Beauty Pageants: Positive or Poisonous Essay

Beauty Pageants: Positive or Poisonous Essay.

There is no doubt that beauty pageants have a negative connotation in today’s society. Who hasn’t seen the hit television show “Toddlers & Tiaras”? Those television producers only want the viewers to see the worst moments, though, so they can get the highest ratings possible. They care only about their income, not the reputation of pageants. Most of the people who believe the pageant world is one of disgust have no clue about what really goes on outside the illusion of television.

There are many opposing arguments against pageants and pageant contestants. Feminists believe that they are degrading and sexist towards the female gender, because they should not be judged on their “womanly” attributes and rewarded for their looks. Parents, on the other hand, argue that allowing daughters to participate in a beauty pageant is a horrible parenting mistake, claiming that it teaches them to only rely on their outside appearance because that is all that matters if they want to succeed in life.

All of those beliefs are completely incorrect.

Beauty pageants are beneficial to those competing because they provide them with a safe extracurricular activity, help prepare them for the future, and affect them in a positive way. First off, even with the aid of modern technology, most parents do not know where their child is at all times, and that can be scary. Anything can happen. Any parent could be oblivious that his/her child is out doing illegal and/or dangerous activities, including underage alcohol consumption, drug use, or simply hanging out with the wrong crowd.

Pageants provide many children with a fun, safe, extracurricular activity. Since most participants have a mother or guardian accompanying them while preparing and competing, there is ample time for bonding. Going shopping, choreographing routines, practicing poise, doing hair and makeup, and going through the anxiousness of pageant day together can significantly strengthen their relationship. In pageants, contestants are categorized by age. This means that they not only have quality time with their mother or guardian, but they also have time ell spent with their peers.

Backstage is a great place for girls to laugh together, share stories with each other, and have those well known “girl talks. ” Also, pageants give girls a chance to form new relationships. They obviously have at least one thing in common, and that gives them the icebreaker that keeps most strangers from being outgoing and helpful towards each other. The more they get to know each other, the more their friendship can grow, hopefully both inside and outside of pageantry.

According to her article, Lalan Maliakal agrees, stating “So many contestants end up becoming close friends, and even though they may not win a significant place in the pageant, they take home the everlasting gift of friendship and wonderful memories” (Maliakal) (“Child Beauty Pageants – Pros and Cons”). Furthermore, all pageant systems have zero tolerance of illegal drug use and alcohol consumption. If a contestant was found to be guilty of either crime or any other illegal activity, she would be indefinitely banned from the system.

This helps to keep the pageant loving girls of all ages off the path of destruction that leads to a life of trouble and crime, and keep them on the right path that will benefit them for the continuation of their lives. Pageants also help prepare contestants for their future. Many of the larger pageant systems offer cash prizes or even scholarships to those who place, which can help a great deal in paying for the never-ending college expenses. Scholarship organizations require winners to be poised, talented, elegant, and well-spoken (Nooruddin) (“Not Irony: Beauty Pageants Make Strong Women”).

So even though a girl may not be the smartest girl in school, she still has a way to help pay for the college of her dreams. Sometimes, job opportunities are also up for grabs in competitions, which can aid in starting a resume for contestants striving for bigger dreams. Pageants also teach numerous life skills that are very beneficial. Many judges look for a titleholder who has great communication skills, good character, performs well under pressure, and will be the best public relations person/representative for the pageant system, city, state, or country (Shappert) (“What Are Pageant Judges Looking For In A Winner? ).

Contestants also learn to handle the guaranteed disappointment life will bring, and have a support team and guidance to encourage them to keep competing, which will give them the motivation to keep on working towards their future (Seal) (“Advantages of Beauty Contests”). Goal-setting is another skill that is enforced in pageants, not just winning (Noodruddin) (“Not Irony: Beauty Pageants Make Strong Women”). Plus, those contestants who develop the skills above show the success and achievement that employers look for in an employee (Seal) (“Advantages of Beauty Contests”).

All of the aforementioned skills will stay with the girls throughout their lives and help them be successful in their future, beyond pageantry. Beauty pageants have countless positive effects on contestants. They encourage girls to have self-confidence on stage and off stage. First, they need confidence to even compete in the pageants. It is not always easy presenting yourself in front of a group of people, especially if you know they are judging you.

Former Miss USA Petite and former Miss India Georgia, Sabrina Nooruddin shares her knowledge, “I have personally seen the difference pageants can make in a young woman’s self confidence and her ability to present herself in interviews and in front of large audiences” (Noodruddin) (“Not Irony: Beauty Pageants Make Strong Women”). The more pageants girls are in, the better their confidence gets, no matter if they place in each one or not. Pageants also help girls develop their personal style and look, giving them more confidence while still being true to themselves instead of trying to transform into someone they are not.

