Beauty Pageants
by Young girls have been competing in beauty pageants since the 1960’s. Consequently, they produce some negative results in young girls. Eating disorders, low self esteem and depression are but a few factors to consider.
Plato said “We Behold Beauty in the Mind.” That is so true and many young girls today look at beauty pageants and try to live up to those standards. What will young girls try just to fit into that mold? How will they achieve this, starve, wear more make-up or even consider cosmetic surgery. Beauty, thinness and talent are all exploited in these events. What will girls do to become the next beauty queen, and at what cost?
There’s pressure everywhere these young girls turn to be more beautiful and thinner. In our society 15% of young women have some kind of disordered eating patterns. (Random House). Miss America 2008 is a recovering anorexic. She suffered as a teen and struggled through high school. Her platform issue is on eating disorders. 1% of female adolescence have anorexia. That means 1 out of every 100 young women between the ages of 10 and 20 are starving themselves to death. (Media, Eating Disorders and girls). Who is to blame? Beauty pageants are guilty because of what they promote. Striving to be a beauty queen is a danger to the physical and mental health of our young girls today.
9 out of 10 girls age 14 and 15 claim to have suffered depression with 6% saying life just is not worth living. Top sources of what produced this feeling was pressure to look good, that’s 94% of our girls trying to fit into the beauty queen image. (Virtual Library of Newspaper, Articles). Low self esteem is becoming a crises in this country. Not measuring up is a prblem and can lead to distructive behavior. 75% of girls with low self esteem reported engaging in negative and potentially harmful activities. This leads to disordered eating, drugs and even hurting themselves. (Low Self Esteem is at a Crises for girls). Beauty pageants are a source for girls to look to and compare themselves to. There are just yo many negative results that stem from pageants.
“Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder” (Margaret Wolfe Hungerford 1878 “The Duchess”). Teens behold what they think is beauty in their eyes, and where do they get information on what beauty is? Beauty pageants are one source they view and see what others see as beauty. Nicole Hunter wrote a paper on “The effects of Beauty Pageants” she was four when she competed in her first pageant. Now she does not know what it feels like to be pretty without firsy putting on make-up. When she would lose a pageant she would compare her self to the girl who did win. Which in turn would lead to poor self image and low self esteem. Beauty, talent and a knock out body add up to a beauty queen contestant. Not all of our teen girls can live up to these standards so what is left is a society of young girls obsessing with their looks. So mothers think twice before entering your daughters into beauty pageants.
Works Cited.
1. Low self esteem crisis levels for girls Jim Liebolt-Senior Editor for Homewood(source PRN News Wise)
2. Media,Eating Disorders and Girls Sandra Williams March 26, 2007
3. Nicole Hunter “Effects of Beauty Pageants” cause and effect paper linking beauty pageants to low self esteem, eating disorders. Copy write 2007 UN:LIZAC 1217 at writing.com
Random House Eating Disorders Statistics, BBCUK February 24, 2005 Bliss Magazine
4. Virtual library of newspaper articles “Girls teenage years a misery.
Hills
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Post CommentKate
On February 4, 2009 at 1:16 pm
This info was great in helping me do a paper for school. Thank you so much!
MICCCDUBBB
On February 25, 2009 at 11:59 am
YEEE YEE
youwish
On March 12, 2009 at 7:20 pm
thanksss. this helped me a ton with my essay !
ohemgee[x
On March 22, 2009 at 7:55 pm
thankz so much, This helped me write my essay fer school[=!
the devil wears prada
On April 27, 2009 at 10:18 am
thx 4 all the help NOT!
miley cyrus
On December 31, 2009 at 5:19 pm
thanx this helped me write my essay for school
bobbie
On January 14, 2010 at 1:59 pm
i am doing a speech on how kids shouldnt be in beauty pagents and it helped a lot. thanks so much.
anniee
On February 7, 2010 at 11:34 pm
thankyoou for all the help. i am doing my essay on this for school and its due tmo and im almost done it now because i went on this site.
selllllinini
On April 8, 2010 at 8:34 pm
I’m doing a persuasive essay for school also, and this is the only website that i have found percentages and statistics, thank you very much.
it helped me very much .
