arguing that they are harmful to

young girls and contribute to the objectification and sexualization of women. One concern is

that beauty pageant may teach girls that their self worth is way less. Beauty pageants promote

a narrow and unhealthy standard of beauty, encourage unhealthy behaviors and competition

among young girls.

Beauty pageants contribute to body image issues and create unrealistic beauty standards.

They often place a heavy emphasis on physicals appearances rather than inner qualities and

unique talents. Contestants are judged on their looks, weight, and overall appearance. Beauty
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contests mostly feature contestants who are tall, thin, conventionally attractive, which can

cause unrealistic beauty standards for young girls to aspire to. Many psychological experts

have found that beauty pageants can lead to a whole host of mental issues amongst

participants. When children are asked to focus on their looks, they can develop eating

disorders and self-esteem issues that carryon through adult hood. According to the American

Psychological Association, sexualizing girls can lead to depression, low-self esteem, shame

and anxiety, and eating disorders, among others. This can lead to young girls feeling

inadequate and lacking self-esteem if they do not meet this standard. It also sets up unrealistic

expectations for girls to strive for, which can lead to unhealthy behaviors such as dieting,

exercise and even disordered eating. “A study performed in 2005 found a high rate of eating

and mental disorders in adults who participated in beauty pageants as a child”.

They can objectify and sexualize young women by objectifying their bodies and presenting

them as sexual objects for the purpose of entertainment. The overall trend of these beauty

pageants is on portraying sexy rather than cute. Beauty pageants often require contestants to

wear revealing costumes and engage in suggestive poses, with judges evaluating them on

their looks and figure. This can lead to a young audience feeling a lack of self-worth and

developing harmful belief that their value lies in their physical appearance rather than their

character and accomplishments. “According to a study, experiencing such stress in their early

years can cause children to develop various psychological conditions once they reach

adulthood.” This objectification of women can steer to a culture that only values women based

on their physical appearance instead of their intelligence and talents.

These beauty contests can endorse gender stereotypes, they often reinforce traditional gender

roles, with contestants expected to adhere to certain feminine stereotypes such as being

graceful, poised and conventionally attractive. Women are expected to be thin, alluring, and

submissive, and men are expected to be strong, handsome, and masculine. “Judith Butler’s
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theory of gender underlines the idea that gender is a performance or an act of performativity.

Gender is a performative as much as it is a repetition of what is socially expected as it an

aspect of an act of an independent agency (Fraker 2019).” This can limit young girls’ sense of

self and discourage them from exploring their true identities. This gender stereotype restricts

the possibilities, expectations, and pursuing other goals. “According to Butler constructions

of gender are not confined but rather a matter of choice. However, beauty pageants, in

particular child pageants, show the opposite (Fraker 2019).

Finally, beauty pageants encourage unhealthy behaviors in young girls. In order to compete

in beauty contests, girls may require engaging in unhealthy practices such as extreme dieting,

excessive and aggressive exercise, and even plastic surgery in order to meet the narrow

standard of beauty. These methods to achieve the desired body and shape are expensive and

time consuming. They can be time commitment, taking time away from other important

activities and responsibilities. These beauty pageants often focus on traditional, narrow

definitions of beauty that prioritize certain physical attributes, such as thin, toned body or

certain facial structure. “As a society, we need to replace all of these sexualized images with

ones showing girls in positive settings--ones that show the uniqueness and competence of

girls,” states Eileen L. Zurbriggen, PhD, chair of the APA Task Force and associate professor

of psychology at the University of California, Santa Cruz. “The goal should be to deliver

messages to all adolescents--boys and girls--that lead to healthy sexual development.” This

affects the physical and mental health of participants and viewers which can cause eating

disorders, low energy levels, body dysmorphic disorder, malnutrition, and distorted self-

image. “The consequences of the sexualization of girls in media today are very real and are

likely to be a negative influence on girls' healthy development," says Dr. Zurbriggen. "We

have ample evidence to conclude that sexualization has negative effects in a variety of
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domains, including cognitive functioning, physical and mental health, and healthy sexual

development.”

Beauty pageants promote a narrow and unhealthy standard of beauty, encourage unhealthy

behaviors and competition among young girls. Overall, beauty pageants are harmful to young

girls in several ways because they promote a narrow and unhealthy standard of beauty,

encouraging unhealthy behaviors, objectify and sexualize women and reinforcing gender

stereotypes. It is important to recognize the harmful effects of beauty pageants and instead

promote positive and healthy self-esteem and body image. While it is up to individual

families to decide whether to participate in beauty pageants, it is essential to consider the

potential negative impacts on young girls and strive to create a more inclusive and

empowering environment for all. Young adults should be valued for their character and

talents, rather than just their physical appearance.

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o Wonderlich AL, Ackard DM, Henderson JB. Childhood beauty pageant contestants:
associations with adult disordered eating and mental health. Eat Disord. 2005 May-
Jun;13(3):291-301. doi: 10.1080/10640260590932896. PMID: 16864534.
o Sinpetru, L. (n.d.). Child beauty pageants foster adult body dissatisfaction, eating
disorders. Softpedia. Retrieved from http://news.softpedia.com/news/Child-
Beauty-Pageants-Foster-Adult-Body-Dissatisfaction-Eating-Disorders-
302540.shtml
o Butler, J., 1988. Performative Acts and Gender Constitution: An Essay in
Phenomenology and Feminist Theory. Theatre Journal, [online] 40(4), p.519.
Available at: <https://www.jstor.org/stable/3207893> [Accessed 19 April 2020].
o Morgan, Mandy. "Toddlers and Tears: The sexualization of young." Deseret News
[Salt Lake City] 17 11 2012, n. pag. Web. 5 Jun. 2013.
<http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865567072/Toddlers-and-Tears-The-
sexualization-of-young-girls.html?pg=all>

Butler, J., 1988. Performative

Acts and Gender Constitution: An
Essay in Phenomenology and
Feminist Theory. Theatre Journal,
[online] 40(4), p.519. Available
at:
 6

<https://www.jstor.org/stable/
3207893> [Accessed 19 April
2020]
Butler, J., 1988. Performative
Acts and Gender Constitution: An
Essay in Phenomenology and
Feminist Theory. Theatre Journal,
[online] 40(4), p.519. Available
at:
<https://www.jstor.org/stable/
3207893> [Accessed 19 April
2020]
Butler, J., 1988. Performative
Acts and Gender Constitution: An
Essay in Phenomenology and
Feminist Theory. Theatre Journal,
[online] 40(4), p.519. Available
at:
 7

<https://www.jstor.org/stable/
3207893> [Accessed 19 April
2020].
Butler, J., 1988. Performative
Acts and Gender Constitution: An
Essay in Phenomenology and
Feminist Theory. Theatre Journal,
[online] 40(4), p.519. Available
at:
<https://www.jstor.org/stable/
3207893> [Accessed 19 April
2020].
Judith Butler’s theory of gender
underlines the idea that gender is
a performance or an act of
performativity. Gender is a
performative as much as it is a
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repetition of what is socially

expected as it
an aspect of an act of an
independent agency (Fraker 2019