Recognition as a winner gives them more confidence, as well (Seal) (“Advantages of Beauty Contests”). That confidence follows them into the remaining parts of their lives, outside of pageants. There are going to be times when these girls get rejected or are told that they are unqualified for a certain position or organization, so they need to have the confidence to never give up and to strive to be always be the best they can be. Without it, they will never be productive in life. Contestants also have the opportunity for their voice to be heard when they participate in pageantry.

These days, the opinions of many young girls are overlooked and seen as unimportant. That is not true. They should be treated as any other’s in society. Thousands of girls use their place in pageantry as a chance to speak their mind and support causes that help others, such as bullying and body image.

Sabrina Nooruddin promotes her organization of choice, “Beauty Without Barriers”: Even with my seven inch crown, I still bear no resemblance to Barbie, but I do have the platform and the opportunity to speak to young women about what it really means to be “beautiful” and comfortable in your own skin. Beauty Without Barriers” is a program I have successfully begun to develop with the help of other successful young women. The peer mentoring group pairs local, state, and national beauty queens with middle school girls to talk about important issues like body image, bullying, and cyber safety. My goal is to promote female empowerment at the young age and help young girls feel comfortable and “beautiful” no matter what shape, size, or color they are (Noodruddin) (“Not Irony: Beauty Pageants Make Strong Women”).

It is imperative that these causes and charities are brought to attention, and who better to bring them into the light than girls who can possibly relate? This also promotes female empowerment, since it gives all females the assurance that their opinion matters and encourages girls to speak out at a young age. With more girls striving to make a difference, like Sabrina, the world will only become a better place. Though they are called beauty pageants, these contests are not all about the outside appearance. There is no stereotypical beauty queen.

Though a portion of scoring is based on dress, makeup, and hair, judges are looking for a girl who is unique, articulate, diplomatic, polite, respectful, friendly, intelligent, talented, and well-rounded (Shappert) (“What Are Pageant Judges Looking For In A Winner? ”). No girl has to worry that another girl is more attractive than her. Character is everything. Proverbs 11:22 says, “As a jewel of gold in a swine’s snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion,” which means that beauty without character is like fancy jewelry on a pig – tangible items do not cover up an ugly personality (KJV).

Everyone should support beauty pageants, whether you’re a competitor, parent, coach, or anyone who believes in doing the right thing. The results of a survey asking whether pageants are beneficial to the contestants or are degrading and sexist to women showed that on average 11 out of 12 people say they are beneficial. Several justified their answers: “They teach girls poise and confidence, and give them the chance to be a princess for a day. ”; “It can be a great way to teach how to lose and win. ”; “Pageants are no different than cheerleading or any other female sport. ; “Beauty pageants are these girls’ platforms to get their voices heard on certain topics” (Payne). These men and women know what they are talking about and obviously support all of the details and reasons already given. The mission is to educate more people about the goodness and benefits of pageants and get that number up to 12 out of 12. No law banning beauty pageants should be passed. Galatians 5: 22-23 contains a perfect statement for this matter, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Against such things there is no law” (NIV).

Beauty Pageants: Positive or Poisonous Essay

Beauty Essay

Beauty Essay.

Beauty is something that can be interpreted completely different from person to person. A famous quote that goes along with this perfectly is “beauty is in the eye of the beholder. ” I think a person’s inner beauty should be taken into account when deciding whether or not a person is beautiful. Wikipedia’s definition of beauty is, “a characteristic of a person, animal, place, object, or idea that provides a perceptual experience of pleasure or satisfaction” while Oxford Dictionary states, “beauty is a combination of qualities, such as shape, color, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially sight.

As you can see, inner beauty could be paired with Wiki’s definition and outer beauty could be paired with Oxfords. Of course, there is no way of telling which definition is more correct, but, for the majority of today’s society, outer beauty seems to be the primary focus. One example that proves just how important outer beauty is to society is the rise in beauty products and services that are around today.

Surely, once the 21st century initiated, appearance definitely began to play a much bigger part in people’s lives.

Interests in salons and day spas were rising generously, and surely, business was not hard to find. More than likely, most salons’ appointment books were filled, nail salon chairs were occupied, and an increase sales in beauty products all hit businesses with full force. Another illustration of our appearance obsessed society is seen in the surrounding woman and men. For instance, there are many events, even on a global scale, that support this shallow idea of exterior perfection, such as Beauty pageants; Miss America and Miss Universe are two of too many examples.

These events are taken very seriously by a vast number of contestants who alter their body surgically, wear dentures, and add an, no doubt, unnatural amount of makeup and hair extensions. Furthermore, even more popular, exists pageants for young children with contestants of ages as low as a few months. With toddlers and infants being at their most influenced, getting done up in caked on make-up, eyelashes, spray tan, and fake teeth just isn’t something we should be backing.

