It's not often I'm lost for words but that is how I find myself after watching a documentary this evening on US style child beauty pageants being held in Ireland, for the first time.
The main emphasis of the documentary followed the opposition the US-based organisers faced from the Irish Government and the media in holding the pageant. A number of venues pulled out of holding the contest at the last minute and there was a strong media backlash against the event and the organisers.
I will say that the actual footage of the pageant wasn't as grotesque as I thought it was going to be but it still left me with a sour taste in my mouth. Whilst most of the young girls appeared to be enjoying themselves, the same couldn't be said for some of the parents. Some of the parents were competitive in the extreme and seemed to have a win at all costs attitude. My question to those parents would have to be "Why do you feel the need to cover your daughter's beauty with make up, skimpy gaudy outfits and send them a message that one can be judged on looks?"
As I'm not a parent myself, I may not be best qualified to comment on this issue but I'm going to give my tuppence worth anyway. My idea of childhood is one of freedom and in particular freedom from society's obsession with appearance. From my own experience, once you hit puberty you are bombarded with images of the so-called body beautiful which help to reinforce, on a daily basis, negative self image. I know how it feels to detest the image staring back at you from the mirror because it isn't "perfect" like the cover girls in magazines. I also know how it feels to struggle with these issues every day and make it your daily mission to avoid the mirror at all costs. It took me a long time to finally deal with these issues, have the pleasure of conquering them and accepting the person, in the mirror, as a beautiful friend.
So to see these parents parading that idea of beauty, artificial not natural, and being judged on looks seems twisted and very wrong. Watching that documentary has made me speechless but also raging with anger.
Maybe the children are enjoying themselves and who am I to judge other people and what they do. But I can't help but think that these children are being given an idea that beauty is something that you are judged on and some are better than others because they are prettier.
Am I being overly sensitive to this issue or do you agree that all children are beautiful and should be allowed to have a childhood free of judgement?
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