<p>I kinda concluded that the moms were mostly trying to thrust onto their very young daughters the glamor and beauty that they never or no longer possessed themselves. Even though most of the mothers were fairly young, for the few minutes I watched I noticed that all but one of the mothers was significantly overweight.</p>
<p>Same can be said about many kids in sports or even academics. Of course they show some tantrums–it’s TV and young kids. Most kids seem ready to go again next week no matter what meltdowns they had. If it’s not video games or texting it’s a good thing. At least they are spending time together and most seem ready to go when they are leaving for the shows. You think they have never seen MTV videos? Those things get acted out too. It’s on every day. The kids would just think the Madonna cones were funny or cool. Adults think they mean something.</p>
<p>Another aspect of pageants which hasn’t been touched on much is that they are competitions. Very young children are forced to subject themselves to a public judgment as to how pretty they are, how well dressed they are, how good their personality is. Not surprisingly, the child becomes heavily invested in the outcome, just like Mommy is. Every episode shows us children crying or angry about losing, or gloating about winning. Last week, there was a little girl who hoped that her best friend, against whom she was competing, would do poorly. The pressures that these kids are under, the values they are being taught – I shudder to think of their future therapy bills.</p>
<p>ETA: barrons, there is a huge difference between competitions based on a skill like academics/soccer, and competitions based on physical attractiveness. You don’t see how damaging it is to tell a little girl that her value is based on how good she looks?</p>
<p>One of the oddities of this culture is the relatively low expectations for “talent”. In some instances the only talent displayed is a walk across the stage set to music with a pout and a booty shake. So all this money is being spent on a fake appearance, not on developing what any reasonable person would define as talent -where are those kids who take music lessons, gymnastics or a form of dance that doesn’t translate to working with a pole?</p>
<p>Not all of the Mom’s on TT are poor. The majority are not well off but there have been some mom’s very much like Mrs. Ramsey.</p>
<p>It’s a trainwreck that fascinates me because I see it as symptomatic of a dangerous cultural poverty. I think it’s a good thing to bring out into the light of open discussion - the hidden alternative is even more creepy.</p>
<p>The episode I saw had twins competing against each other, with one getting far more awards. The mother said kind things about both, but she obviously beamed over the “champ”. I found it very sad.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>That is it, exactly, LasMa! And how awful is it for a girl to grow up believing her biggest talent/asset is looking pretty, pouting, and posing – and if that’s not bad enough, it takes fake hair, fake eyelashes, fake tan, and fake teeth for her to be successful at it?</p>
<p>
Yes, but Patsy Ramsey was born in West Virginia, and was Miss West Virginia, and Jon Benet was born in Atlanta, and is buried there with her mother.</p>
<p>[‘Toddlers</a> & Tiaras’ producer explains pageant moms - Entertainment - Reality TV - TODAYshow.com](<a href=“http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41302280/ns/today-entertainment/?gt1=43001]'Toddlers”>http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41302280/ns/today-entertainment/?gt1=43001)</p>
<p>This article mentions the eyebrow waxing of the five-year old.</p>
<p>Did they ever solve that case?</p>
<p>Jon and Kate, 16 and Pregnant/Teen Moms, Jersey Shore morons, and other “reality TV stars” are paid for their participation in the shows. I have researched the issue online, but have found no information regarding whether parents of kids featured on “Toddlers and Tiaras” are paid for their participation in the show. Does anyone have knowledge regarding this issue?</p>
<p>If these families are being paid, then TLC and the producer of the show cannot say they are just documenting this activity; if they pay these families, they are subsidizing and encouraging these parents to put their kids through this.</p>
<p>Not anymore damaging than for a boy who sucks at sports. Also beauty is just one of the criteria. Personality seems to count just as much. Also the ones on TV are “full glitz” which is the most expensive level and involves all the full make-up and outfits. There are also natural look pageants where outfits and the rest are much more minimal. But not good TV I guess. I still think most of you are projecting adult sensibilities on to children who will forget about the day if they get to stop for ice cream on the way home. If there is any actual proof of longterm damage from these competitions I have not seen it. I found one study on the subject that found slight differences in body image later in life but no relationship to eating disorders or other psychological problems. </p>
<p>BTW children who did dance as a child had similar or worse issues. Might be the same for cheer and many other activities where being thin is an advantage.(Cross-country, swimming, etc.)</p>
<p>[The</a> associations between childhood dance participa… [J Psychosom Res. 2004] - PubMed result](<a href=“The associations between childhood dance participation and adult disordered eating and related psychopathology - PubMed”>The associations between childhood dance participation and adult disordered eating and related psychopathology - PubMed)</p>
