Painted Babies Documentary

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.