argumentative essay for beauty pageants

Beauty Pageants for Children: Persuasive Speech Essay

Introduction, effects of beauty pageants on children.

Children Beauty Pageant is the outdoor entertainment of children in elaborate and colorful attires that focuses on the ranking of the contestants based on their physical appearance and their genuine ability to respond to the judges’ questions. Children under sixteen years participate in these talent interviews, casual wear, and sportswear competitions (Whitney 455). However, parents may encourage their children to participate in the beauty pageant competition, but it has adverse side effects on their bodies and emotional behaviors. The beauty pageant has both long-term and short-term health effects that result in children’s eating behaviors. Parents have little expectations of their children’s disorder because they assume that their children will grow up to be models and future entertainers.

Therefore, the beauty pageants industry has flourished, luring many children to the industry because of their impressionable minds. Moreover, more than five million participants take part in the beauty pageants competition, including children. Most children enter the beauty pageant industry because of their parents’ choices and blessings to push them to join the industry (Lenert). This is why parents have inadequate expectations of the severe effects of beauty pageants on their children. Hence, there should be immense enforcement of the illegalizing policy of beauty pageants among children. This should be done to save our children from the effects of general body disorders, emotional problems, and image distortions. Most parents push their children in the pageant beauty industry to get money upon their children’s participation without assessing the harmful effects of the actions.

Parents should take good care of their children by protecting them from indulging in beauty pageants competitions. This will only be achieved by making it illegal for the children to participate in the contests. Children are subjected to immense effects from pageant competitions. Therefore, children’s policy participation in the beauty pageants should be enacted and reinforced; thus, warning children from participating in the competitions. The effects are discussed below;

Participation of children in the beauty pageants competition leads to their body image distortions. It is because young children’s involvement in the pageants focuses on attractiveness, cuteness, and perceived attire. Most of the children participants grow thinner due to losing weight to suit in the beauty industry (Farrales 50). Moreover, the current report shows that more than half the participants have maintained their smaller weight to fit in the thin costumes and win crowns and prizes. The instances of parents subjecting their young children to the use of makeup and spray tans increase the sociological femininity of their children but destroy the outward appearance of their children. However, smoking fake cigarettes, putting on fake breasts influence the children’s physical appearance amidst entertaining a group of people for prizes.

In the above picture, the child has a distorted body image by applying makeup and spray tans, dressing of prostitute outfits, and poor body image. The photo shows how beauty pageant is dangerous to young children through hair extensions, fake eyelashes, fake teeth, spray tan among others. Children’s pageant leads to eating disorders among them since children are advised to eat to a specific limit to remain pretty and attractive to the audience. Following the above effect, the pageants develop severe disorders such as anorexia nervosa. Pageant children feed on crash diets, reducing their weights, thus reducing their appetite for other food substances. It destroys their eating habits on the verge of attracting and winning people during their beauty pageant competition. Moreover, about 6% of the children participating in beauty competitions develop depression issues. Furthermore, eating disorders lead to Princess Syndrome, which is the general thinness of the body and beautifulness of the participants. These are some of the behaviors related to body dissatisfaction and eating disorders.

Nevertheless, intense participation in beauty pageant competitions has long-term effects on the pageant children. It will have a drastic impact on their health status due to poor eating habits when they were still young. The eating disorders will affect children in the future due to body image distress. The reports state that more than 50% of beauty queens aged 11-16 years consider cosmetic surgery to increase their beauty and attractiveness. Furthermore, 6years to 10 years girls undergo hunger strikes to maintain their thinner shapes, thus showing greater body dissatisfaction. Eating disorders lead to depressions, lower self-esteem of the pageant contestants, and dissatisfaction, which hounds them to adulthood.

Due to inadequate parent expectations of their children pageant, children are emotionally disturbed through depression, stress, and anxiety. Since most of the children participating in the pageant competitions have the desire to win at all costs, their failure leads to depression and stress. Furthermore, children also have more zeal and the anxiety of winning as they participate in those competitions. Most children focus their attention on modeling, hence becoming addicted to beauty pageants without assessing their drawbacks.

These competitions are toxic and misleading to women since it requires ladies to be thin, tall, beautiful and attractive to compete with others. This lowers the self-esteem of other contestants who have distorted body images and induces a lot of pressure. Consequently, lady queens are compelled to put on scary attires on the verge of winning money and crowns (McDade-Montez et al.10). This lowers the dignity of the children, and they become physically and emotionally unhealthy because they have reduced their self-esteem in the beauty pageant competitions.

Children’s beauty pageants increase their tendency to be viewed as sex objects and enhance hyper-sexualization among children. This leads to early and premature sexual activities among children who participate in beauty pageant competitions. Through hypersexualization, young children are exposed to mature sexual tools and pictures on social media platforms, leading to their over-sexualization (Biefeld et al. 10). Hypersexualisation is attributed to children’s anxiety, eating disorders, and depression, among other sexual character practices.

