The documentary, Painted Babies, directed and produced by Jean Treays, is constructed using visual techniques and conventions in order to persuade the viewer to adopt antagonistic views towards the parents, particularly the mothers of the young pageant girls. These include the characterization of the parents and the girls, the plot, setting, as well as the selection of particular interview segments and scenes. These techniques are woven into the documentary to shape our views on certain issues, such as beauty pageants and the loss of childhood, as well as how parents live vicariously through their children.

The characterization of the parents and the two girls, Asia Mansur and Brooke Breedwell is done is such a way as to position us against the relentless “encouragement” the parents impose on their children. In one of the first scenes we are given an interview response, where the grandmother has looked through a magazine in order to find a prize that Asia can win, namely a car for herself, with nothing included or mentioned for Asia. This gives us the impression of her grandma as manipulative and rapacious, taking advantage of her granddaughter for her own financial and personal gain, as ‘grandmother needs a car’.  The father of Asia, Boo, is also seen to have pointed out that they were addicted to attending beauty pageants and encouraging their daughter to succeed in them. Addiction is generally referred to some of the more detrimental aspects of society, like smoking and alcohol. This gives the impression that the parents are addicts to the feeling of beauty pageants, at the cost of their daughters’ wellbeing and childhood.  Put forth by Asia, ‘Grandmother needs a car, and we really want money, money, money’, this quote shows that her priorities in life have been drastically adjusted by the parents and how they have treated their child.  Therefore the characterisation of Asia’s parents positions the viewer to see how parents will exploit their children when competing in beauty pageants.

Through the selection of and omission of certain characters and scenes, the documentary has successfully demonstrated how beauty pageants can have inimical effects on a family. Throughout the documentary, family members other than the girls and their supporters are rarely ever exhibited. The siblings of the two girls are never seen or mentioned. Randy, the husband of Pam receives only one appearance; a high angled and blurred shot through the window. The figure focused on is given no identity, and due to the techniques seems insignificant. The parents never seem to care or tend to the other children, preferring to focus all their attention on the small pageants queens. This shows how parents will ignore the other family members in their pursuit of success through their daughters.

This is further expressed, as we notice that most of the documentary is shown in the car, next to the driver seat, which shows that the two pairs, mother and daughter, often spend most of their time in the car driving to lessons and pageants. Both mothers seem to prefer this, away from the other family members, classifying them something as low as simple ‘distractions’. Although the two young girls have siblings; they are never seen in the car, and this shows how the mothers spend very little time with them, spending many hours driving. Therefore these selections and omissions show how the obsessed parents can easily break up and have inimical effects on a family, especially when they start to get tunnel vision, and start to ignore their other children, devoting all their time and energy to winning beauty pageants.

The further selection various images and scenes has been used in Painted Babies to show how beauty pageants can cause the loss of childhood. One such image is where during the Southern Charm Pageant, a sub-winner is announced. We are presented with an image of a frowning girl who angrily removes her gloves and crosses her arms, looking very disappointed and hateful at the same time. This gives us an idea of the intense competition that has been instilled in the girls by participation in the pageants, which can be damaging to a child of such a young age. Another scene is where the two girls are studying each other’s performance videos. This shows that the girls are being taught to be very competitive, which is harmful to a young child. We are also presented with how the parents will push their children to practise routines quite heavily, even if the daughter does not wish to do so. An example of this includes when Asia’s mother pushes Asia to practise a routine one more time, for her Western Wear routine. The final scene also shows that the very next day after the pageant, Asia is practising and preparing for her very next pageant. This shows how she has obviously lost her childhood, and how the parents have a forceful attitude, having absolutely no break, even after such a large and significant pageant. Therefore further selection of images has positioned the viewer about the effects that beauty pageants and the participation in them can have.

Costume has been used in the documentary Painted Babies in order to position the viewer in regard to issues portrayed. Many of the girls are often seen in quite revealing, adult-like costumes, which reveals how these children have lost their childhood in their pursuit of winning. There are many examples of this throughout the documentary, wearing costumes that are obviously designed for adults, only shrunk down to meet a smaller size. The parents are also seen to be wearing such T-Shirts claiming that they were related to their daughters, further suggesting how they were living vicariously through their daughters, seeking the fame and attention that they were receiving. Therefore costume has been used to position viewers in a certain way in regard to issues discussed.

The settings and environments of the documentary Painted Babies position the viewer to respond to how beauty pageants destroy the innocence of the girls. A strong example of this includes the ‘playroom’ in which Brooke practises her routines three times a day. In this room the walls are covered full length mirrors, reflecting Brooke’s body in all directions. This setting has been specially chosen because of the damage that the full length mirrors can do to a person, in regard to body image and self-esteem, often creating misconceptions about these heavy issues.  The girls are also often shown in confined areas, especially the car, isolated from people their age. This setting helps us realize that these kids are losing much of their childhood, as they are unable to socialize and ‘play’ with friends for a long period of time. Therefore setting has been used in order to position us about the early predisposition that pageants can cause .

Interview has been used, selected and shaped in the documentary Painted Babies in a way in order to position the viewer to see an issue in a particular light. Often both the judges refer to the girls as the ‘complete package’. At one stage Brooke is also described as a ‘Barbie Doll’ by her own mother, which makes us think that Pam sees Brooke as nothing but a product, an income earner or a toy. This gives the impression that the girls are being manufactured, and are only considered to be products, not real human beings. The parents also give very money-orientated responses, such as Boo’s response on their reliance on judges to pick Asia so she “could make more money.” All this makes us think about the derogatory and dehumanizing effect that beauty pageants can have to young girls.

The further construction of interview also positions us against the priorities of the parents, and how they live vicariously through their daughters. The Southern Charm Organizer, Darling Burgis talks about how the world revolves around beauty, and how beauty gives an edge in competitive areas, like job interviews. Brooke’s mother also describes how Brooke manages to maintain her smile. This tells us that the pageants are revolved around fake beauty, and that the ability to ‘fake it’ is being rewarded. This is teaching the girls the wrong lesson, and shows the wrong priorities for life. We are positioned to see how Beauty Pageants can distort reality, and how it works. The parents also seem a lot more serious about the pageants, often taking things more dramatically than their daughters. Brooke’s mother also describes her appreciation of Tim Witmer during the ‘dream girl’ stage, which show how she lives vicariously through her girl, and wishes Tim was serenading her instead. Therefore the interviews that have been taken place have been edited to position the viewer about certain issues.

Many techniques have been used in the documentary Painted Babies directed and produced by Jean Treays, such as costume, scene selection and characterisation in order to position and persuade the viewer to respond to issues such as the damage that beauty pageants can cause at such a young age. In my opinion the competitions and beauty pageants such as the Southern Charm Pageant express the wrong message to the young girls about life, potentially damaging their futures.  How the girls are exploited is certainly immoral, no matter what excuses the judges or parents can fabricate. Painted Babies has effectively surfaced important issues about beauty pageants for girls as young as five.