I know I said that Mema would be the next post. And she will be. She will be the next post, about your family. However, I cannot sit idly by and not mention my absolute disgust at little kid beauty pageants.
First, the world is an evil, judgmental place for young ladies. With as much women's lib as there is in this country, the lines are still quite clearly drawn. If you are thin and pretty you are good. If you are anything else you are bad. And I gotta tell you, the world simply is not that black and white. Pretty and thin are both subjective. I am not thin compared to Brad Pitt but I am thin compared to the myriad of men jazzy scootering their way around the globe. Subjective topics cannot be used as absolute judgment. But so often the thin girl is the one who gets whatever it is that is to be got. So often it is the pretty girl who succeeds. Now, I am not saying that I believe that I will have unattractive children. I will do my best to keep both of you healthy and confident. Because it is confidence that is the key. Pretty girls are no better than anyone else. They are simply more confident than girls who have not been told that they are pretty their entire lives. The world lavishes attention at the women who everyone else says is pretty. We judge people based on how they look. That is true of everyone and everyone is guilty of not talking to someone because of their looks. But, looks are not the end all be all. My girls will be beautiful because they will be themselves. And they will be comfortable in their own skin.
Second, there is no reason a child should be entered into a beauty pageant. There is no reason a parent should feel justified in allowing their child to be viewed as a piece of meat and told they are not good enough. That the girl standing next to them is better because she takes a better photo. We need to remember that these are children we are talking about. Little kids who are going to feel bad about themselves because mommy and daddy are upset that they didn't win. What kind of message does that send to little girls? Mommy is crying because that person said someone was prettier than me. Who needs the opinions of complete strangers to validate the worth of their own children? It is sick. It is evil. It is leading to the creation of ego-maniacs and cutters. I cannot imagine many girls who take the "who gives a" attitude. These parents are telling their children that the only worth they have is in how they wear a swimsuit. And there are pageants for children starting at birth. AT BIRTH! No fucking baby anywhere is pretty. Nowhere! EVER! Babies are cute. How can we realistically judge the beauty potential of a kid who cannot even crawl? It makes my stomach turn. It makes me sad that there are people so shallow and insecure that they would subject their little girl to that. Because it won't stop at one. It never does. It is a pattern of sickness. The people who run these pageants should be psycho-analyzed to see if they "like" kids. I'm serious. It needs to stop.
Third, While the ratio of predators to incidents is low, seriously there is little chance that your kid or anyone you know who has a kid will encounter this, this is not a proper social attitude. We are saying, telling the world, that it is OK to look at kids as sex objects. There is no reason that a two year old girl should be on a stage, in a swimsuit, shaking her ass! Like a goddamn stripper. Just typing that sentence makes me want to lie down and close my eyes for awhile. I really think we should evaluate when we want to view others as objects to be attracted to. I know that two is too young.
Lastly, I have seen an episode and a half of Toddlers and Tiaras. I am not sure why TLC, a channel I respect to a certain degree, contributes this mess to society. Bridezillas and shows about grownups acting like idiots is fine. I am not one to say that a channel should censor its programming or bow to pressure from the outside. But you seriously have to consider just who is in charge of new shows. Who said, "Little girl beauty pageants, this is the show we need. This will get the ratings up." How about a show about the damage societal pressure put on everyone, male and female. And not just the fat guy getting married. Real shows about real dangers. We live in a world full of vapid, senseless people. People who imitate what they see on TV. And not just little boys who wrestle each other after watching WWE. Men and women, myself included, who ape the style or attitude or whatever from TV. Some of us are smart and know where the line is. Some of them, simply do not.
In closing, if you are on of the people who put your child in this demeaning mockery of what beauty is, stop it. For the love of Pete just quit it. Right now!
PS: If my girls want to do this type of thing they can. When they are adults and can make their own, educated choices. Until that time, not on my watch!
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