Most people would consider beauty contests beneficial to the female image, when in fact, I strongly believe that these competitions have an adverse effect. Beauty pageants put woman under the assumption that beauty is on the outside only and not within. These assumptions can have long term affects on woman and cause them to undergo surgery or begin rigorous dieting.


Many would say winning a beauty pageant is based off of skill, yet the judging is based solely on appearance. What has our society come to? This should not be the message that we want to portray to others on our thoughts of beauty.


As stated in the journal entry from The Australian: "Body image is the No 1 problem of young girls. So these children [in pageants] are absolutely being put in harm's way, and we can't just watch a train wreck about to happen. And it's cruel to judge little girls on their appearance. To say to a young girl, no, you're not pretty enough. So we're setting them up for plastic surgery and Botox injections and as a society, we must not sit by and let that happen." This is ridiculous because we are starting a trend at a young age. Beauty pageants promote the idea that the body image is what is most important. This not only is impossible for most woman, but lowers female's self esteem quite substantially. To reach this image, can cause woman to engage in unhealthy activities and procedures. 


Reflection Questions:


Why are beauty pageants judged solely on looks?


Is botox and plastic surgery necessary for children in beauty pageants?


Citation: 


Overington, Caroline. "Ugly Truth About Beauty Pageants." Australian (Canberra). 02 Aug 2011: 13. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 19 Feb 2012.