As you can see, it is time for people to focus more on things such as a person’s morality, personality, values, and intelligence rather than always infatuated with exterior. The main reason the word beauty has been used to describe external features rather than internal ones, so much more in the recent years, is the media. The media has evolved into something extremely influential, and the most clear message people recive from this, is what they are supposed to look like. For instance, magazines often create young girls who believe that thin as paper models seen in any magazine are what they are supposed to look like.

Also, another component adding to the superficial terms people have are the celebrities that we idolize who are coached to not have even one single hair out of place; all those celebrity’s with perfect skin, hair, and body have been accomplices in the media’s outrageous spread shallow opinions. The outcome of the media’s bar being set so high is people all around doing whatever necessary to preserve their physical appearance regardless of the effect it has on their health or bank accounts.

Everyone would be a lot happier if they drew their attention to the internal characteristics of a person, rather than all of the smoke and mirrors that is displayed on the surface. For example, someone who is the most kind-hearted, level headed, and selfless person could go through her whole life not having the opportunity to show others due to her presentation of a had exterior. Of course, although it can be hard for some, it’s never right to reject someone all because they don’t meet the unspoken of standards that most have set for themselves as well as the others. Helen Keller once said, “Beauty is not always seen but is felt in the heart.

Helen was someone who was dealt a horrific hand yet still noticed and embraced the beauty in all of her experiences. To sum up, most of society goes without noticing, or simply doesn’t care, about any beauty that reaches deeper than the surface, which is very unfortunate. Many people become sick, depressed and some even die as a result of the pressure media and those greatly influenced by it puts on them. This world could be so much better, relationships could be so much stronger, and those who deserve it would be so much happier if the word “beauty” was interpreted as something deeper by the masses; one can only hope.

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Beauty Essay

The Influence of Media on Perception of Beauty Essay

The Influence of Media on Perception of Beauty Essay.



























The Influence of Media on Perception of Beauty Essay

Physical Beauty V.S. Inner Beauty Essay

Physical Beauty V.S. Inner Beauty Essay.

Beauty has been a great issue since the early civilization. People tend to focus on physical beauty however there is another aspect that can be considered such as inner beauty. Even though, Physical beauty and inner beauty are seen as being the world apart, but surprisingly they have some differences and similarities points that can be taken for discussion.

Physical beauty is the same with outside beauty, which is attractive to the eye. Physical beauty changes in certain years. Some let inner beauty win over physical beauty, vise versa and very few people have both of them in their hearts, but some still have faintly above the other.

Inner beauty is the real beauty of a person that goes far from physical appearance, that cannot be seen by everyone but can be felt. So, “As your inner beauty blossoms, your life experience change profoundly.” (, 2010). For example, inner beauty is unselfishly to give benefit to the others. It can be seen when the mother gives her love to her children.

Inner beauty stays within those who sympathetic, compassionate, and kind of heart.

Firstly, opposing to common belief, that physical beauty and inner beauty can be achieved later in person’s life. When a person grows older and more mature, she becomes wise individual. In that time, her inner beauty can increase because of her experience. It is the same as physical beauty; a person can acquire attractive characters, as she gets older or merely changes the way she dresses up. Unfortunately, not only physical beauty is necessary to last forever as her age but also inner beauty. For example, her physical beauty can decrease because of the loss of youthful appearances. Her personality may not always be affected because of her age, on the other hand it may even shine as result of wisdom and experience.

Other similarity, among physical beauty and inner beauty, that is no standard to be called beautiful. Everybody has her own opinion standard of beauty. For example, a group of women or girls in Africa prefer to have big bodies as to be called beautiful. There is also a change in opinion the colour of skin. It used to be pale and nowadays, women or girls prefer to have a tanned skin. Long time ago, girls from the noble families in China would bind their daughters’ feet to make them small as the symbol of physical beauty. There is also a person with different personality such as tomboy and feminism. So, there is no perfect appearance or perfect personality.

The importance of physical beauty is the same as original human feeling. People treat the physical beauty the same as the needs for food. It means people require to maintain the physical beauty. Physical beauty is set in our brains as a tool to stay alive and continue to next generation. Physical beauty is the reason of men and women to be attracted by each other.

Physical beauty and inner beauty are obviously different. The first difference is that inner beauty is enough for some people, however physical beauty must be accompanied by inner beauty. It is incredible to trust only on her appearances to get other people to fully like her. While, she has good personality, it will not need anything to accompany, as it is good for her.

Secondly, the difference of physical beauty and inner beauty, even though appearances seem to get more attention rather than personality, but most believe, personality is the most important and easy to notice. For instance, physical beauty can give her Reputation in fifteen minutes, but inner beauty can give her a lifetime of Reputation.

In conclusion, physical beauty and inner beauty are completely different objects, however both of them share similarities, as well as differences. When every person have a different opinion of the beauty, It is hard to say which one is the most important, but most people can appreciate inner beauty because it is applicable and authentic. Physical beauty can have its perquisites, but inner beauty is more consistent and its advantages for long term are far better.