In a nutshell, it is prudent to state that children’s rights should be respected to the highest level by banning their participation in beauty pageant competitions. Therefore, parents should also be vigilant and careful about the well-being of their children. Hence, from the above effects of the beauty pageants, it’s clear that children under eighteen years are most vulnerable to beauty competitions which lower their self-esteem, cause depression, stress, anxiety, eating disorders, and distort their body images. “Ban Child Pageant” policy should be enforced, and parents subjecting their children to the same to be arrested for breaking the law.

Biefeld, Sharla D., et al. “Sexy, Thin, and White: The Intersection of Sexualization, Body Type, and Race on Stereotypes about Women.” Sex Roles, 2021, pp. 1-14.

Farrales, May. “Repurposing beauty pageants: The colonial geographies of Filipina pageants in Canada.” Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, vol 37, no. 1, 2019, pp. 46-64.

Lenert, Taryn. “Pretty Baby: The Conundrum of Child Beauty Pageants.” (2018).

McDade-Montez, Elizabeth, et al. “Sexualization in US Latina and White girls’ preferred children’s television programs.” Sex Roles, vol 77, no. 1, 2017, pp. 1-15.

Whitney, Jennifer Dawn. “Working Girls: Economies of Desire in the American Child Beauty Pageant.” The Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth, v ol 12, no. 3, 2019, pp. 452-470.

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Home — Essay Samples — Philosophy — Ethics — Ethical Concerns of Beauty Pageants

Ethical Concerns of Beauty Pageants

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Argumentative Essay On Beauty Pageants

The official definition of a Beauty Contest, or pageant, is an assemblage of girls or women at which judges select the most beautiful. Although some people argue that they can be much more than a judging of feminine beauty, it is glaringly obvious that no good can come of them. Recent research shows that there is no use for child beauty pageants and they are harming our future generations (Statisticsbrain. com p. 1). Children under eighteen should not be allowed to participate in beauty pageants because it ruins their self-esteem and body image, it can be classified as child abuse, and it can cause mental disorders later in life.

The debate on child beauty pageants is nothing new. Many scandals have occurred over the years. The 1973 Miss World, 1984 Miss America, Miss Nevada, Miss Jersey, and 2006 Miss Teen USA were all “girls gone wild” involving drugs, blackmailing, saboteurs, alcohol, and topless romps (Merino p. 40-44). With reality television shows like “Showbiz Moms and Dads” (2004), “Toddlers and Tiaras” (2008-2013), and “Here comes Honey Boo Boo” (2012-2014), many people have taken a stance against them.

One of the main reasons that pageants are harmful to children is that they ruin their views of body image and destroy their self-esteem. Although self-esteem and body image are very similar things, they do have different effects on the brain. Body image is much more than acceptance of our physical appearance: it is our mental picture of our bodies, thoughts, feelings, judgments, sensations, awareness, and behavior. On the other hand, self-esteem is to like or accept oneself a lot, and how you look as well as what you believe in.

In a nationwide survey in “USA Weekend”, nearly two out of five teens said they would feel better about themselves if they lost weight (girls) or bulked up (boys). Another survey told us that seven out of ten felt either “somewhat satisfied” or “not at all satisfied” with their looks (Bellenir p. 16). Beth Dalbey says that “Pageants perpetuate unrealistic beauty standards that make women insecure and cause them to seek out expensive beauty treatments/ surgeries” (Dalbey P. 1 1D).

She also told us the surprising fact that women on average spend about thirty billion dollars on diet schemes annually. For every child who derives any benefit from the competition of the pageants, hundreds of others suffer damage to their self-esteem and develop warped ideas about their bodies. These examples of self-esteem in both young girls and women give insight into the problem in our society. Although it is good to have high self-esteem, it is also very important to give our young children a correct and reasonable body image.

Martina Cartwright agrees when she says, “For the girls who develop image obsessions, it appears that the hypercritical environment of their youth produces a drive towards the unattainable goal of physical perfection” (Cartwright p. 1 5A). This means that what kids see on television and all over the media is what they will strive to be like as they grow older. According to Melissa Henson, the American Psychological Association released a report in February 2007 saying girls’ exposure to hyper sexualized media can affect their cognitive and emotional development.

This can eventually lead to low self-esteem, epression, diminished sexual health, and fewer girls pursuing careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. On the other hand, boys and adult men are learning to value women strictly for their sex appeal which can lead to more incidents of sexual violence or harassment and increased demand for child pornography. In January 2016 80% of women said the models in the media make them feel self-conscious (Henson p. 1). Throughout history, women have always strived to change and be different. That is why our appearance is always changing and this is not necessarily a bad thing.

