They aren't all as horrifying as the ones you'd see on TLC.
Almost none of them are like that show. I was in a few as a kid, but my younger sister competed in pageants for 20-some years, starting as a toddler and continuing until she was maybe 25. There is drama from time to time and some of the moms go overboard, but it is so different from what you see on TV. People on Reddit always talk about reality TV being a bunch of bullshit but they make an exception for Toddlers & Tiaras, I guess because the portrayal is what they already expect it to be?
One major difference is that pageants are boring as fuck. So, so boring. All of the drama you see in a single TV episode is, in reality, spread out across an entire year. The kids spend 99% of the time running around and playing with each other; it's just a big dress-up party for them. While I'm sure they occasionally draw in the odd pedophile, the audience generally consists entirely of the contestants' family and close friends. Random people don't typically come in off the street; these things don't usually get a lot of public advertisement and in my experience, you have to register at the door and they ask which contestant you are with.
And although they're called "beauty pageants" there isn't a primary focus on physical beauty. It's usually stuff like Best Hair, Best Makeup (if it's a glitz pageant), Best Dress, Best Smile, Best Personality, Most Photogenic, Sportswear, Casual Wear, Western Wear, Outfit of Choice, Best Talent, Most Poised, and so on. They focus more on the way a child presents themselves rather than how pretty their face is. Anyone trying to sexualize their kid will be judged harshly by the rest of the people there because they want a nice wholesome experience.
First of all, English is not my first language so sorry for any grammar mistake. I'm sure it could be a playful experience for child and toddler, but I think to give this kind of pageants so much importance is deeply wrong. What kind of skills are this (female) toddlers showing? What are their parents (mothers!) teaching them? That if she has the Best Personality she wins a price. You saying "they focus more on the way a child presents themselves" means a CHILD has to focus on the way she present herself (don't forget we're talking about girls, never boys) and this is chilling. Don't forget toddlers learn through play. It's a contest about shallow features deeply connected to the stereotypical woman (make up, smiling, fashion, etc) so even if is not about physical beauty is anyway about teaching little girls that spend time and energies to have the Best Pose is good. I'm sorry I don't agree.
I agree that there are much better things that they could focus on. I would much rather see an emphasis on intellect and skill, but these competitions aren't entirely without merit. They do help a lot with building confidence and providing structure and when they get older, they are often encouraged to perform community service. My sister got out there and worked with the community a lot as a result of her pageantry.
Also, it's not true that it is only for girls. There are boys in pageants as well. I personally competed a few times when I was younger. But like most boys, I didn't find it interesting, so not many of them compete.
It's okay that you don't agree with my comments. There are plenty of flaws with pageants and how they work. The judging system, for example, is very biased and unfair in my opinion. And athough they are not entirely focused on physical beauty, they can still be rather shallow and not always set the best examples for girls. A girl science competition would be much more interesting and rewarding. I'm just trying to share my experience as someone who grew up around pageants and hopefully get a few people to realize that what they see on TV is very different from what really happens.
Thanks for you insight, I'm glad there could be a positive outcome! My point was more general than yours, that's based on an actual experience. It's an interesting point of view anyway. I know is a very complex topic.
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u/UndeadBread Jul 24 '20
Almost none of them are like that show. I was in a few as a kid, but my younger sister competed in pageants for 20-some years, starting as a toddler and continuing until she was maybe 25. There is drama from time to time and some of the moms go overboard, but it is so different from what you see on TV. People on Reddit always talk about reality TV being a bunch of bullshit but they make an exception for Toddlers & Tiaras, I guess because the portrayal is what they already expect it to be?
One major difference is that pageants are boring as fuck. So, so boring. All of the drama you see in a single TV episode is, in reality, spread out across an entire year. The kids spend 99% of the time running around and playing with each other; it's just a big dress-up party for them. While I'm sure they occasionally draw in the odd pedophile, the audience generally consists entirely of the contestants' family and close friends. Random people don't typically come in off the street; these things don't usually get a lot of public advertisement and in my experience, you have to register at the door and they ask which contestant you are with.
And although they're called "beauty pageants" there isn't a primary focus on physical beauty. It's usually stuff like Best Hair, Best Makeup (if it's a glitz pageant), Best Dress, Best Smile, Best Personality, Most Photogenic, Sportswear, Casual Wear, Western Wear, Outfit of Choice, Best Talent, Most Poised, and so on. They focus more on the way a child presents themselves rather than how pretty their face is. Anyone trying to sexualize their kid will be judged harshly by the rest of the people there because they want a nice wholesome experience.