4 reasons why inner beauty is real beauty. (n.d.).Retrieved January 10,2013 from

Carlson, E. (2004, April 15). Physical Beauty Involves more than Good Looks. Retrieved January 10,2013 from

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Physical Beauty V.S. Inner Beauty Essay

What is the true meaning of beauty? Essay

What is the true meaning of beauty? Essay.


Beauty is something that comes from within, it being comfortable with whom you are. In the short story “The beauty Treatment” by Stacy Richter, the writer describes a situation of teenage girls acting out violently. “The Beauty Treatment” is narrated by a teenager who has had her face slashed by her best friend.

There is a type of girlfriend rivalry that is similar to any high school, but with Richter’s ability quickly change direction of the story from one place to another and surprising language, this story becomes an excellent story of empathy and forgiveness.


The narrator’s best friend gets cut just because she likes a musician. Even though at the beginning of the story it seems a bit unrealistic and fantastical, it is believable, at least what happened in the context of the story. Both narrators’ ‘accentually’ reveal their selves throughout the course of the story. They are very honest about others within their circle and about themselves to an extent. The narrator from “Beauty Treatment” didn’t have a problem telling she is materialistic; Richter shows her obsession with clothes among other things. However, throughout the story we learn that she desperately wants her life to be more than what it was.

When describing her future, it was like something from a movie. During the time she sat with the Neo-Beats, she described herself as a mysterious, wanting to be the center of attention. When question about her scar she made up wild elaborate stories, as if the truth of what really happened is not wild enough. She reveals the reason she hung around the Bitch despite her obvious mental health problems, and how they became best friends. For majority of our lives we are told what is beautiful. Beauty is taught to us by parents, society, magazines, and television. Boys are told what will make them men and girls are told what makes them woman. We are taught wearing designer clothes, living in the biggest house, driving the nice cars, and having a pretty face is important.

Our youth is encourage to dress a certain way and act a certain way, are they are not consider to be not in style. Clothes and a pretty face don’t define a person; it doesn’t make them better than anyone or less than them. Is our imagination shaped by others on what beauty is or is one’s imagination filled with what we see and what we hear? Does one’s body control the imagination or does one’s imagination control their body on what is perceived as beauty? Many of us alter our beauty, changing ourselves to be accepted.

The narrator makes up stories of riding on the back of Johnny Depp’s motorcycle and him getting fresh with her and then crashing. Just as how we find ways to fool ourselves when our beauty we relie on to get us somewhere in life is altered. In the situation of the narrator, she is able to take the scar on her left cheek and make it part of her “perfect” face. When she is around her friends, she gives them an explanation about her scar in order for them to accept her. However, with the “neo-beatniks”, she didn’t give them any explanation. They are ok with her scar as it is and she begins hanging out with them while wearing “black Anna Sui numbers”.

The narrator figured out a way to maintain her beauty, even though she had to change the way she dressed. In the movie Swordfish John Travolta said, “What the eyes see, the mind believes.” The narrator figured out a way to make her scar on her face to blend into the lines on her face, “it cupped my cheekbones” (57). To be honest did her scar really cup her cheekbones, or did her eyes play a trick on her? Growing up in a society in which beauty is all that matters, we sometimes begin to believe that is what’s important. We look for ways to change ourselves, trying to live up to what is said to be beautiful, even when it’s not a good look for us.

When we can no longer afford the expensive clothes, we wear knockoffs that will make others think we are wearing the real thing. We get expensive cars, and houses that we really can’t afford, just to keep up with the Jones’s. We live in a society were image everything. Beauty is not defined by ones age, gender, color, body shape, size, clothes, car, or where you live. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” beauty is comes from within. So what is beautiful in your eyes? It is a reflection of what’s on the inside of us all. “Physical beauty only hides a cold heart and a flawed character. A lot of times really beautiful people are treated like they are special until others find out they think they are better than them, and then they are ugly”.

Physical beauty fades with time, but having confidence in yourself with a loving heart and a generous nature will last a lifetime. Everything God creates is beautiful and we are one of his many creations. Beauty is being comfortable with who you are, and just being yourself. It’s not trying to obtain what other people have, or become something we are not. We should not define our lives by how much stuff we have. Confidence makes one beautiful from the inside out and that is all that matters in the end.

Works cited
Richter Stacy. “They Beauty Treatment “Portable Legacies. Boston: Michael Rosenberg 2009.53-60. Print.

What is the true meaning of beauty? Essay

Perception of Beauty Essay

Perception of Beauty Essay.

The term ‘beauty’ is used in multiple contexts. These can be divided into ‘inner beauty’, describing a goodness of personality, and ‘outer beauty’, concerned with aesthetic appearance. On the surface, disfigurement affects outer beauty, but it has been found that changes in appearance can cause anxiety, depression, grief, and a lowered self-esteem. These strongly affect a person’s disposition. Thus, defects in outer beauty can indirectly alter inner beauty. How do human beings decide who is attractive and who is not? Society is full of messages telling us what is beautiful, but what are those definitions based on?

