Negative Effects of Toddler Beauty Pageants

Overemphasis on Looks

Since the winner of a beauty pageant is the one who is subjectively judged as the most beautiful, this teaches girls that they are valued primarily for their looks. This attitude has negative consequences that could include a drop in self-esteem as she moves out of her "cute" stage, neglecting to value and develop intellectual gifts and more substantive talents, and obsessing over appearance to the point of developing an eating disorder in adolescence.

Pageant entry fees alone can cost up to $500, with dresses costing an average of $1,000, and sometimes as much as $5,000. Parents also pay for the services of coaches and travel and lodging fees to get to and stay at the pageant destination. Tanning, wigs and "flippers" (false teeth that cover up missing baby teeth) are just a few of the cosmetic and grooming expenses that parents are willing to shell out as they shuttle their toddlers along the pageant circuit.

Girls who enter beauty pageants are groomed to look much older. Wigs or sophisticated hair styles and excessive makeup give a pageant contestant a look that would be more appropriate for an older teenager or an adult. Sometimes the contestants do "sexy" dances or are encouraged to flirt with the judges. Detractors also suggest that sexualizing these young children can make them the object of attention of pedophiles.

A girl who is raised in a pageant culture learns that her looks are what give her value and can develop a need for constant attention to, and reinforcement of, her physical beauty. In addition, she may develop an unhealthy sense of competition with her peers, as she learns to constantly compare herself to and try to "beat" other girls. Psychologists are especially wary of pageant mothers who try to improve their own self esteem through their competing daughters. These mothers are less likely to have a healthy relationship with their daughters, which can have negative psychological effects on the daughter later in life.