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I Want My Daughter To Look Like a Harlot
Photos © VH1
VH1 has done it again.
First it was Three Bimbos: The Musical, now it’s Little Beauties: Ultimate Kiddie Queen Showdown.
Vh1 aired an hour long show on little girls in beauty pageants. I don’t like the idea of beauty pageants, but I hadn’t formed a strong opinion on either side of the issue until I watched this show.
It’s one thing to be an adult, parading around in a bikini while trying to prove that you are intelligent and talented; but to take those same concepts and make them into something for children is horrendous.
Why are we dressing young girls up like prostitutes? As cute as their little faces were, that is exactly what they looked like, little prostitutes. It was just sickening; too much makeup, heavy hair weaves, flippers on teeth, and thousand dollar dresses.
My main problem with these pageants is the overall concept- beauty. It’s all about how you look and I don’t think that is something that 5 year olds should be worried about. They have the rest of their lives to be made to feel insecure, why start now?
Even two people on the show, a mother of a contestant and an organizer said it was all about beauty. The organizer then added in “inner beauty” but I suspect that was to sound less shallow and superficial.
What is this teaching our girls? That you have to be pretty in order to get money? Because that is exactly what the 6 and 7 year old girls seemed to be focused on- money. They wanted to be the prettiest so they could win money and buy things like ponies.
How about we teach girls to use their brains? How about we build foundations so that they can learn how to make money in non sexual ways. Teach them that they have more to offer than fake teeth, big hair, and boobies, as one of the young girls put it. I love boobies, I want boobies, I can’t wait to get boobies. I love feeling on them,she said until her mother quickly shut her up.
Then I wonder what happens to the girls who don’t win? How is their self esteem? They worked so hard to practice dancing in swim suits while holding up their head of heavy weave…what happens when they lose? Do they lose a bit of self worth?
This is one reason why I choose to not allow my daughter to participate. At 7, my DD already has a complex about what popular is and who the “pretty” girls are. This is not something that I teach her she is learning this at school from the other girls - girls with older sisters. I explain to her that it doesn’t matter what you look like, what matters is your character, how you treat others - these are things that you will always remember, not who was the pretty girl at 7. I have been asked several times by people on the street if I plan to put her in a cutest kids contest or let her in pagents - I am already getting paperwork sent to me without my request - and I simply say, “No.” I don’t need these things to tell me my DD is wonderful.