Do we consciously decide whom we are attracted to? The issue of beauty and how we define it has been studied for centuries.

Scholars from all fields of study have searched for the “formula” for beauty. Darwin in his book “The Descent of Man” wrote, “It is certainly not true that there is in the mind of man any universal standard of beauty with respect to the human body.

It is however, possible that certain tastes in the course of time become inherited, though I have no evidence in favor of this belief. ” Beauty is an idea. Everybody’s idea of beauty is unique. Beauty is a function of culture also.

When ideas about beauty make powerful impacts, they can become beauty ideals. What is ideal beauty? We see it everywhere, from paintings, to magazines to TV. Douglas Yu of the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, agrees. “It’s true by definition. Beauty is always judged by the receiver,” he says. At the same time, he says in an email “there is inter-observer concordance, a measure of objectivity,” so that individual perceptions of beauty, factoring in other characteristics such as personality and intelligence, can often be aggregated to form a consensus opinion.

Judgment of Beauty According to Kant, the judgment of beauty is different from cognitive or moral judgment because it is affected subjectively, that is, exclusively in reference to the person making the judgment. For a judgment to be truly “aesthetic”, rather than merely idiosyncratic, the person making the judgment must be adamant that their opinion be consensus. “A person who describes something as beautiful insists that everyone ought to give the object in question his approval and follow suit.

Plato, one of the earliest philosophers to concern himself with beauty, defined it as a “property intrinsic in objects” which could be measured in “purity, integrity, harmony and perfection. ” Media and Perception of Beauty Research shows that media play a dominant role in influencing females’ perceptions of the world around them, as well as helping them to define their sense of self. The media can definitely change our perception of beauty. It can indeed create a distortion in what a person considers to be ideal beauty or not.

It is proven that those that are under the influence of media, either the TV or Print media may unsavorily change what is their idea of beauty by wanting to measure up the ideal or standard portrayed by the media. Another major influence on this century’s attitudes towards beauty was the growth of the film industry. For the first half of the century, all the major beauty icons were film actresses. It was a medium that allowed women who would have previously been overlooked to shine. For instance, the 19th century aversion to redheads was still in place as late as the 20s.

It was that black-and-white medium that allowed Clara Bow to be the exception. However, stars such as Bette Davis and Katherine Turner who could not be described as “conventionally beautiful” invariably came from middle or upper class backgrounds. Beauty was an essential attribute for a working class woman to become successful in Hollywood. This period was also the beginning of the ties between the film and fashion industries, which would continue for decades to come.


Journal of Young Investigators Undergraduate, Peer-Reviewed Science Journal http://www. jyi. org/volumes/volume6/issue6/features/feng. html Utah Education Network 

Perception of Beauty Essay

Beauty and Body Image with Women Essay

Beauty and Body Image with Women Essay.

Beauty and Body Image for Women miou can lose 12 pounds in 10 days. ” “Have beautiful, shiny hair that will last forever” and “Look 10 years younger by Just applying this to your face every night”. Now a days there are hundreds of advertisements trying to persuade women on how to look, what not wear and especially how much to weigh. It seems like a magnifying glass that exams every inch of our bodies to find fault or a way of improvement. A while go it was believed that beauty comes from within not the outside.

However that saying seems to hold little to no meaning anymore. So what does beauty truly mean now? Dictionary. com defines beauty as the quality present in a thing or person that gives intense pleasure or deep satisfaction to the mind. These days people have take that meaning and created a multi- billion industry. Whether it’s for necessary needs, self- esteem issues, social gratification or work requirements there is a reason for omen to interest in the topic beauty.

Outer body image has become a major factor in our everyday lives.

People and companies have invented machines, creams, pills, books and so on to “help improve” whatever you have an issue with. Women have spent millions of dollars to satisfy their personal idea of what being beautiful is. There are many kinds of beauty however they usually fall into two categories. Inner Beauty being the first category of beauty , that usually deals with your personality and how you treat others or your actions. Secondly there is outer beauty or what I like to call “the world’s cash cow’.

It includes clothes, hair, make-up, weight and many more things. Not Just America but thousands of places around the world has made many rules to how the perfect woman image should be, it has truly became toxic and confusing. Thousands of companies and fellow people have gain generous amounts of money for creating and advertising items to help indulge “the rules”. Jenny Craig , 24 Hour Fitness, Proactive, Mary Kay, and Tae-bo are Just a few names that have ollected nice checks from women who try to better themselves.

There are different machines, creams, pills for every and anything, whether you want something fast or natural there is something out there that claims to ‘do trick, Society has been the main gas fuel to the topic of beauty and body image. Thanks to the media, everyone’s views, ideas, and opinion are casted and seen by many people especially targeting women. It has also taken young girls hostage worrying about what they look like efore they even pass puberty.

