Child Pageants Dangerous

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Are child pageants dangerous? This question can most likely be taken in two ways: literally or defensively. In some cases, this chain of events can cause intentional conflict with a child’s self-esteem. Numerous controversies have gotten rid of the child pageant world due to jealousy and other outrageous reasons caused by parents and competitors. Many people in the world involve their children in such events for fame and money and believe that their child is required to participate. Child pageants prove nothing but a show of children that are being misjudged as something and someone they are not; thereby, giving their parents and the towns they live in a bad name. The first child pageant, held 1961, was called the Our Little Miss pageant…show more content…
It began on the night of December 26, 1996, when Patsy Ramsey put her to bed. The next morning her father awoke to a ransom note saying that he had to withdraw $118,000. He had to do this without saying a word to anyone, or his daughter would be killed. John Ramsey and his friend searched the house and found his daughter’s body in the wine cellar of their basement. Jon Benet Ramsey had died of asphyxiation caused by strangulation. According to The New York Times, Patsy strangled the little girl the night of Christmas because she went into a panic (Janofsky). This was a horrible incident that happened to an innocent child that was forced into the pageant world. The case remains unsolved today, but who is to say a pedophile did not kill her? Who is to say that her parents did not kill her because of some conflict they had with her in competition? These questions remain unanswered. Jon Benet Ramsey was not only killed, but they think she was sexually assaulted by a pedophile. These people can be attracted to the pageant world because of the way little girls are made to look unrealistic. According to Rayanna Dematteo, she remembers playing hide and seek with Jon Benet Ramsey after competitions, and never wants to talk about being in pageants. She says she does not want to relive those days (Hollandsworth). This goes into the subject of sexualization in the looks of young girls in…show more content…
Most people brush off the fact that the child’s mother is crazy for doing this to the child, but really should understand what they are going through. Children who have to deal with such lifestyles do not realize what is going on. Emotionally, they feel like they do not want to deal with this career and just want to be kids again. At such young ages, these little girls do not get to experience what it is like to have friends and a childhood. They do not want to put hurtful makeup on their faces, nor do they want their hair hard as a rock with a tight outfit on. The dieting they make their children do can also make the child vulnerable to crying and having an attitude change towards their mothers. This will most likely cause resentment later on in their lives. Knowing that they were made to engage in a risky and people-filled event will make them feel used, and
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