Baby/beauty pageants...?

[bigbuttbunny]

This is without a doubt the saddest child photo gallery I have ever seen:

: : : HIGH GLITZ : : :

Ok, maybe not the worst, there are a lot of horrible things out there.. but you get my point (did you see the fingernails on that three year old?!).

But am just wondering if these kinds of pageants exist in Australia, where parents get so involved that they're putting mascara on their one year old and teaching their three year olds to swing their hips and pout?

My parents never put me into any beauty pageants - my mum is extremely anti-pageant. And to be honest I kind of feel the same way (not to mention that my children are just so unbelievably naturally beautiful that they'd win everything every time anyway, it wouldn't be fair to anyone else ) although I did once send a photo of my DD1 to Women's Weekly for their cute baby pages.

My Hubby won a baby contest in a magazine when he was about three years old - which I never let him forget, I pay out on him for it all the time, especially as the photo his mother submitted was so doofy, I tell him he won because of the sympathy vote (said to him all tongue in cheek, of course

[hulababe]

that's horrible...why aren't they smiling...

[Naomi H-B]

OMG, the look in some of their eyes, They look so sad and lonely. I hate that stuff. I don't care how you justify it, it is just wrong. Yeuch, yeuch, yeuch.

[Smurfette]

Would you smile if you'd spent all morning unwillingly being primped and preened to within an inch of your hair's life? It's appalling IMO. Kids are downright adorable, cute and photogenic in their natural form, so why ruin it with make up and hair styles most adult women wouldn't even go near?!

There's nothing beautiful about beauty pageants, just sadness and loneliness for kids that spend their time practising routines instead of playing dress ups or at the park.

[EmptyField]

That is GROSS!

[Naomi H-B]

Isn't is just horrifying? I have watched documentaries about 'pageant parents' and they always insist that they only do it because their child wanted to and they love it so much. They always insist that if little Brittany/Shawneece/Maree-Ellen wanted to stop, they would stop straight away. Then there is always a point in the documentary where the little kid is crying because they are fed up with it all and mum just laughs and says 'oh she is just having a bad day' and continues to tease and hairspray her three year olds hair into a bouffant that Dolly Parton would be jealous of.

It is soooo sickening.

And at some point it comes up that mummy was once a beauty queen but had to stop for some reason, or always wanted to be a beauty queen. Living through your children anyone?

[hobbes]

I think I just threw up in my mouth a little.

[eire]

so sad...i can't begin to imagine what their self-esteem/identity etc is going to look like later in life when people are so obsessed with their looks so early.

craziness!!!

[TropicalMummy]

That is so wrong. They dont look like children.

I really feel sorry for them

[mumgem]

OMG - did you notice the little girl in the red/white polka dot dress with a CLEAVAGE!!!!!

I would have loved to get all done up like that when I was little - but not like that. For fun, every once in a while, as a game - not as a sport, competition, expectation...

Poor little girls