photo courtesy of TLC
One of my friends told me she was going to enter her 8 month old daughter in a local beauty pageant next month. The pageant is for infants-14 year olds, so I immediately had thoughts of entering my only daughter, Mika, who is 4 years old. But I'm just not too sure. I don't know what to think about pageants for children, and babies. I've watched various shows on pageants, including "Toddlers and Tiaras" and I even poured over the news coverage after the death of JonBenet Ramsey, but I don't really have a view one way or another on pageants. I kind of ride the fence on pageants, don't hate 'em, but not totally sold on them either. My daughter was a top 100 finalist (out of tens of thousands of entries) in the 2006 Regis and Kelly Beautiful Baby Contest, but that is the extent of our entering contests!
Photo taken by Moi, but borrowed from here.
So, since I have no personal experience with pageants, I am reaching out for opinions and thoughts. Are they worthwhile, or a big money-sucker that Mom's use to vicariously live through their children?
I think they are an awful way for over controlling mothers to live vicariously through their children. I also think that the pageants of today have become a disgusting display of adultification of our children to a level that is sickening.
I have to agree with Kidazy. Just watching some of those mothers in "Toddlers and Tiaras", it is so evident that it is what they (moms) want to do. The kids are so small, and they should just be allowed to be kids. And it looks like once you start, you only get more involved and I imagine it will be very time consuming and cost thousands and thousands of dollars. I personally do not think they are worth it. Congrats however on your daughter on Regis and Kelly - that is pretty cool!
Your daughter's name is really Mika? That's my name! I've never met another Mika. Ever. I'm so curious how you chose the name - and how you pronounce it! (Mine is mee-kuh, and my parents got it from a Canadian friend who had lived with an Eskimo tribe for a while.)
There is absoluty nothin wrong with entering you daughter in pageants (no matter what age). Just lay off some of the makeup, fake teeth, and fake hair. The pageans I were in, left me with some of my most favorite memories.
P.S. PLEASE don't become one of "those pageant moms"