They are seeing celebrities and models that influence them that this is the way they should look if they want to be beautiful. Usually for women our self- esteem and body image becomes a real issue during young pre- teens as girls. Taking the ideas of our friends, family, the people around us and the media, combined with what our thought of what beauty is and reconstructing ourselves to closely fit that image is something that women have seem to do every

Beauty and Body Image with Women Essay

Beauty Pageants May Not Be Safe Essay

Beauty Pageants May Not Be Safe Essay.

While pageants are said to present a sense of self-esteem and value for the participants, these competitions often cause damaging emotional issues for an already trying adolescent life. One young participant anonymously said, “I used to think I was pretty, but once I got on stage and didn’t hear my name called the world came to an end and from then on, I’ve called myself ugly everyday” (Anonymous, 2010).

When a girl feels as if she is being valued solely on her looks, she may change her personality and dietary habits to an unsafe level to continuously garner attention.

The beauty pageant process is far from the safe harmonious competition it attempts to promote. As the rest of this essay suggest, damaging emotional scars often remain after the competitions are long gone, and pageants themselves harbor predatory dangers to young naive girls. The first kind of emotional damage young girls face is an overemphasis on physical appearance and a willingness to maintain beauty at any cost.

When a female participates in a beauty pageant, she is taught to win by looking attractive. These young girls are conditioned to believe that the only way to look pretty is to starve themselves so that they can achieve a ‘perfect figure’. Although there are many different types of eating disorders in the world, the biggest one of all for beauty pageants is anorexia. Anorexia is the third most common chronic illness among adolescents (Mirasol). Outside of eating disorders, anxiety and stress are common for participants.

In a 2009 interview on Good Morning America, Brooke Breedwell, a pageant queen at the age of five, now twenty, explained there was a price to pay, “Pageants have put a lot of stress and anxiety on my life I feel the need to be perfect at everything, and I know that’s not realistic. You can’t be perfect at everything. ” Brooke Breedwell also claimed her mother “pushed her too hard. ” When a mother enters her daughter in a pageant she expects her to win.

Most girls receive the ‘no other girl is your friend here’ speech, which cause them to be untruthful by offering fake smiles and false hugs around other participants. It also creates a distant form of interaction causing the females to be shallow, hyper-competitive adults who are never satisfied. The second kind of emotional damage young girls face is an uncharacteristically elevated ego for a teenage or even pre-teenage girl. When a female wins a pageant, she may conclude that she is better than everyone all of her peers.

While some might believe it to be healthy to compete in pageants because it creates confidence and it builds character, it’s not. Pageants teach young girls that self worth is in physical beauty only. Parents encourage their daughters to compete in these competitions and do whatever it takes to win. In some cases, mothers try to live vicariously through their daughter, by entering their daughter in such competitions. This confuses many girls because they don’t know if their mother is their coach or their parent.

With young girls participating in televised beauty it is hard to keep pedophiles away. Some pedophiles are driven out to live their fantasies and with young girls on air exploiting themselves it’s easy too. When girls participate they put on clothing that is meant to look ‘sexy’ and ‘inviting’. Girls prance along a stage in alluring clothing welcoming anyone to watch. Girls in pageants have yet to develop their own sense of self and are conditioned to be more pleasing to adults for attention and rewards. An entire television show is dedicated to young girl’s beauty pageants.

Each week, viewers are able to watch little girls dress up in bikinis, mini dresses, and other revealing clothing that their mothers choose for them to wear. In conclusion, beauty pageants cause self-hatred and uncertainty of a female’s own body, which could create shallow adults who are never satisfied. Carleton Kendrick, a family therapist says, “…the hard fact remains they are called beauty pageants and they have been and always will be based on using arbitrary standards of ‘beauty’ to make one contestant better than all the rest” (Kendrick).

Beauty pageants can cause eating disorders and unrealistic expectations of a female’s own body. Beauty pageants can also cause a female to self-hate if she doesn’t win, or enlarge an ego to an unhealthy level. Unfortunately, if a child participates in beauty pageants that may air on television, anyone can watch including pedophiles. Females should love their own bodies and not care how others judge them upon their appearance.

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Beauty Pageants May Not Be Safe Essay

Beauty Contest Essay

Beauty Contest Essay.

In the average dictionary beauty is defined as a combination of qualities that pleases aesthetic senses, especially the sight. Unfortunately, in today’s society, the meaning of beauty has become extremely distorted and in place beauty pageants have become very popular. These contests take place across the entire world; in big cities and small towns. The contestants’ ages range from 0 to 30 years old. Thus, children are thrown into this lifestyle, without knowing exactly what they are getting into.

They are judged by physical beauty and sometimes personality and talent, with the winners awarded prizes or titles.

Many people say that it beauty pageants boost ones confidence but in fact, they increase eating disorders, excessive dieting and can even lower ones self-esteem all because they do not feel as physically attractive as “they should be”. In more ways than one, beauty pageants significantly impact young girl’s life as she develops into a woman. According to an article by Women’s News, the United States generates approximately 100,000 beauty pageants for young girls and approximately 2.

