The Hyper-Sexualization of Little Girls in Beauty Pageants

France has outlawed beauty pageants for children.  Can we follow France's lead and do the same? 

Cue the anti-government screamers who'll howl about the Nanny State interfering with a parent's right to exploit and abuse her child. Parents who make their little girls participate in these beauty pageants claim they teach their children confidence and poise. 

Really? 

They want to teach their little girls, sometimes as young as three years, that strutting around in heavy make-up, fake eyelashes, and sexy costumes will give her confidence and poise?

This gives a little girl confidence?

And why would a child that young need to learn poise? They should be rolling around in the grass in their backyards, running around with their dogs or climbing trees with their siblings and playmates.  

This teaches a little girl poise?

Beauty pageants build confidence? 

How about making a perfect mud pie, learning to ride a two-wheeler, helping mom or dad bake a dozen cookies, or read a book all by herself? It's a pretty good bet that those activities will contribute to a child's confidence much better than having her compare her tarted-up face to other little girls, while wiggling her little tush at the audience.

What is this child projecting????

 And what does losing a contest based on strutting around half naked teach a little girl?  I've never understood beauty contests for children and babies.

What kind of parent puts make-up on a 3-year old?

And I've never understood the parents who do this to their little girls.

Some parents don't know better, and they don't see these ridiculous pageants as child abuse. What choice does a baby or little girl have? At that young age, most children want to please their parents. These pageant parents take advantage of their little girls, who want to make mommy and daddy happy, by parading them in front of the public, looking like strippers.

OMG!

It's awful and it's degrading.  These contests don't teach poise or confidence. How does competing for best in show in looks make a child "feel good" about herself?What sort of parent would think it's appropriate to have these little girls perform pseudo-strip poses and dancing? This is what these pageants essentially are -- the hyper-sexualization of little girls and an ego trip for their mothers. 

Good for France for outlawing these abusive "beauty pageants" for babies and children. I hope we follow their lead.





France Outlaws Beauty Pageants Involving Children

Beauty pageants have a proud tradition in France but there are limits to what French lawmakers will accept. On Tuesday senators banned children's beauty contests to prevent the "hyper-sexualisation" of kids, promising tough sanctions for those who break the law. 

 Judging children under the age of 16 on their physical appearance in so-called “beauty contests” will become a criminal offence in France, the French Senate ruled on Tuesday night. 

 The new law forms part of the new “equality bill” presented to the French Senate on Monday by France’s Minister for Women’s Rights, Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, which also included legislation to tackle unequal pay, domestic violence and to encourage fathers to take parental leave. 

Beauty pageants have a proud tradition in France but they are not to everyone's liking, especially these involving young teenage girls, known as "mini miss" competitions. In the Senate on Tuesday centrist Senator Chantal Jouanno, author of a report "Against Hyper-Sexualisation: A New Fight For Equality" proposed an ammendment to the bill, banning the underage contests, which was backed by 196 senators, with 146 voting against it. 

The sexual equality law will return to the lower house National Assembly for a second reading in November where deputees will have the final say on the so-called "Mini Miss" contests.



Here's a discussion on beauty pageants for children.

Would you want your daughter or granddaughter tarted up like this?

From the show, no longer on cable, Toddlers and Tiaras.