I don't know if any of you heard about that mother who injects her 8-year old daughter with botox to make her pretty for pageants and to not get wrinkles, but dear lord it's really making me wonder what the world is coming to! How totally messed up is this mother that she actually thinks an 8-year old would have any need of botox and to subject her little girl to the pain of having shots in her face! To make it even worse, the girl is totally brainwashed and actually believes she has wrinkles and states she wants a nose and boob job as soon as she's old enough. No 8-year old wants a boobjob, this is clearly something her mother whispered in her ear.
And when I read the article online, some women were even commenting that it was an outrage this poor woman was being punished for wanting her daughter to look good and grow up not ugly and that she's only trying to help her daughter to be successful and good-looking later on. Crazy!!
Who does that? Well, thanks to publicity, the mother has been investigated. I know a lot of people pass their own insecurities over to their children and often urge them to do things they always wanted to do, but this is really a prime example of how children are being pushed to grow up prematurely.
Don't even get me started on all those pageants for children. I've watched Toddlers and Tiaras on occasion and those kids always scare the bejesus out of me. They look like they've been photoshopped, it's incredibly creepy. How can the parents not see that they are sexualizing their children with all those weird dance moves and the bucket loads of make-up, sprayed- on tans, bleached teeth.. Can there not be pageants where kids can just look like kids? Children are gorgeous, why do they need to look like tiny bimbo adults?
I mean just look at it!
I know most of the parents mean no harm and just want to dolly up their girls and show them off, but this is really teaching their kids to be superficial. Many of those girls will grow up to be really spoiled after all the bucket loads of money spent on their pageant stuff, I mean I have pretty dresses but they don't cost a thousand dollars, which is often what those pageant dresses cost. Why does it have to be that extravagant! I imagine in many cases the girls end up super self-conscious and obsessed with their looks and get plastic surgery because this or that isn't perfect. And frankly, the whole pageant industry is really exploiting all these parents, forcing them to pay thousands of dollars to have their daughter prance around, in the hopes that she'll be famous one day.
Also, have you seen the faces of those girls when they don't win a thing? Very confidence inducing for them. Being compared on beauty contest with other girls and losing must be fun for them. I'm really glad this crazy thing doesn't happen in Belgium, or it at least doesn't go as far.
Why not just let your kids play around outside and get dirty, scrape a knee and have some fun! That's what's so fun about being a kid. Who cares about being 'poised' at 8? Or what is all that crap about padded bras and g-strings for little girls. Who buys that?
And as a parent don't you want your little girl to be confident and feel great about herself, rather then being obsessed about weight and appearance and looking hot? Really, these sort of things is why eating disorders are only increasing. Believe me, I never had great self confidence and I struggled with it for a long while, but now I feel good about who I am. Nonetheless, I know what it's like, hence the tirade.
Kids should be like this:
Not to say that some girls don't end up perfectly fine and some parents are probably indulging their child who wants to try it. But a lot of mothers push their children, do it for their own fun, and end up with insanely bratty, spoiled, selfish little girls who think everything will be handed to them on a silver platter. I think I speak for most of us saying, seeing those Toddlers and Tiaras children makes a person a lot less enthusiastic about having children.
Seriously..Artificially beautifying such small kids with such grotesque ways..!..Barbarian it is..
So true. But I don't feel bad for the mothers who wants to dolly up their kids. They have no right to do that! They must be seriously cracked in the head to do stuff like that to their own kids.
Nice blog :)
I find the whole thing rather disturbing. They are children at the end of the day, but are made to look like 'ladies' I use the term very loosely as I personally don't know any women who prance around like this! If young girls want to dress up like mummy, they can try on her heels and mess around with make up, they do not need hair extensions, false teeth or sun tans. I think its child abuse, I agree the girls seem brain washed in to thinking it's the norm.
Great post, very thought provoking!
Holy hell. This is terribly disturbing.
I totally agree! I was arguing with one of my co-workers the other day who was like "Well we don't have the right to tell parents what to do" and I'm like "Well some things are just wrong and we have to take a stand to protect kids." In my book, psychologically harming them is just as bad as physically harming them.
I watch Toddlers and Tiaras mostly because I just.can't.BELIEVE there are people like that out there. And wouldn't you know all the mothers are basically overweight and self-conscious?
Living vicariously, are we?
