PRO: Should beauty contests for young girls be banned?
The French Senate voted to ban children under the age of 16 from participating in beauty pageants on Sept. 18. This amendment states that any person who enters a child into a pageant could face two years in prison and a 30,000 euros fine according to New York Times.
I believe that it is entirely acceptable for children to be involved in beauty pageants. Beauty pageants are not evil, despite what many people may claim. They boost self-confidence of participants, enhance the morale of young women and provide entertainment for audiences.
What people need to realize is that beauty pageants are just another type of contest. France should take a different stance on beauty pageants because the new law is a drastic measure when there is nothing inherently unethical going on.
There are a few things that can be done in order to emphasize the importance of pageants for the youth. First of all, the ultimate objective of pageants is to create a safe environment for women to express themselves through attractive costumes and displays of talent.
Pageants are not about overtly exploiting women sexuality. In fact, there are often regulations about what the contestants can wear or do to prevent such exploitation.
Angela Charlton, a reporter with CNN, said, “Some pageants make an effort to de-sexualize the competitions.” Charlton continues, “One recent pageant in the Paris region specifically banned makeup, swimsuits, high heels or anything inappropriate for the child’s age.”
Beauty pageants create jobs for many people who would want to be involved in making pageants and contestants successful. Examples include hairdressers, choreographers, costume designers, judges and set designers, just to name a few.
Once banned in France, I believe the people should protest or hold a poll to get their beauty pageants back. This way the people who have pride in pageants can continue to pursue their goal anywhere they want in the world without being frowned upon.
The only way to set things right in France is to unban these beauty pageants since there is a lot worse than little kids performing for their parents and spectators in a good show of entertainment.
In a beauty pageant, no one is being injured or harmed at all. In fact maturing at a younger age is the right way to grow up, in my opinion. The quicker you enter the real world, the faster you learn how to cope and live life to the fullest. The children who enter into contests at such a young age learn to be sociable, outgoing and have to develop confidence in themselves in order to stand out among their competitors.
These traits cultivated at a young age help the girls mature faster into adulthood while their peers are stuck dealing with identity issues and insecurities about themselves.
The parents that enlist their child into pageants are there for the social networking and the cash prize for the winner. The kids are proud, happy participants to the contests. The thought that a beauty pageant for little girls can be banned somewhere seems a little outrageous.
Beauty pageants are an investment by the girls who compete and their parents. Time and money are put into each pageant to ensure each participant cultivates their talents and looks their best.
Some of the things a contestant will need is a wide variety of clothing, shoes and also make-up. All this hard work and effort has to pay off for a few moments in the spot light. Contestants invest time and hard work to make themselves the best they can be.
The main stigma against beauty pageants is due to shows like TLC’s “Toddlers in Tiaras” or the spin-off show “Honey Boo Boo.” These shows do not accurately depict what goes on behind the scenes. The footage that is typically collected is often edited for entertainment purposes and usually highlights the drama that occurs.
Fran should not have opted to ban such events and should have left the option of entering into these competitions up to the girls. It is their decision to flaunt themselves on stage. Depriving them of this choice is entirely unfair.
Hopefully, the United States does not follow suit and allows these girls to continue to be the best that they can on stage.