However, we should only want to change in order to better ourselves and not strive to look like anyone else. The next reason why children should not participate in pageants is somewhat extreme. What classifies as child abuse? The definition of child abuse is the physical, mental, or sexual abuse, injury, or exploitation of a child, under circumstances which indicate the child’s health or welfare is threatened or harmed. This brings us to the aspect of sexual predators or pedophiles which is one of the main arguments for the pageant naysayers.

Vanessa Woods, a famous author, says “People are sick if they see anything sexy about a little girl” (Williams p. 1 4A). That is just it Vanessa: our world is full of sick people and the only thing we can do about it is protect our children as best we can. However, dressing them up in adult costumes and makeup is precisely the opposite of protecting them. Some parents are so warped or maybe starved for something like attention that they will shamelessly exploit their children’s physical beauty without regard for the possible consequences.

A tragic example is the murder case of six year old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey. She was found strangled and beaten with a blunt object in the basement of her home in Boulder, Colorado in 1996. The case is still an unsolved mystery but that does not matter. It could have been her mother, who was once a beauty queen herself, maybe still wanting that attention. Maybe it was her father who happened to have a strange obsession with her and her late older sister. The murderer could have been a random stalker or pedophile who intruded into the Ramsey home.

All that matters is that Jonbenet is an everlasting symbol of all those children out there who are being put at risk and danger every time they enter a pageant. Another classification of child abuse is that many children hate being put in pageants. The training programs and practice sessions for choreography are grueling. Many parents argue that their children are learning discipline, patience, and a sense of accomplishment by enduring the hair, makeup, fake tans, and hours of practice. However, most parents blatantly bribe their children with candy and toys to get them to cooperate.

By spending weeks at a time preparing for pageants, children are missing out on play or learning time. Therefore, by forcing them to participate, parents are abusing their children’s mental growth. Although it is not as obvious as many of the other problems with pageants, the fact that they classify as child abuse is a breaking point for my argument that children should not be allowed to compete in pageants. When children participate in beauty contests, they are put at risk to eventually have mental disorders such as anxiety, body dysmorphic disorder, and eating disorders. Most people love you for who pretend to be. To keep their love, you keep pretending- performing. You get to love your pretense. It’s true; we’re locked in an image, an act” (Jim Morrison lead singer of The Doors). Martina Cartwright has similar views when she says “For these kids, the constant ‘play acting’ may create hyper-competitive, shallow adults who are never satisfied” (Cartwright p. 1).

Anxiety disorder is an emotional state with symptoms of uneasiness, fear, rapid heartbeat, tension, restlessness, and sweating. There are many causes to anxiety and people of any age can e affected by it. Causes include stress in daily life and psychological, physical or genetic conditions. Most of the time, the source of anxiety is nonspecific or not consciously known by the patient. The different types of anxiety disorders can include panic attacks, phobias, post-traumatic stress syndrome, social phobia, tics, and Tourette’s syndrome. GAD is generalized anxiety disorder which is a constant state of tension over various situations. This is usually what children in pageants suffer from because they are constantly worrying about their competition.

The next disorder that beauty queens are at risk for is BDD. People who have BDD (Body Dysmorphic Disorder) worry about some aspect of their appearance and find it hard to receive or believe assurance from others about their physical appearance. The clues to the presence of BDD include when one is constantly comparing their appearance to others, scrutinizing the appearance of others, or often checking their appearance. Does this sound familiar? It should because these are exactly the required actions in a beauty pageant.

The last common disorder is eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. To start off with some statistics, on January 26th 2016, The U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, PBS, and The National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders conducted a study of body image in the U. S. They found that 42 percent of girls in the first through third grades want to be thinner and 81 percent of ten year olds are afraid of being fat. Sadly, 90 percent of fifteen-seventeen year old girls want to change at least one aspect of their physical appearance.

Finally, the total number of people in the U. S. with an eating disorder is 8,000,000 (Statisticsbrain. com p. 1). Bulimia is somewhat of a less serious condition than anorexia although they are both threatening to the well-being of the patient. The main difference between diagnoses is that anorexia nervosa is a syndrome of self-starvation involving significant weight loss of 15 percent or more of ideal body weight, whereas patients with bulimia nervosa are, by definition, at normal weight or above.

The next generation of sweet innocent bodies should never have to endure what 8,000,000 of humans are currently going through. Now that we have gone over the horrible aspects of child beauty contests, the counter argument is at hand. The main arguments of the beauty pageant supporters are that they are a good way to earn scholarships, they teach the children to have poise, quick thinking/wits, and discipline, and they give character. Sabrina Nooruddin was once a beauty queen herself, still supports them, and even gives them credit for her success.