Brenna
On April 13, 2010 at 10:00 pm
im doing a persuasive essay for schol and this helped me alot thank u so much it helpd alot and its what i need to get my audience to care
Jaysee Ave
On April 19, 2010 at 2:03 pm
Thank you so much! I’m doing the cons of teen beauty pageants for my debate project and this helped a lot!
Jessica Lynn Hall
On May 18, 2010 at 7:37 pm
thankz this information is a great source for my school paper and it is arguementable and persuasive as needed for a presentation im giving
Cassidy
On November 5, 2010 at 11:10 am
This info helped a whole lot on my paper for school!! Thanks!!!
Cassidy
On November 20, 2010 at 10:28 am
This article is great! I’m doing an essay at school for writing to argue and pursuade about how beauty contests are harmful. Too many spelling and grammar mistakes, though. Other than that, excellent article!
Marge
On November 20, 2010 at 10:29 am
I totally disagree with this.
I don’t believe beauty pageants cause, eating disorders, depression or even low self esteem. Its not a beauty pageant that causes such vast damage to society. These elements are all caused by the upbringing of an individual, that is, a negative enviromnent which they have been exposed to since they were a child… violence, physical, sexual, emotional or mental abuse, neglect, drugs or alcohol within the family. These are all highly contributing factors to creating insecurities in woman.
A happy, healthy, well adjusted woman, who was raised in a safe and secure environment and who knows who she is, is not bothered by the fact that someone is entering a beauty pageant. They understand that beauty its just one trait out of many which make up a person to be who they are.
Beauty pageants have become a controversial subject for some and yet they really should not be. Unfortunatley the insecurities have started way before they have even seen a pageant… it’s stemed from earlier days. And unfortunately many things would make a person who has had it hard, sensitive!!!
Look at the benifits for the woman who enter and how it has a great ability to boost them in life:
Its a job position to become a brand ambassador for what ever they will be representing: a shopping center, a company, America, what ever it is. Their salary is a prize package from who ever they are representing as a “Thank you” for helping in the marketing of that company for the year and to help create awareness for them.
Where unemployment is such a great problem in many parts of the world. How is an extra job position a bad thing?
Life skills that are learnt: Networking, handling interviews, public speeking, marketing, confidence, testing your strengh of character…and so many more.
Its no longer about beauty alone. Everyone knows that beauty can’t stand on it’s know. A beautiful person is one who has substance to back it up.
People who critises pageants don’t have a full and sound understanding of what it entails. They see the one glamorous event which is 1 day out of the 365 days that that person acutally represents the company, and they make a shallow judgement of what it is about, without finding out what the relevance of it is….I could go on and on!!!
shaniqua
On December 3, 2010 at 7:12 pm
marge you can be raised in the best of homes and still grow up to have low self esteem or a eating disorder! Me and my sister were raised in the coziest of homes and my mom and dad have always been there for us, yet my sister listened to the media such as PAGEANTS! and developed a eating disorder for 6 years. my sister is unbelievably beautiful, but because of things like beauty contests that are publicized so much, things like that happen!
Lizzy
On February 15, 2011 at 7:34 pm
Hey, i know everyone already said this but THANKS! this helped a bunch for my advanced english paper! and it helped for my debate on why beauty pageants are bad.. Thank You!!!!!
Raina
On March 7, 2011 at 1:07 pm
I as well disagree with this.
It’s nothing to to do with the upbringing of a child, or at least not nearly as much as marge would say. I believe it is the impression that they get from the pageant.
For example, if someone loses their first time, they’re clearly not going to try again. They might feel bad about themselves — and in extreme case, develop a disorder with self image or possibly an eating disorder.
However, let’s say that someone won hands down their first time! They’ll keep trying and trying until they win as many as their heart desires.
Think of it as a sport. I honestly don’t care enough to even watch pageants, but in our society today, it’s a do what you want type of living. Would I enter my future kids in a pageant? If they wanted. It’s all how you react to it. I don’t think they’re in any way whatsoever harmful. I think there’s way to much hype on pageants after JonBenet’s death, that’s for sure.
My philosophy: You signed up for the pageant, you can deal with whatever consequences (good or bad) that come.
Raina
On March 7, 2011 at 1:10 pm
Also, whoever typed this — Sorry, but you need to spell check.