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[Render]

Quote

As child reality TV star Honey Boo Boo continues to capture the attention of audiences with her boisterous personality and her own show about life on the child beauty pageant circuit, a new paper published today in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry takes a critical look at the very types of pageants in which she and thousands of other children compete in America every year.
The paper, authored by Martina M. Cartwright, a registered dietician and adjunct professor in the University of Arizona's department of nutritional sciences, suggests that high-glitz child pageants, largely popularized by the TLC hit reality show "Toddlers and Tiaras" and its spin-off "Here Comes Honey Boo Boo," often have little to do with the children and much more to do with satisfying the needs of their parents. It further suggests that participation in such pageants can actually be harmful to children's health and self-esteem.
Cartwright, who attended two live tapings of "Toddlers and Tiaras" as part of her research, asserts that some pageant parents exhibit what she calls "princess by proxy," a unique form of "achievement by proxy distortion" in which adults are driven primarily by the social or financial gains earned by their child's accomplishments, regardless of risk involved for the child.
Cartwright focused specifically on the $5 billion glitz pageant industry, which was first made known to many in 1995, following the death of 5-year-old beauty queen Jon-Benet Ramsey.

http://www.eurekaler...a-pbp102612.php

[Colonel Rhuairidh]

This is perhaps the creepiest aspect of modern American culture,
and that's saying something.

[ShadowBoy86x]

i think its sick, it cant be good for the kids to think looks is how you win in life

[Lilly]

It's a reflection of modern culture that supports the notion that physical 'enhanced' beauty is the only thing important for females to achieve. IMO the negative aspects of this far outweigh the positives.

[Lilly]

ShadowBoy86x, on 29 October 2012 - 10:05 AM, said:

i think its sick, it cant be good for the kids to think looks is how you win in life

In some ways though, looks (for females) is indeed "how you win in life". It's what ones "winning" that's disturbing. Even among older people (way older people) females are judged on their physical appearance. I have a 50 something single acqaintance (friend of a friend), she's 5' 2", light blonde, petite, slender, cute. Men are enthralled by her. She's a nice person and all, but she's clingy, needy, self absorbed, not very intellectual etc. Most of her interests revolve around going shopping and her plastic surgery. However, men just adore her...not for long though. She been married 3 times but generally her relationships only last about 6 months then she onto the next guy. A disposable lifestyle...very Brave New World.

[Leave Britney alone!]

The television shows and reality stars are probably nothing like the average pageant or contestant. Many of these other real life contestants have fun.

I understand the need for most people just to bash everything and others, but that does not seem like a good or happy path to take.

The researcher should also explain that her studies sepcifically focused on the television brand of pageants. That research cannot and does not speak for all pageants. It would be as if one wanting to study the family unit they would turn to an episode of the Kardashians when most families do not operate as reality television show families do.

If it claims to speak for all child beautiy pageants then we have to include little league and every other activity where parents could possibly live vicariously through their children.

Edited by Chasingtherabbit, 29 October 2012 - 12:10 PM.

[glorybebe]

What I don't understand is how people can watch this crap on tv.  If the viewers wouldn't watch them, then the tv stations would drop them.  If you are that unhappy with your life-get a hobby!  Reality TV is eroding society IMO.

[Eldorado]

Child Beauty Pageants Are About The Parents.

This is news?

[JGirl]

if you don't watch it it won't be there for you to watch it.
while i agree that the parents need to stop living through their children, the viewing audience eats this crap up.
the more they watch the more there will be to watch, and the more outrageous it will have to be to 'top' the last show or whatever.

Edited by JGirl, 29 October 2012 - 06:29 PM.

[glorybebe]

JGirl, on 29 October 2012 - 06:28 PM, said:

if you don't watch it it won't be there for you to watch it.
while i agree that the parents need to stop living through their children, the viewing audience eats this crap up.
the more they watch the more there will be to watch, and the more outrageous it will have to be to 'top' the last show or whatever.

Exactly!  That is why I am wondering why the Hell anyone watches this crap.  I watched a move called The Condemned ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0443473/ ) with Steve  Austin in it.  I could see this happening.  People are able to watch without actually interacting, so it makes it alright.  They like to judge and add their comments and be all superior to what is happening on tv, yet they are ignoring their own lives.  It really scares me the way society is heading.

[Taun]

A friend of mine once called these shows "Pablum for the masses"... and he was right..

Originally the networks went with these shows because they cost next to nothing to produce - then the viewers reacted like mindless drones and these shows are now almost all you can find...

That and sex, sex, sex... I'm not opposed to sex and I'm not a prude - but that seems to be the only type of comedy that gets put on now... Profanity and sex are cheap laughs and cheap thrills and just show the laziness of the writers and the mindless acceptance of the viewers...

[meryt-tetisheri]

I am not for overrating the role played by 'beauty' either way, I don't think it is any indication of a person's worth, intellect, or character in a positive or negative way. It's only an 'icing on the cake', worthless on it's own, but a harmless asset when in combination with the more essential 'assets', as long as the role it plays in a person's life is not over-estimated.

These pageants however, are harmful and sometimes even sick, dressing a toddler as a Playboy bunny while her dad is dressed as Hugh Hefner is shocking! If they were about the beauty of children, why then are they all dressed up to look like shrunken adult midgets? Not only is a child's development and self-esteem at risk, but it also endangers the safety of the child by potentially attracting the attention of the wrong kind of people. Children should be children, they have only a few precious years to enjoy their childhood then they're adults for the rest of their lives.

[Hilander]

I don't like reality shows and never watch them.  I only heard of Honey Boo Boo about two months ago.  All I can say about that is the things some see as entertainment.

[Hilander]

The way they dress these little girls for the pageant I would be concerned about attracting the pedophiles.  Wonder how many of them put their childs picture on the internet for everyone to see.

[Orcseeker]

Taun, on 29 October 2012 - 07:12 PM, said:

A friend of mine once called these shows "Pablum for the masses"... and he was right..

Originally the networks went with these shows because they cost next to nothing to produce - then the viewers reacted like mindless drones and these shows are now almost all you can find...

That and sex, sex, sex... I'm not opposed to sex and I'm not a prude - but that seems to be the only type of comedy that gets put on now... Profanity and sex are cheap laughs and cheap thrills and just show the laziness of the writers and the mindless acceptance of the viewers...

Oversexualisation is extremely evident in today's society. It is quite disgraceful to see in my lifetime when I was 12, never even considered or thought of sex. Now there are 12 year olds having babies, not that it wasnt happening when I was 12 but the numbers are climbing. Also the show called "16 and pregnant" or something along those lines is almost glorifying this whole situation.

Disgusting and disgraceful.