She argues that “ With talent, interview, platforms and question-answer segments pageants are moving away from aesthetics and forcing contestants to be well spoken, knowledgeable, and graceful young ladies who are passionate about a purpose” (Nooruddin p. 1 6B). Sabrina created a peer mentoring group that pairs local, state, and national beauty queens with middle school girls to talk about important issues such as body image, bullying, and cyber safety. Thirteen-year-old Ashley Berry is another example of a previous beauty queen who is still a supporter.

Ashley’s mother, Anna, believes “There is nothing wrong with children competing in the pageants as a hobby and they like it if they are not too young to understand or forced to do it” (Morgan p. 1 7A). Although many successful women like Sabrina and Ashley pin their success on pageants, there are too many girls who are forced to feel the weight, pressure, and depression of losing child beauty contests on the other hand. When will we realize that we have gone too far in the world of pageantry?

Moms around the world are dressing their five-year-olds as prostitutes from famous movies, or famous singers with womanly features. The only way that these children would benefit is if they want to have a job as an anorexic stripper or model when they grow up. In conclusion, there are three main reasons as to why children under eighteen years of age should be banned from entering beauty pageants. These three reasons are that pageants destroy their self-esteem and body image, they can be classified as child abuse, and children are liable to have mental and eating disorders.

The way that these pageants are harming our next generation is something that cannot be undone. We must come together against Beauty Pageants if we want our future to be an educated, kind, and cultured one. Our future generation of intelligent minds is all we can utilize to continue building a world where we are all content with the way we are and nothing can come between that. The only thing that we can do is educate every person who is ignorant about the damage being done so that we can make a change and we will never repeat history.

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Should Parents Put Young Children In Beauty Pageants Argumentative Essay

Type of paper: Argumentative Essay

Topic: Success , Youth , Women , Beauty , Children , Teenagers , Sports , Family

Words: 2500

Published: 01/08/2020

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Introduction

Child beauty pageants have been around for a long time. Brockman suggests they began in the 1960’s, although an article “Child beauty pageants” claimed the first one was staged in a hotel in Atlantic City in 1921, and that since the times of those earlier pageants, the pageant “industry” has grown to feature almost 25,000 pageants annually in the U.S. alone – a $5 billion per year business. As well as becoming much more common (and much more costly to enter), those pageants have also become highly controversial in a number of respects. This essay discusses some of the issues involved and explains the reasons why on balance the pageants are a bad thing, in part because they place undue emphasis on artificially contrived appearance, and over-sexualization of the young children (mostly girls) competing. It is for those and other reasons discussed that parents should not enter their young children into Child Beauty Pageants.

Pageants: The Pros and Cons

Although there are undoubtedly a number of positives (the “pros”) regarding the entering of children into beauty pageants, it is the negatives (the “cons”) that are of the greatest concern, and are therefore discussed first. Some of the more obvious “bad” reasons why mothers enter their young daughters in pageants are as follows, (as supported by Barzey):

Living their own (probably unattained) ambitions through their children;

Gain bragging rights over other parents; Pushing the children too hard to be “the best”.

Seeking personal fulfilment through one’s children is by no means uncommon and is not limited to the beauty pageants. Like this writer, many parents will have seen other parents (mainly fathers) becoming almost apoplectic whilst watching their sons on the sports field, because the offspring is not performing up to expectations. It is also natural for parents to want their children to do better than they themselves did and to urge them to do better than their peers. However, the kids do not need to be entered into beauty pageants. There are many ways to strive for and achieve goals without entering the artificial world of the beauty pageant. In “normal” academic or sports orientated competitive environments, it is the child’s skills and innate talent that bring the results.

In beauty pageants, those who fail to win may become obsessed at their lack of beauty as perceived by others. In contrast, those who win may owe their success more to contrived appearance than to any inherent attractiveness, and that’s not just the girls! According to one estimate, 10 percent of kiddie pageant contestants are now boys, up from 5 percent five years ago.” (Chandler). Also many parents go to extraordinary lengths to prepare their children for pageants, which is not normal for the kids. This can be confirmed by published reports, such as an article in the U.K. tabloid newspaper The Sun (Watkins) that Lisa Clutten, beautician and boutique owner, makes enormous efforts in preparing her two sons – Bradley aged 11 and Bailey aged five – for pageants costing her up to £350 ($560) to enter. Clutten proudly related that the preparations (which begin all of two months before each of the three contests each year) include “manicures, pedicures, eyebrow waxing and even spray tans.” In addition, her boys are trained for their “talent routines” and are taken on shopping trips to obtain the necessary clothing and footwear. It must surely be hard to spot the “real” Bradley & Bailey by the time they appear on the catwalk!

