Beauty Pageants: Are They Ethical?

When many people visualize beauty pageants, they think of a parade of women participating in a senseless and superficial practice, one that values appearances above all else. However, underneath the glamorous exterior, participants have become subject to a multitude of insecurities about their appearance, and as a result, develop lifelong struggles such as eating disorders and anxiety. 

Firstly, beauty pageants are problematic because they can ignite long-lasting internal fights with oneself. Just like social media, beauty pageants shape the way young women view themselves. A study by UMass researcher Brandyn Churchill showed that 4-5% of participants thought they were overweight when they weren’t. Later, after surveying all participants, the number significantly rose to 20-30%. This percentage should not be dismissed and as a society, we should make it a priority to lift the morale of young women, not decimate it. 

Though in certain circumstances women have been uplifted by the practice, feeling that beauty pageants are a truly positive experience, this is not the case for every participant. There are still many attempts to defend beauty pageants by insisting the only intention is to instill confidence and public speaking skills. But how are young women supposed to gain confidence when the media constantly preys on them?

In 2009, the infamous television show Toddlers in Tiaras aired its first episode on TLC and to this day has been an internet sensation. The show garnered attention for dramatizing child beauty pageants putting young girls in the public eye, forcing them to compete with each other, and unleashing insecurities along the way. Their parents, especially mothers, pushed their daughters to alter their appearances for attention. In an episode that aired in 2011, a mother forced her daughter to wax her eyebrows, followed by her daughter crying in pain and her mother taking pride in her daughter’s new appearance. In addition, Honey Boo Boo, a participant, drank copious amounts of red bull and mountain dew, mixed into her signature Go-Go Juice. She also consumed extreme amounts of candy just to make her seem more energetic on stage, establishing an image for herself. 

In conclusion, though beauty pageants can boost confidence, and improve social skills, as well as sportsmanship, they can be detrimental to the emotional development of young women and girls. These effects can permanently damage their self-esteem and how they view their bodies. Thus, the concept of beauty pageants isn’t necessarily harmful, however, the execution is poor and unethical.