<p>sistersunnie, the Jon Benet Ramsey murder remains unsolved. Anyone who is interested in the case might want to check out the book Perfect Murder Perfect Town by Lawrence Schiller.</p>
<p>On the Toddlers to Tiaras: I haven’t seen it, but it’s certainly a fact that all reality shows are scripted. Not in the sense that they tell people what to say, but in the sense that they try to make it as exciting as possible. They shoot tons of video and then writers decide what story they want to tell and only stuff that supports that story is used. I doubt the people heavily into it care very much that normal folks are appalled by their behavior. They probably just rationalize that those on the outside just don’t understand, or are not seeing a true picture. And we aren’t seeing a full picture, but to me the whole idea of child beauty pageants is horrifying, even if they were done as “right” as they could be.</p>
<p>If anyone wants to look at the whole early sexualization thing through a documentary rather than reality tv, you might be interested in “America the Beautiful” which is available on netflix streaming. It looks at modeling rather than pageants, but touches on a lot of similar themes. Plus, the modeling/beauty industry probably has more effect on all kids than the more sideshow pageant industry.</p>
<p>barrons – It is true that eating disorders are more common in the dance world, although they are hardly universal. However, you miss the point. Success in pageants is based on one’s ability to project beauty, largely manufactured beauty at that. How much skill does it take to put a wig and falsh eyelashes and an expensive dress onto a child? Lip service is paid to “personality” but let’s face it, an ugly child with a winning personality is not going to go far on the pageant circuit. And the so-called “talent” competitions are a joke.</p>
<p>Success in dance is based on one’s abilities. It takes years of hard work to do a good fouette, or to master pointe, or to hit every sound in a complicated tap piece. There is no such thing is “beauty” judging in dance competitions.</p>
<p>And much of success in life can be based on smarts or personality. It’s all the luck of the draw in the gene pool. Some people get success based on looks. I can accept that as well as any other kind. It’s hardly any different than being able to hit a curve ball. Some can and some can’t no matter how much they practice. It’s called talent. A beautiful face can be as good as perfect hand-eye coordination or running the 40 in under 4.5 seconds. Or even being able to learn calculus by just breezing through the book when you are 8.
And you might want to keep this in mind.</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.newser.com/story/109923/beautiful-people-are-also-smarter.html[/url]”>Newser | Headline News Summaries, World News, and Breaking News;
<p>And the pay is not bad either</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/12/07/2010-12-07_kris_jenner_may_be_making_millions_managing_kardashian_daughters_soninlaw_lamar_.html?obref=obnetwork[/url]”>http://www.nydailynews.com/gossip/2010/12/07/2010-12-07_kris_jenner_may_be_making_millions_managing_kardashian_daughters_soninlaw_lamar_.html?obref=obnetwork</a></p>
<p>
I think you are missing something here. Hitting a curve ball is a very specific “talent” that is objectively quantified. Someone can sit there and count how many times you hit a ball out of how many times you try. Everyone who counts your attempts will get exactly the same number. </p>
<p>But things like beauty and “smarts” are broad and often subjective. Culturally, we have an unfortunate tendency to define beauty along extremely narrow lines. Does that mean that people who don’t fall within those lines are not “beautiful”? It’s a matter of opinion, and people’s opinions will differ. </p>
<p>We also tend to define “smart” by things like grades and SAT scores, when there are many types of intelligence which are not necessarily manifested in the same ways. The problem arises when people who do not fit the narrow cultural definitions end up feeling like they are “unattractive” or “stupid”, especially when they are small children. It can affect how they feel about themselves for years to come.</p>
<p>Great spoof of Toodlers and Tiaras on Youtube. Look for Tom Hanks and Toddlers and Tiaras there. It was from a Jimmy Kimmel skit. Hilarious! Miss Sexy Baby Las Vegas!</p>
<p>Oh, that Tom Hanks spoof was perfect! I caught the second half live and was so glad to see the whole routine. It was exactly like the show - especially enjoyed the part where he “coached” his daughter through her routine. And she was an absolute darling and a good sport. I’m probably dense - but who was that other dad in the chairs that got such a big laugh? I loved RH at the end!</p>
<p>Very funny! And I think the dad in the chairs was Jimmy Kimmel.</p>
<p>I don’t think beauty can be compared to other physical attributes like coordination, etc. A lot of research suggests that while the basic stuff has to be there, a lot of intelligence and physical prowess comes down to myelin, which comes down to practice. No matter how average you are, if you work really hard at studying, you can improve. With looks, it’s about putting on makeup and disguising who you are, not changing who you are, unless it’s your figure, I suppose. But for the face, hair, etc. and especially in children, there’s really not a lot you can do in terms of improvement. Virtue will not improve looks.</p>
<p>That Kimmel video is hilarious. I don’t watch a lot of TV so maybe such star-studded skits are common, but my jaw dropped when Ron Howard got up there.</p>
<p>I almost died laughing when he sprayed the kid with water for reaching for a cookie with “swimsuit competition” coming up soon!</p>