Ugh.

So, I was mindlessly channel surfing the other day, when I came upon vh1. I was hoping for a rerun of I Love the 90's or something similar, but what came on instead was this: http://www.vh1.com/shows/dyn/vh1_news_presents/96700/episode_about.jhtml
"Little Beauties, The Ultimate Kiddie Queen Showdown"
So, I decided to watch.
Now first, before I even start on what I saw, let me just say that I have ALWAYS been against child beauty pageants, actually, now that I think about it, all beauty pageants.
I'm just not into the whole basing your self-worth on the merits of your appearance, but hey, whatever floats your boat.
Ok, now onto the show.
I was completely surprised at how serious these little girls were about the whole thing.
Of course, these little girls mothers were as serious as a heart attack about the whole thing, so maybe that's where those little girls got their cues from.
I couldn't believe the things that came out of their mouths!
This one little girl won a prize (in what was apparently the best part of the competition)
Her mother was ecstatic, mainly because that category was based "on facial beauty alone"
Gee, what's wrong with this picture?
What do you tell the girls who didn't win?
"Sorry honey, you're cute, but you just aren't beautiful"
Not to mention, I'm sure all the little girls were very pretty, but you couldn't really tell under the layers of pancake make-up and orange spray on tans. Seriously. I've never worn that much make-up in my whole life, not even when I dressed up like Barbie for Halloween.
Another little girl said that when she won her trophy, that's when her mom "started being proud of her".
That made me sad!
I can't imagine believing that your parents are only proud of you if someone thinks you're better looking than someone else's child.
I don't know about you, but I know that my parents have been proud of me since day one, and they've never stopped.
By the end of the show, I had convinced myself that maybe the little girls didn't really understand what they were being judged on, maybe they thought they just got to wear make-up and play dress up, and that they might win a prize, but no, kids are smart, they knew exactly what was going on.
One little girl (who didn't win the competition, but did get like 4th runner up) said something like : I'm good, but those other girls are just a little bit better than me.
Why would you subject your kids to this?
They're six years old!
They shouldn't have to worry about false eyelashes or spray on tans, they should be worrying about whether or not they'll get to play outside at recess, or if they'll get to stay up late.
Not to mention the fact that you are teaching your child to judge others based solely on appearance. Way to go moms.
Some argue that the pageants boost their child's self esteem.
What if they don't win? What do you tell them? "You just weren't pretty enough sweetie?"
If they're looking for a way to boost their child's self esteem, why not sign them up for music lessons or an art class?
How about telling your children that you're proud of them once in awhile?
And how about you stop using your kids to fulfill your own self worth?
Tell me what you think. I'm interested to know what others think.


Sidenote: One of my very favorite movies is "Little Miss Sunshine" it pokes fun at the whole pageant world. It's hilarious. You must watch it if you haven't already.