5 million girls compete in them.

For most pageants, children are entered into them as soon as they are able to sit up by themselves. This means that from a young age these girls learn that the worth of a person is solely based on appearance, thus enabling them into a vain and insecure individual in the future. Though these pageants host talent portions, they are often flooded with over promiscuous dance routines and outfits, throwing pageant kids into things that are not appropriate for their age. Sadly enough, not every girl that enters a beauty contest can win.

So, their parents become very competitive and make them go through tanning, waxing and many make-up and hair sessions, to guarantee that they are the “best”. However, when these girls do lose, they believe that they were not good enough for the judges and lose all of their self-esteem. These pageant kids now become overly competitive and believe everything is about winning. And even worse, a high percentage of these pageant kids will engage in cosmetic and plastic surgery in the future to maintain their definition of beauty.

In addition to low self-esteem, beauty pageants can create many bad habits including excessive dieting. Because the parents of these young girls are very obsessive with their children’s appearance they end up robbing them of their childhood. They are not able to grab a slice of pizza or even a kid’s meal because they are watching every calorie intake. These young girls are forced to go on crash diets, to gain energy and lose weight very quickly. Sadly, this creates a number of problems for their health such as impaired growth, menstrual irregularities, low blood pressure and impaired kidney functions.

Unfortunately, many of these parents do not know exactly how they are impacting their children’s bodies. They are not only forming nutritional deficiencies but psychological issues too. According to the National Association of Eating Disorders, 90% of the time, girls who were forced to start a diet from a young age increase the frequency of taking extreme measures to continue a “perfect” figure, which is very destructive to one’s health. Excessive dieting can lead the way for a more harmful habit, eating disorders.

In today’s society, 35% of “occasional dieters” progress into pathological dieting, (disordered eating) and as many as 25%, advance to full-blown eating disorders (Philadelphia Eating Disorder Examiner, July 2011). When these pageant kids grow into young women, they have all of their eggs stacked in one basket, which in this case will be the “looks department”. They are so used to concentrating on the external and superficial aspects of beauty that they cannot focus on reality. The longing to be thin like the supermodels on magazine covers, causes these pageant girls to go to extreme measures such as bulimia and anorexia.

In one situation, a pageant girl as young as 6 years old was hospitalized with anorexia, which was linked to body image. This is not acceptable at all. But the blame cannot be solely placed on them. Their moms are so obsessed with their image; they allow their children to engage in these horrific activities. There is therefore no doubt that beauty pageants do no good for these kids. In closing, beauty pageants cause a great deal of problems for girls in the long run. These pageants are more likely to hurt one then to help one.

These pageants are supposed to boost confidence, when in reality they ruin children’s lives and basically kill their mental beings. I believe that beauty pageants for kids are a form of child abuse. These mothers exploit their children, teaching them that there will always be a person better than them. This is unacceptable and beauty pageants need to be banned because beauty is not counterfeit. It is being confident in your own skin without the approval of others. The time for taking action has come.

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Beauty Contest Essay

American Popular Culture Definition Essay

American Popular Culture Definition Essay.

American Popular Culture Daniel Villalobos SOC/105 University of Phoenix June 29, 2011 Roger Fike American Popular Culture There is not a single definition that will describe culture since it evolves and goes for the same as beauty. Without a doubt, there is no answer to the definition of beauty, yet beauty is heavily involved and, associated in today’s media. Media is likely to have an enormous potent effect to the average man or woman about criterions of beauty, forcing the definition of beauty to a new height because beauty never stops evolving and tends to play a very important role in the life of young teenagers and adults.

Retailer catalogs such as Abercrombie and Fitch and Victoria’s Secret tend to feature airbrushed, scantily clad and altered photos of male and female models. Beauty pageants, fashion shows, the Internet, and movies have swamped the public with two-dimensional pictures of beautiful icons and celebrities. There are even television shows that have joined the delegation, playing a role in the image that it portrays such as Skin Deep, The Swan, and Extreme Makeover.

America heavily relies on mass media to play a role in molding Americas view of the definition of beauty and reshaping culture at the same time.

In present-day society, with the ever-changing idea that portrays images beauty, people rely on the media to help them find the latest trends on how to look and what to wear to stay “in fashion”. According with Hume (1742), “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder”. Perhaps a more modern-day accurate definition would be, “Beauty is in the eye of the media. ” One may say that a beauty standard that is portrayed in present-day media does more negative societal harm than positive images.

Even though the allegations tends to lean forward on acknowledging that fact that media does indeed influence ‘harmful-images,” there is not a strong, stable public outcry against media portraying these false and harmful images. Time and cultures has a major role in the standards of beauty. In Victorian ages, social status was determined on the appearance which one portrays. Women who were to be considered ‘overweight, obese and fat’ in present-day today, had a higher social status.