I'm glad you all agree! And indeed Amanda, dressing up is part of growing up, playing around with make-up and putting moms dress on.. that's how it should be! What kind of adult women dress like that in real life? And looking at those pageant girls just makes me so confused, like a porn star's head on a child's body
Found you on 20sb.
I completely agree. All that they are teaching kids is that the only thing important in life is to be "pretty." I find it disgusting. Even in my own family - my sister-in-law has let my niece (who's now eight) dye her hair since she was five or six. She's put makeup on her for kindergarten. I don't understand it. The kid is adorable, and pretty, but apparently that's not good enough. I feel like they're telling these kids that they aren't pretty or good enough unless they doll themselves up to look like clowns - and I think it's horrible. There will be plenty of pressure when they get older - let them be babies for a little while.
Welcome :)
And wow, dying her hair at five years old? Why on earth would they do that, did they hate her original colour that much? And make-up at that age is ridiculous, for playing is fine, but to go to school? It's so difficult to understand why some mothers push all those adult things on their kids, like they don't find them beautiful just as they are.
Omg this is so wrong on so many levels i understand dolly them up but to put botox that just gross to me.
Sigh. I am from the MECCA of Pageanting (Down South) and I have seen pageanting first hand. Often. And to be honest, it's not always so terrible as TV makes it out to be. Of course they will show you the most extremes or you wouldn't watch it. I happen to know SEVERAL ex-pageant girls and they are some of the sweetest grown people on this earth (and let's not forget immaculantly put together).
In fact, my college roommate was a Pageant girl (even while in college) and she was totally down to earth and normal. But she knew how to do hair and makeup better than the Pros! Personally, I can always pick out an "EX-Pageant" girl in a crowd from 3 things:
1. Super Sweetness - But, not over the top. Everyone you know loves them and their air is of effortless charm. They have
2. Always "Together" - No matter if they're at the Mall or at the gym, their make-up is flawless and every hair in place. No matter if they've gotten fat over the years...they still have "the look". That includes disgustingly beautiful (usually blonde) hair, looking great in anything they have on, really big smiles.
3. Charming Southern Accent - That's right. They have the cutest southern dilects (ie... Texas/Georgia/Virginia)and they usually say words like: Doll/darling/sweetheart/sugar.
Sigh. This is really long. I simply wrote all of this to give another side of the Pageant world than the propaganda (?) on tv. The whole point of Pageants are to exude class, charm, poise, and confidence. It's not about how "pretty" you are but how "Put together" you are. There's nothing wrong with that. Now, if certain people get extreme, Hate The Player Not The Game!
...but botox to an 8 year old? Are you KIDDING me?
Oh Yet, I'm sure a lot of pageant aren't really as bad as the ones on tv and of course a lot of pageant girls are perfectly normal people, but I'm sure the extreme ones on tv exist as well, and it's those that bother me really. They put a bad image on the whole pageanting thing. But I do believe you that there's another side to it that's innocent and harmless to the girls. But some people always go to extremes and ruin the whole purpose of it.
Word!
so not true!!! im 13 and I have done pagents all my life!! I have always loved them. i mean my mom never injected me with botox, but i spray tan and use extentionas and fake eyelashes. The dresses are beautiful and Its really a mother daughter bonding expirience. Iv done over two hundred pagents and I almost always win a grand supreme title. oh and my little sister was on todlars and tiaras!! thank you very much! iv been on it too handing out crowns to the little girls!! my family seriously has an entire room filled with our crowns, trophys, dresses and the rest of our pagent stuff. aAll Im saying is, pagents are not bad!!!
I'm not saying that they have a bad influence on everyone, and it's great that you're enjoying them. I do hope you will realize that there is more to life than being a beauty queen and that the amount of money your family probably put into it is staggering. Of course the dresses are beautiful, but they cost thousands of dollars, to me that seems like a giant waste as you probably can't wear the same dress over and over. And great that you've won so much, must be a confidence boost, but what about the girls who keep losing and see the same girls winning all the time? Just have fun with it, is what I'd like to say, don't take it too seriously.
Goodness gracious! I can't believe that a doctor or nurse didn't report this to the police. I think this should fall under child abuse. It's just reckless and endangering children's minds and bodies.
Good for you for posting about this!
Injections on a 8-year-old should be seen as childabuse according to me, It's horrible... really
I so agree!
Kids should be allowed to have a real childhood.
I recently read about a mother walking her child on a leash!! disgusting.