That insight into the preparation involved preparing Bradley and Bailey for their pageant appearances highlights another undesirable aspect of the whole child pageant scene: the amount of a child’s time that is taken up with either the pageants or the preparations for them. Not only do the competing youngsters have to spend much time practicing smiles and movements, they also have to endure the lengthy process of hair and make-up on the day itself, which may involve hiring a professional to do it properly. It could be said that all that time is actually to satisfy the mother’s ego and ambition, at the expense of the child losing time spent in more “normal” childhood activities and pursuits in the company of their friends.

For the mothers of young daughters competing in these beauty pageants, the preparations can be even more extreme than those described above, in order to create the artificially-matured image that will win the prizes. The pageants in recent years have become increasingly focused on artificiality, where items like false eyelashes and fingernails, artificial tans, wigs and hair pieces, enhanced teeth, and extensive makeup are needed to be successful (Brockman). Maybe the pageants could be acceptable to more people if the “glitz” was reduced and the inherent charm of the young contestants was emphasized instead, perhaps to include an interview in the process, so that the real personality of the contestants could become part of the contest.

Mentioning all that preparation leads naturally to the subject of the cost of participation for those aiming for the top spots for their daughters. The entry fee – which itself can be considerable – is just the beginning. As mentioned above there are all the “artificiality” elements to buy, plus of course the clothing. And not just any clothing will do. For the pageant dress itself, it may well need to be created and made by an experienced professional designer of pageant dresses to guarantee success. Then the right shoes and other accessories are an absolute must. Some mothers may be capable of making the dress themselves. If so, it is important to choose a color that complements the youngster’s natural coloring and complexion. If entering more than one pageant within a short time, naturally the same outfit cannot be worn at both! Then there is travel and accommodation to pay for if the pageant is any distance from home. To gain some idea of the costs that could be involved, refer to Appendix 1 to this essay that summarizes the approximate costs of items needed for a “full-glitz” pageant. (Malmsio). Add up all the costs and it is not difficult to see that there are other better and less costly ways to involve your daughter (or son) in enjoyable and probably healthier competitive activities outside of school.

Some mothers push their kids to an extreme degree, which some may view as child exploitation. In some instances those “pageant moms” make their youngsters rehearse for hours at a time, and force their children onto the stage even when the potential pageant star is clearly an unwilling participant (Brockman). For many younger children, they cannot really understand why they are taking part, so – if child beauty pageants are to continue – maybe there should be a lower age limit, perhaps five years old, on the basis that kids younger than five may well be articulate but cannot be totally aware of what they are doing and all the decisions involved.

Whilst these child beauty pageants are contests between children, one of the most disturbing trends has been the intentional sexualization of the girls competing – essential in today’s pageants to stand any chance of winning the prize. Unlike the dressing up games that all young girls enjoyed at home while growing up, today’s child beauty pageant contestants are made up and dressed to look much older than their years, so that their make-up, what they are wearing, and even their movement and actions are designed to turn them into miniature young women (Brockman). Although their mothers would not want to put their young daughters at risk, there may well be others who see the girls as being sexually suggestive. One could say that they are not behaving in a sexual manner because they don’t understand, but as one former contestant said: “They don’t, but other people do.” (Brockman).

And the phenomenon is by no means limited to the United States or the UK. The first American style child beauty pageant was held in Australia in June 2011. An article published in the Sydney Morning Herald was entitled “The ugly face of child beauty pageants.” (Cannold). It included discussion of what is to me a very real issue: the risk of psychological disorders for pageant participants. There is also a tendency for “serious” pageant competitors to acquire a perceived need to be slim and beautiful and consequently to develop eating disorders. This view was supported by Brockman, who mentioned studies by Dr Martina Cartwright of the University of Arizona, who referred to it as the “Princess Syndrome.” Dr Cartwright had found from a 2005 study that former child beauty pageant contestants tended to develop higher levels of “body dissatisfaction” later on.

This writer also believes that the potential loss of childhood innocence resulting from this artificial world, in which the child participants are made to appear and act as grownups, is an equally important concern. Children should be able to make the most of their childhood years and not be prematurely rushed into a contrived maturity as can happen through these pageants.

Another concern is the practice of offering substantial prizes for the pageant winners, including money, cruise holidays, cars, etc. These are obviously powerful motivators for some mothers, as are the somewhat unconventional – and in this writer’s view misguided – desires for their daughters to acquire poise, stage presence, and presentation / dress sense at a young age. If pageants were banned, and instead replaced by activities that are healthier and are equally disposed towards entrants of both sexes, mothers could not and would not be lured by those glittering prizes to lead their daughters down the wrong paths in their young lives.