Woman who were considered “plump” were considered of a healthy and a higher class distinction. Artist back then even painted some of the famous women in history having a voluptuous body figure in which present-day, would be diffidently frowned upon the media. An example, Jessica Simpson showed some physical “plumpness” in one of her concerts not too long ago. All of the sudden the media went insane and cameras were focused all of their attention on Jessica Simpson. Scolding and embarrassing her, which was not necessary, just because she gained weight.

Back then also, pale skin was more preferred than tanned skin because a person who appeared to have a dark tone skin indicated he or she is laborer working in the field. In the media today, tanned skin indicated that the person is of higher status because of the quality leisure time he or she spent into tanning. In China, Women who had small, often delicate feet were of higher status. This resulted in women binding their feet, painfully uncomfortable, to achieve the standards that he or she are accustomed to. Society often draws a parallel to what is considered healthy in the standards of beauty.

During times when food was scarce, society believed that woman who were heavier were more desirable and healthier, while women who were skinny and slender were considered unhealthy and suffering from malnutrition. In the eye of today’s media, the view on obesity is portrayed as highly unattractive and the basis of serious health risks such as a stroke, heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. Studies have also proved that women who were obese often had more difficulty bearing children because of health risk.

Ironically, studies have also debunked the fact that slenderness is a way to live a healthier life. Now as society becomes heavier and heavier, women who are portrayed in the media are much slimmer. Beauty is undeniably fascinated in American culture, when beauty starts being used from a business point of view, sexuality and beauty sells. Media and the advertisers use beautiful models and celebrities in advertisements to promote and sell, the fascination of beauty is still plays a major roll.

Whether its sell everything from cloths to beverages and cars, there are still the underlying fact that advertisers and the media rely on the beauty in the celebrity and model. One example would be in sports such as football, which exploits women such as Cheerleaders and the Bikini models portrayed on Sports Illustrated magazines to advertise and sell products. Social life, youth and beauty have also been greatly affected by looks, celebrities and beautiful models have raised the status quo for the rest of present-day society and most likely the future.

Much of society who are largely concerned about appearance must achieve that attractiveness and young look in order to acquire and maintain a social life, attract a mate and even to remain in the job market. Once or if the celebrity looks more beautiful after a cosmetic procedure, the public also seems to accept it. As cosmetics carries its influence into society, people are more likely to be acquire an idea that one day one may drive for self-improvement especially the older generation of society.

One time in history when Pamela Anderson and her cleavage became popular within the media, women turned to get cosmetic surgery to acquire that cleavage just to maintain that status of being in touch with society. Standards of Beauty from a Negative Perspective Present-day society of men, women and adolescents has definitely been shaped by mass media. Some may even say that society appeared to be suffering from a serious case of identity crisis. Americans in the millions, particularly women, have struggled between two opposite ends of confidence and insecurity after undergoing plastic surgery.

The concern and pressure to be thin, young and beautiful was becoming major part of Western society that it actually influenced people to take extreme measure so that he or she can acquire the ideal standard of beauty while sacrificing health, finances and even the risk of losing their own life. While the media did not bamboozle all of society to get cosmetic surgery, there are those who simply do not meet the financial requirements needed for the surgery and have no choice but to carry their ‘flaws’ often struggling with a low self-image.

Without a doubt there are those who are obsessed, wasting and spending millions on surgery, beauty supplies, diet supplements, dental work, and other self improving procedures. While people in general just want to feel and acquire that self respect and positive image, there are millions of Americans who try to live up to dangerous and unrealistic standards. While being thin make one happy for a while, and while surgery may improve how a person looks to some extent, for people to understand that real beauty comes from within the inner self is very important.

Particularly women must change their priority of improving their own self-image and not worry about what society influences on what one should look like. Once a woman is able to acknowledge her own inner beauty and self-worth, she is the more than capable to be and feel happy regardless of her appearance. For a woman to acquire a state of well being one need to have inner strength and emotional maturity traits, which beauty makeovers and surgery will not help in acquiring those traits.

The argument is not to fall towards the side in which ‘all’ woman should not strive to improve appearance, but instead to be cautious about one’s own health and not to neglect his or her own inner spirit and strength in the process. One needs to always remember that there is no amount of high-fashion clothing, make up and plastic surgery can stop the inevitable aging process. One may even request a procedure to prolong the appearance of the youth image but the fact still remains beauty will fade at one point in time.

Sure, one can look back and say how gorgeous and beautiful, but will it really matter anymore? Everyone at one point in their lifetime is going to reach and face old age, which also is a step closer to eternal happiness and rest; the stone garden. For some people, once he or she achieves the state of old age, the usual response is that he or she is at the happiest point of their life. This response may be influenced by the fact that there is no pressure to look beautiful and that he or she has acknowledge that appearance is no longer a priority or an important factor.

American Popular Culture Definition Essay