I KNOW! I can't believe that these ladies would go against our traditional ideas of what is appropriate! Don't they know that they should make their kids look like everyone else! Jeez, If I could have my way I would tell those parents to force their kids into soccer practice or basketball, or football, or race-car driving. You know, the things that are WAY more important of a sport. I mean, What sort of little girl would like to be judged on looks when they can be judged on how fast they run, or how tall they are (so they can make baskets of course). I mean, we never subject our kids to beind judged. It's just wrong!
I have three girls and I have entered them in pagents because they wanted to. I will say that when they spend all the time and money and get thier hearts set on winning and then it comes down to the moment of calling out the winners and they don't win...it is very damaging and takes a long time to convince them that they are beautiful and i am curious to the 13 year old who posted about pagents not being a bad thing...would you feel the same if you didn't win..? would you still do them over and over if you didn't have a room full of dresses and trophies and crowns and titles....it's great when you are always the winner as it seems that the same ones win over and over but it makes me wonder if you would feel the same way if you lost everytime....would it still be fun??? that's the real test....i think as long as they are doing it for fun and do not let it get them upset or hurt thier self confidence then it is fine...but if they do it just to feel pretty or because thier parents want them to then it is wrong wrong wrong....of course every little girl wants a tiara and a banner and a title but not everyone can win and like i said it seems like the same ones win everytime and the small pagents are like political run offs...omg....if you know the judges or have money to pay then anything is possible...i know this from experience...i think the way they are teaching little girls to be judged on how pretty they are is HORRIBLE>>>>>it's bad enough in school and with the media and cable much less teaching them from a young age that this is what thier self worth is all about...NOT GOOD...what happened to beauty pagents where the little girls who had missing teeth were so cute and the judges took that into consideration because of thier age...it's not a fair judgement and it creates a false sense of self....like what happens when someone tells these girls how ugly they are inside because they can't see past the mirror....they are creating monsters and it will alllll come out in the end and these mothers will have some serious issues to deal with when thier daughters don't feel pretty or if something happens to take thier beauty away such as an accident or disease...It happens everyday ...then what do they see when they look in the mirror...and would they feel the same about thier peers? would they be happy for thier peers when they are still participating and they can't? it's very mind boggeling to me that number one that people would allow others to judge thier little girls so harshly on beauty that isn't even real....anyone can be beautiful with all of these accessories and money put into these pagents....send your kids to school for Gods sakes...we need waaay more scholars then beauty queens....it's already bad enough with exploitation of women on TV and hollywood trends...you would think that these mothers would see that they are actually setting them up to fail in areas that are way more important then being pretty and self confident...just sayin
Wow! I was just watching Toddlers and Tiaras at home, and I came to the computer, to see if Eden Wood actually has a book, and I found this. I couldnt agree more. Those poor kids, do you think they want to wear this stuff, NO!!! Someone needs to show those parents how to take care of their kids. Please bring the parents to therapy, honestly its killing me inside to watch this show, its child abuse. In this article you brought up a good point- Pagents are supposed to be about self confidence, but TONS of kids leave in tears because they are going home empty handed while some other kid wins tons of prizes and thousands of dollars. Is that really raising their self confidence? I dont think so.
If a kid wants this for themselves let them do it. I did pageants as a kid and loved it, my parents never pushed me to do anything i didn't want to do. At their age what do is matter that they are showing off just a bit of skin. It gets worse as children get older so i don't think we should all be focused on what the child looks like now but what they are going to look like when they are older. They are cute and they are probably having lots of fun!
I see your point, but my problem with it is that most pageants take it too far. Dressing them up and curling their hair is one thing, but do they really need such a huge amount of make-up? I don't mind some basic make-up, but spray tans and bleeched teeth is a bit much. And those dresses really are far too expensive, I assume most families could probably use the money to pay for more important things. I'm sure some kids come out fine and some parents don't go very far in it, just a few times for fun, but the people on those shows are the people I'm bothered with. Their kids are incredibly spoiled, shallow and selfish. The mothers seem to be living through their kid. Even when the kid outright says I don't want to go, they force them to go through the whole crazy process. It's not pageants that bother me, if they weren't done in such an extreme and extravagant manner people probably wouldn't have so many objections to it.
For the most part I agree. Glitz pageants, which is what you are mainly talking about, can go way overboard in turning children into "mini adults". However, there are also "natural pageants". Also, pageants is a good way to win college scholarship money.