A final negative aspect of child beauty pageants is that contestants can so easily lose their self-esteem and feel rejected and even ugly, simply because they fail to win. Rather surprisingly, support for my view in this respect comes directly from Shappert, a self-declared “Pageant Expert and Personal Development Coach” who – naturally – is a strong advocate of child beauty pageants. However, in her article “Beauty Pageants - How Beauty Pageants Affect Girl's and Women's Self-Image and Self-Esteem” she explained that it is normal for a pageant contestant to experience one or more of what she calls “Warning Signs” that include: “I’m not good enough because I didn’t win.” “I’m a loser and worthless because I didn’t win.” “I’m ugly because the judges didn’t pick me.” “There’s something wrong with me.” Shappert also stated that “Basing your self-image and self-esteem on the subjective feedback and approval from a panel of strangers is not healthy.” What stronger negative message about these pageants can there be than those remarks from a professional member of the pageant industry?

Of course these child beauty pageants do have their positive aspects (the “Pros”). The pageants can be an enjoyable experience for the children taking part, they can help with the child’s self-image and confidence, the kids get to meet other children, and will no doubt in due course overcome any fears they may have of meeting strangers and of appearing in front of an audience. However, all of those things can equally result from other social group activities.

Similarly, the kids competing can be taught to be gracious in victory and to be a good loser. It is also usual for the event organizers to make snacks available that most kids enjoy, such as pizzas and other fast food items. Yet it has to be said once again, those benefits can come from attending many other competitive activities, which don’t require the child to be dressed up and made up by their mothers to be something they really are not.

Conclusions

Whilst there are certain redeeming positive aspects to the burgeoning child beauty pageants industry, the benefits gained can readily be enjoyed by children participating in many other social and competitive pursuits. As has been noted in the body of this essay, many of the real benefits are enjoyed by the children’s mothers, who may be in some instances seeking to achieve through their daughters their own unfulfilled ambitions, or are hoping to see their child win a competition for the “bragging rights” with friends and other mothers at the school, or even have their greedy eyes on the many prizes on offer for the winners.

Although the original child beauty pageants that began many years ago treated the contestants more as normal little girls, the present day version has got out of hand, depending heavily on extensive make up, hair treatments, adult posturing and movements, all designed to create miniature versions of young women out of these innocent children. Consequently, because success requires much more elaborate preparation and expensive clothing and accessories, and because entry fees and other costs have escalated, only those with deep pockets can hope to compete at the higher levels of pageant competition. In addition, there are real concerns that the contrived appearance of the girls amounts to exploitation and sexualization of these youngsters. Also, it has been demonstrated that there is a clear risk of the nature of the competitions causing the girls to suffer psychological disorders, including eating disorders and what some call “body dissatisfaction issues.”

Overall, there is no doubt in my view that parents should not enter their daughters (or sons) into these beauty pageants, unless and until there is a drastic overhaul of the entire industry, returning to the more basic approaches and standards that existed some 50 or more years ago, when those events were just harmless fun for the young competitors.

Works Cited:

Barzey, Miranda. “Child Beauty Pageants: Right or Wrong?” (October 2010). Building Atlantis. Web. 4 November 2012. Brockman, Maria. “A Pageant Makeover.” (May 2012). Hub Pages. Web. 4 November 2012. Cannold, Leslie. “The ugly face of child beauty pageants.” (May 2011). Sydney Morning Herald. Web. 4 November 2012. Cartwright Ph.D., R.D., Martina M. “Food For Thought.” Child Beauty Pageants: What Are We Teaching Our Girls? (12 Aug. 2011). Web. 4 November 2012. Chandler, Rick. (Nov 2010). “Growing number of boys now entering beauty pageants.” NBC Sports: Off the Bench. Web. 4 November 2012. “Child beauty pageants.” (updated May 2011). International debate education association (idea). Web. 4 November 2012. Malmsio, Helene. “Child Beauty Pageants Pros and Cons.” (2012). Squidoo. Web. 4 November 2012. Shappert, Rhonda. “Beauty Pageants - How Beauty Pageants Affect Girl's and Women's Self-Image and Self-Esteem.” (n.d.). Winning Through Pageantry. Web. 4 November 2012. Watkins, Nikki. (May 2012). “I send my sons for facials, manicures and spray tans so they can compete in beauty pageants.” The Sun Newspaper. Web. 4 November 2012

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Essays About Beauty: Top 5 Examples and 10 Prompts

Writing essays about beauty is complicated because of this topic’s breadth. See our examples and prompts to you write your next essay.

Beauty is short for beautiful and refers to the features that make something pleasant to look at. This includes landscapes like mountain ranges and plains, natural phenomena like sunsets and aurora borealis, and art pieces such as paintings and sculptures. However, beauty is commonly attached to an individual’s appearance,  fashion, or cosmetics style, which appeals to aesthetical concepts. Because people’s views and ideas about beauty constantly change , there are always new things to know and talk about.

Below are five great essays that define beauty differently. Consider these examples as inspiration to come up with a topic to write about.

