Beauty pageants became part of United States culture in the 1920s and beauty pageants for children became popular in the 1960s. Pageants for both children and adults are big business. Statistics estimates there are approximately 5,000 child beauty pageants every year with about 250,000 children participating. Weathering the Jon Bonet tragedy, child pageant reality television shows, new born babies as well as more boys competing, pageantry for children is here to stay. To some, beauty pageants are a place to bully or be bullied but for others beauty pageants are a safe haven.
Studies show that beauty pageant contestants are often bullied prior to competing. They often seek beauty competitions as a way to improve self-esteem. Bullying studies show that bully victims often do not have friends, feel lonely, and have low self-confidence.
Attempting suicide five times after being bullied, a young teen underwent a sex change operation. She credits her mother for supporting her through the hormone treatments. Also, competing in beauty pageants was contributed to improving her self assurance.
Another student was teased and bullied because of acne. The bullies even made up a name for her, “dart board” making attending school a grueling experience. However, despite the bullying the teenager is now in college and using beauty pageants to boost confidence. After receiving treatment from her doctor she competed in the local pageant and won. The bullies cannot stop her now. She is moving on to the Regional Pageant and is now excited about the possibilities of winning a title.
In some cases, it is not a child but the parent who sets the tone for bullying. After hearing her mother ridicule a three-year-old pageant contestant, the five-year-old beauty queen used that information to bully the younger girl. The three-year-old followed her older sister into pageants. The older sister had been bullied because she was chubby. The bullying resulted in four broken bones in the teen’s nose and throughout her eye sockets. A therapist recommended that she participate in beauty pageants to rebuild her self-confidence. She followed the therapist’s advice, competed in a pageant and won the first pageant. This positive experience caused her to feel that pageants saved her life.
Another young beauty suffered terribly from the teasing she received from bullies because of her Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of autism. The 18-year-old reveals being tormented by girls in her school because she could not connect and relate due to her condition. In addition, her beauty caused jealous reactions from classmates. Now she is proving to the bullies she can do what she wants and that is competing in beauty pageants.
Some child beauty queens who had been bullied are using their crowns and banners to fight against bullying. A 15-year-old pageant winner wants to take her anti-bullying campaign on to competing in the Miss America Pageant when she reaches the age of seventeen. One eighth grade student was bullied by her classmates at school after she won a beauty pageant. She is now speaking out and letting others know that there is help for victims of bullying and they are not alone. Former America’s Perfect Teen reveals that she too was bullied so badly that she didn’t want to go to school. She says that participating in pageants gave her the courage to stand up to those who picked on her. Pageants gave her so much confidence she states, “I always think if you can stand on stage in front of hundreds of people, then I can stand up to the bullies being horrible to me."
To learn more about beauty pageants and bullies click on the links below:
http://parenttrend.com/217/beauty-pageants-for-kids-what-do-you-think/
http://brightsidenews.us/2012/01/15/teen-overcomes-bullying-to-enter-beauty-pageant/
http://www.spotlightnews.com/news/2011/jul/12/beauty-queen-uses-crown-to-battle-bullying/
http://tweenparenting.about.com/od/socialdevelopment/a/Effects-of-Bullying.htm
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