Toddlers and Tiaras
This is a speech I recently wrote for my Dynamics class:
I am a terrible person. In recent weeks, I have inadvertently
contributed to the global issue that is child abuse. No, I was not babysitting
and smacking the children for bad behaviour or refusing to go to bed, and no I
did not deny a child access to their basic human rights; but, I did support an
unrecognized form of child abuse. I sat on my couch one evening, watching TLC’s
hit TV show, “Toddlers and Tiaras”.
As I sat there in the comfort of my pajamas, with a mug of tea in
hands, I watched Holly, a 7 year old beauty pageant contestant getting her legs
shaved. Seven years old! When I was seven, I spent my
days in my backyard sand box, or playing “house” with my next-door neighbours. Holly,
at seven years old is making visits to her aunt’s house so that she can get her
monstrously hairy legs shaven. Is this sick, or what? And is it just me, or are
seven year-olds’ legs pretty smooth in the first place? Toddlers and Tiaras is
a form of child abuse.
The next episode, I witnessed Karley and Kylie, two sisters from
Georgia forcefully being spray tanned by their mother. Karley, age 4, whined
“nooooo, I don’t want to” as she ran to the corner of the room away from her
mom. Frustrated, the mother said, “I’m gunna count down from three... 3,2”,
then afraid of her mom’s temper, Karley gave in, “alright, I’ll do it”!
Meanwhile, Karley is bundled in the corner of the room, red faced and puffy
eyed. “Look at your white legs; don’t you want them to be pretty?”, the mother
asked Karley, and she began spraying her 4 year old daughter with an artificial
skin colouring agent. Karley could barely contain her tears, and still her mother
tried to justify her actions by saying, “It’s okay, Karley actually likes
getting her spray tan.” Yes. That’s
exactly what it looked like to me too. Toddlers and Tiaras is a form of child
abuse.
As if I hadn’t seen enough at this point, on another episode of
Toddlers and Tiaras, four year old Mackenzie, was heading to “Diva Day” with
her mother. Mackenzie’s mother said in an interview, “We set up the chocolate
facial... I do believe it will exfoliate and moisturize her skin and brighten
her complexion for the pageant.” Mackenzie wasn’t into the whole idea, she
would have rather eaten the chocolate used in the making of the facial. It was
evident that Mackenzie wasn’t having a good time, and after getting her nails
done, her aesthetician stated, “Putting nails on Mackenzie was like putting
nails on a Tasmanian Devil!” Toddlers and Tiaras is a form of child abuse.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that child abuse is not
considered socially acceptable in our society. So why then, is a show such as
Toddlers and Tiaras considered acceptable to watch and even to produce? The
show began airing in 2009, and is currently in its 5th season on TLC with 59
episodes aired since its debut. This season the show has expanded, and is also
being aired in the United Kingdom. The fact that this show has lasted for 5
seasons, and that it has gained such a fan base that it has been able to air in
multiple continents is saddening. A TV show that documents a form of child
abuse is gaining popularity.
A more recent episode of “Toddlers
and Tiaras” involving the first boy ever seen on the show, followed the story
of how Traven was willing to break the rules in order to walk away with the
title of champion in the International ‘Fresh Faces’ Pageant. When his mother
asked him how he was planning on winning this pageant if he's not willing to practice,
he simply replied, "I just want to cheat!" ... “Good luck,
girls," Traven’s mother was quoted saying, "My son is going to get
it." And so, on top of all the things we have found that are so morally
wrong and unethical about the TLC TV show, we now have seen how competitive
these young children have become. And what on earth could make this boy want to
win so badly, that he’s willing to cheat... and admit it on national TV? My
best guess; pressure from his parents. Toddlers and Tiaras is a form of child
abuse.
So what ever happened to playing “house”,
going for evening strolls to the ice cream store, and getting your hands dirty
in the sand box at the playground? These poor beauty pageant princesses are
being pressured to hit the stage with wigs, makeup, dental prosthetics and
well-rehearsed performances. And now I am left with a few questions; do
pressures to look so flawless beginning at such a young age set unrealistic
precedence for these children as they grow up? Will this lead to higher rates
of anorexia and other eating disorders, or will it lead to higher rates of
depression, when kids and youth are unable to achieve these unrealistic
standards of beauty? What in the world happened to the notion that internal
beauty is what really matters? So many unanswered questions; but one thing I
know for sure... Toddlers and Tiaras is a form of child abuse.
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