1. Essay On Beauty – Promise Of Happiness By Shivi Rawat

2. defining beauty by wilbert houston, 3. long essay on beauty definition by prasanna, 4. creative writing: beauty essay by writer jill, 5. modern idea of beauty by anonymous on papersowl, 1. what is beauty: an argumentative essay, 2. the beauty around us, 3. children and beauty pageants, 4. beauty and social media, 5. beauty products and treatments: pros and cons, 6. men and makeup, 7. beauty and botched cosmetic surgeries, 8. is beauty a necessity, 9. physical and inner beauty, 10. review of books or films about beauty.

“In short, appreciation of beauty is a key factor in the achievement of happiness, adds a zest to living positively and makes the earth a more cheerful place to live in.”

Rawat defines beauty through the words of famous authors, ancient sayings, and historical personalities. He believes that beauty depends on the one who perceives it. What others perceive as beautiful may be different for others. Rawat adds that beauty makes people excited about being alive.

“No one’s definition of beauty is wrong. However, it does exist and can be seen with the eyes and felt with the heart.”

Check out these essays about best friends .

Houston’s essay starts with the author pointing out that some people see beauty and think it’s unattainable and non-existent. Next, he considers how beauty’s definition is ever-changing and versatile. In the next section of his piece, he discusses individuals’ varying opinions on the two forms of beauty: outer and inner. 

At the end of the essay, the author admits that beauty has no exact definition, and people don’t see it the same way. However, he argues that one’s feelings matter regarding discerning beauty. Therefore, no matter what definition you believe in, no one has the right to say you’re wrong if you think and feel beautiful.

“The characteristic held by the objects which are termed “beautiful” must give pleasure to the ones perceiving it. Since pleasure and satisfaction are two very subjective concepts, beauty has one of the vaguest definitions.”

Instead of providing different definitions, Prasanna focuses on how the concept of beauty has changed over time. She further delves into other beauty requirements to show how they evolved. In our current day, she explains that many defy beauty standards, and thinking “everyone is beautiful” is now the new norm.

“…beauty has stolen the eye of today’s youth. Gone are the days where a person’s inner beauty accounted for so much more then his/her outer beauty.”

This short essay discusses how people’s perception of beauty today heavily relies on physical appearance rather than inner beauty. However, Jill believes that beauty is all about acceptance. Sadly, this notion is unpopular because nowadays, something or someone’s beauty depends on how many people agree with its pleasant outer appearance. In the end, she urges people to stop looking at the false beauty seen in magazines and take a deeper look at what true beauty is.

“The modern idea of beauty is taking a sole purpose in everyday life. Achieving beautiful is not surgically fixing yourself to be beautiful, and tattoos may have a strong meaning behind them that makes them beautiful.”

Beauty in modern times has two sides: physical appearance and personality. The author also defines beauty by using famous statements like “a woman’s beauty is seen in her eyes because that’s the door to her heart where love resides” by Audrey Hepburn. The author also tackles the issue of how physical appearance can be the reason for bullying, cosmetic surgeries, and tattoos as a way for people to express their feelings.

Looking for more? Check out these essays about fashion .

10 Helpful Prompts To Use in Writing Essays About Beauty

If you’re still struggling to know where to start, here are ten exciting and easy prompts for your essay writing:

While defining beauty is not easy, it’s a common essay topic. First, share what you think beauty means. Then, explore and gather ideas and facts about the subject and convince your readers by providing evidence to support your argument.

If you’re unfamiliar with this essay type, see our guide on how to write an argumentative essay .

Beauty doesn’t have to be grand. For this prompt, center your essay on small beautiful things everyone can relate to. They can be tangible such as birds singing or flowers lining the street. They can also be the beauty of life itself. Finally, add why you think these things manifest beauty.

Little girls and boys participating in beauty pageants or modeling contests aren’t unusual. But should it be common? Is it beneficial for a child to participate in these competitions and be exposed to cosmetic products or procedures at a young age? Use this prompt to share your opinion about the issue and list the pros and cons of child beauty pageants.

Today, social media is the principal dictator of beauty standards. This prompt lets you discuss the unrealistic beauty and body shape promoted by brands and influencers on social networking sites. Next, explain these unrealistic beauty standards and how they are normalized. Finally, include their effects on children and teens.

Countless beauty products and treatments crowd the market today. What products do you use and why? Do you think these products’ marketing is deceitful? Are they selling the idea of beauty no one can attain without surgeries? Choose popular brands and write down their benefits, issues, and adverse effects on users.

Although many countries accept men wearing makeup, some conservative regions such as Asia still see it as taboo. Explain their rationale on why these regions don’t think men should wear makeup. Then, delve into what makeup do for men. Does it work the same way it does for women? Include products that are made specifically for men.

There’s always something we want to improve regarding our physical appearance. One way to achieve such a goal is through surgeries. However, it’s a dangerous procedure with possible lifetime consequences. List known personalities who were pressured to take surgeries because of society’s idea of beauty but whose lives changed because of failed operations. Then, add your thoughts on having procedures yourself to have a “better” physique.

