America’s baby beauty queens pout and preen. Are our children following in their spangled footsteps? Jordan Baker reports on a disturbing trend.
Beneath a 15-storey fake waterfall, little girls as young as two are spray-tanned, made-up and zipped into $2000 dresses. Some carry a pile of curlers in their hair, others rehearse with their coach and one waits patiently while her father uses white-out to patch chips in her manicure. They are heavy with bows, rhinestones and sleep deprivation, but will push through. They have to – their families have paid entry fees of up to $890 and travelled from all corners of the US so they can compete for a 40-centimetre tiara.
Ever since English lasses danced around the maypole – and probably well before – girls have competed in beauty pageants. Modern contests such as Miss America or Miss Universe Australia have long been criticised for objectifying women, but in recent years, the greatest community concern has focused on flamboyant pageants for children, in which little girls as young as two are dressed as mini adults.
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Yet parents and educators worry that a culture of little girls in fake eyelashes, spray tans and skimpy costumes is being encouraged in Australian dance and acting classes, then spilling over into schools and homes.
“[Little girls] are dressing like a 17- or 18-year-old going out to a ball,” says Stephen Breen, the president of the Western Australian Primary Principals’ Association. “We’re talking about high heels, hair done up, slinky dresses. We do not allow children to be children.”
Your say: What do you think? Are beauty pageants worrying or harmless?Share your thoughts below…
The world of the American child beauty queens – already famous from television shows such as Toddlers & Tiaras – is portrayed in a new collection of portraits by Susan Anderson, who spent three years photographing children at pageants for her book High Glitz (available on Amazon.com). The book stars living dolls such as Tatum, five, from Nashville, posing in a frilly bikini with her hands on her hips, Katy, also five, of Las Vegas, who wears a twin-set and an Elizabeth Montgomery-style blow-wave, and two-year-old Savanha, also from Nashville, wearing hoop earrings, long, manicured nails and a grim expression.
Los Angeles-based Susan describes behind the scenes at US pageants as “the agony and the ecstasy”. Families arrive the night before, with the little star and her entourage of parents, siblings and pageant “coaches”. “They take place in outrageous hotels. All the girls know each other. It’s like a big party,” Susan says. “It’s also a really charged environment. They throw tantrums and get upset easily. You see kids crying – they’re disappointed, they’re sleep-deprived, their coach turns up late. You’re going to see emotions flying.”
This behaviour is being noticed at Australian dance schools. Parents tell of little girls in expensive costumes and heavy make-up, often encouraged by pushy mothers or dance teachers, who preach the razzle-dazzle of showbiz. In some classes in Sydney, five-year-olds are taught how to pose for the camera. For their birthdays, they hold pamper parties, at which children as young as four have their nails manicured, their feet massaged and their face exfoliated, while singing songs on a SingStar karaoke machine.
Eisteddfod organisers are concerned. Marie Schrader, the president of the Sunshine Coast Dance Eisteddfod, worries about the rise in extravagant costumes and inappropriate music. “They spend hundreds of dollars getting hair pieces, diamantés and extra long, glittered eyelashes. You see these great big fluttering things. You can’t actually see proper facial features. There are cases in which make-up is required, but, when you’re singing On The Good Ship Lollipop, you don’t put on huge diamantés, false eyelashes and bright red lips – it doesn’t gel.”
Your say: What do you think? Are beauty pageants worrying or harmless?Share your thoughts below…
To read more about baby beauty queens, pick up the March issue of The Australian Women’s Weekly out now with Glenn McGrath and Sara Leonardi on the cover.
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