People like beautiful things. This explains why we are easily fascinated by exquisite artworks. But where do these aspirations come from? What is beauty’s role, and how important is it in a person’s life? Answer these questions in your essay for an engaging piece of writing.

Beauty has many definitions but has two major types. Discuss what is outer and inner beauty and give examples. Tell the reader which of these two types people today prefer to achieve and why. Research data and use opinions to back up your points for an interesting essay.

Many literary pieces and movies are about beauty. Pick one that made an impression on you and tell your readers why. One of the most popular books centered around beauty is Dave Hickey’s The Invisible Dragon , first published in 1993. What does the author want to prove and point out in writing this book, and what did you learn? Are the ideas in the book still relevant to today’s beauty standards? Answer these questions in your next essay for an exiting and engaging piece of writing.

Grammar is critical in writing. To ensure your essay is free of grammatical errors, check out our list of best essay checkers .

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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Argumentative Essay Topics on Beauty Pageants

In this essay, you will find argumentative essay topics on beauty pageants and cause and effect themes. In these lists, you will find a topic which will be interesting to publish on. A number of these topics is going to be interesting not just to you but to an extensive audience aswell. Check them out today!

• Are child beauty pageants exploitative?
• Should child beauty pageants be banned?
• Are beauty pageants good for young children?
• Do beauty pageants hypersexualize kiddies?
• Why beauty pageants should be 16+.
• The matter of son or daughter beauty pageants and if they are damaging.
• Televangelists and beauty pageants.
• How did you react to the “Little Miss Sunshine” contest, and particularly to Olive’s performance? What exactly are your thoughts about children’s beauty pageants and parents’ expectations of their kids?
• Watch “Toddlers & Tiaras” on line. Do daughter or son beauty pageants add to the hypersexualization of girls? How? Could it be good or bad?
• Beauty pageants in Venezuela.
• Are beauty pageants a fantastic method for young girls to improve their self-esteem, practice presenting and public speaking, and cultivate their talents?
• How are beauty pageants a historical phenomenon?
• Are participants of beauty pageants the objects of worship or victims?
• How have the evaluation criteria for beauty pageants changed?
• What were considered to be the first old-fashioned beauty pageants?
• Beauty pageants among tribal cultures.
• Beauty pageants in ancient China.
• Selecting a bride among the most common ways in the annals of conducting beauty pageants.
• Beauty pageants in the harems of the Ottoman Empire as a way to pick the most beautiful concubine.
• European beauty pageants in the 19th century.
• Is really a beauty pageant a great chance to realize a woman’s ambitions on stage?
• How is the right talent for the talent contest opted for during a beauty pageant?
• How are dresses chosen for the beauty pageants?
• How to locate confidence for participating in a beauty pageant.
• Do women be involved in beauty pageants only for money?
• How exactly to look from the stage correctly and advantageously through the beauty pageant.

Cause and Effect Essay Topics on Beauty Pageants

• Adverse effects of beauty pageants on participating kiddies.
• Why do beauty pageants cause psychological problems?
• Are beauty pageants good for young girls?
• The objectification of women in beauty pageants.
• How beauty pageants do debase women.
• Daughter or son beauty pageants: harmless fun or exploration?
• What messages are inherent in beauty pageants, Barbie, and also icons such Marilyn Monroe in terms of beauty and sexuality in the 1950s?
• Beauty pageants: exploitative or good for self-esteem?
• Beauty pageants are humiliating and unnecessary inside our modern society.
• Health conditions related to beauty pageants.
• How do men draw inspiration and strength from such events as beauty pageants?
• How did the fact an African-American woman won a beauty pageant in 1983 in the united states affect future beauty pageants?
• How did the Miss World beauty pageant in 1951 relate to bikini promotion?
• Just how do beauty pageants depreciate a woman’s personality, erase her individual faculties, and turn her in to an object?
• Can it be fair that participants of beauty pageants should be unmarried and have no children?
• Why do lots of women still desire becoming beauty queens?
• So how exactly does the life of the winners of beauty pageants change after the contests?
• Should a girl indulge in beauty pageants even if she loves to perform on stage?
• So how exactly does watching beauty pageants affect a girl?
• Why do girls want to be beauty pageant participants?
• So how exactly does a woman’s excitement before a beauty pageant affect her performance?
• The psychological state of a female who expects to win but loses in the wonder pageant.

Unlike other writing services that present lists of boring and mediocre themes, you can expect you interesting ideas like these argumentative essay topics on beauty pageants and cause and effect themes. However , in the event that you choose a topic, but don’t want to spending some time on writing, EssayShark. com can help you. Our service is remarkable in providing high-quality papers! Just request write my essay for me assistance and enjoy the result.

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