What Pageants Teach Children

                                                                       

            When it comes to beauty pageants there are many different sides. Good sides, bad sides, and even the ‘I wish I were pretty enough to be a pageant girl’ sides. But when it comes to child pageants, a.k.a. flaunting around little kids dressed in bikinis on a stage in front of judges, there really aren’t many good sides at all.

            Sometimes, pageant children, of all ages, learn lessons from pageants that could help them later. Author and retired pageant queen Jennifer Trujillo writes that the children can learn “many valuable lessons.” And that “Learning to be articulate, to be confident, and developing a thick skin” can help them out later in life (Trujjilo). What they leave out is the fact that sometimes, the children lose, if that happens, they just might LOSE self-esteem, and as writer Helen Malmsio says, “take it personally”. They feel like they are ugly and unattractive, and as though nobody will like them because they aren't perfect.

            It also takes a lot of time to get ready for a pageant, and although pageants can teach children how to talk and act with others, they have to spend time and money practicing their dances and twirls, and smiles, and even their flirting, causing them to be inside doing their routines instead of being outside and playing with friends or going and hanging out with peers.

            Pageants may also put the children in danger. Many children that lose self esteem when it comes to how they look can get eating disorders such as anorexia because they don’t think they will ever be good enough (Reed). Trujillo herself found “some true unhappiness manifest itself in destructive behavior, including eating disorders.”

            But it’s hard to ignore the fact of just how many pageants there are and how many people are in them every day. Not only are they in almost every state, but these days they are also on TV! Many, many people have watched TLC’s Toddlers in Tiaras and it’s pretty clear that they target the worst children there. The brats that are mean, rude, and bossy. Now although this can be far from reality, and sometimes they challenge the children to do their best, many children, mostly pageant children, DO boss their parents around just like on the hit show (Day).

This would most likely be because of the fact that the parents let them.

            Most children love having the spotlight on them, they like the feeling of being told they did wonderful and they are pretty. They become adapted to the spoiled life of a star, and they won’t have it any other way, even if it means bossing their own mother around. The parents themselves can sometimes be the greatest problem, they don’t want their precious little angels to drop out of winning them money, so the parents let their children boss them around, as long as the pageants continue. This put together can cause bossy, arrogant children.

            But perhaps the worst lesson the children can learn is that what matters is what’s on the outside. They think that the only way to get through life is to look good. It can get to the point of losing everything just to look acceptable, or at least their version of acceptable, having a negative effect on their life. When children apply for jobs, it might help to look fashionable and trendy, but unless their applying for a job at McDonalds, the boss will probably also look for more things, such as personality, and spirit, and brains. Of course, after being told all her life that beauty is the key to life, the children might not have thought that those things mattered.

Pageants can be fun, if the children want to and if not taken too far, but if they are, they can ruin the life of the children. Because those children will grow up to be tomorrow’s adults, NOT a couple Barbie’s on a shelf. Many just need to remember that.

                                                  Work Sited

Day, Elizabeth. “Living dolls: Inside the world of child beauty pageants”.

            www.Guardian.co.uk web. Feb 14, 2012.

Malmsio, Helen. “Child Beauty Pageants pros and cons”. www.squidoo.com web. Feb 9,         2012.

Reed, Billy. Child beauty pageants should be eliminated. Detroit: Noël Merino. Print.

Trujillo, Jennifer. Teen beauty pageants teach teens many valuable life lessons. Detroit:   Noël Merino. Print.

Are Child Beauty Pageants Benaficial For the Children that Compete in them?


Article #1

In her article, “Living Dolls,” Elizabeth Days informs parents and children about the ups and downs of child beauty pageants. In this article, Days refrains from sharing a viewpoint, remains neutral, adn does not show any bias. She presents information from both sides of the debate and shows both opinions. since this article is informing about both sides, there is no need for conflicting evidence. in the article, it shows both sides as if it was comparing them. first it shows the good of pageants, then the bad, then good, then bad again. For those reasons, this article is compare and contrast. There is some connotation, but there is both good and bad words, such as confident, which sound good and exploitive, which sound bad, but they even each other, so that her bias doesn't show. The article clearly shows the writer (Elizabeth Days) and highlights it so you can click on her name and read about her. Another thing is that it has quite a few quotes and interviews. All of these are why it is a pretty reliable source.


Article #2

In its article, “Children's Beauty Pageants: Innocence in Evening Gowns,” the Orlando Sentinel informs parents about the good qualities of child beauty pageants. In this article, the Orlando Sentinel's viewpoint is that child beauty pageants can be harmless and fun, and long as parents don't over do them (the pageants). It presents information from mostly the good sides, with only few bad facts and opinions (conflicting evidence). The bad opinions and conflicting evidence that are there are only to prove that it is a bad idea to overdo the pageants. in the article, it compares both the good and bad causalities of pageants. it says why its bad, then changes to why its good. For those reasons, this article is ALSO compare and contrast. There is some connotation, with both good and some bad words, but the good word and connotation greatly overdoes the bad connotation, like when the writer says disturbance and good old American upward mobility. disturbance isn't that bad a word, but good old american upward mobility sounds much better. The article does not show the exact writer, only the place where the writer works (Orlando Sentinel), making it only a little reliable. Another thing is that it has many advertisements all over the screen, making it look messy and unorganized. All of these are why it is a pretty unreliable source, but its still ok.


Article #3

In her article, “Pageant Parents Set Ugly Example,” Karen Brooks persuades parents to stop entering their children in child beauty pageants. Brooks’ view point is that pageants are bad for children, teach kids the wrong message, and can be dangerous for the kids health, which is easy to tell when she says "Claiming, let alone believing, an arena where very young children are primped like mini-adults and pitted against each other in a bid to decide who's the prettiest is good for confidence or self-esteem, is to dwell in a fool's paradise.". It presents information from only the bad sides, with no good facts and opinions (conflicting evidence). In the article, it describes what the pageants are like, leaving out the good things about it. For this reason, this articles description. the article also uses logic, so it has to be logos. There is bad connotation only, like when she says Claiming and when she says that pageants "reveal the ugly side of parenting," which sound very bad and rude. The article shows the exact writer, and the place where the writer works , making it a little reliable. Another thing is that it allows you to comment on what you think of the story and let her read them. All of these are why it is a pretty reliable source.

Book to Movie Plan - Farewell to Manzanar by Jeanne Wakatsuki

The goal of our group was to formulate a movie plan based on our book.
The author's viewpoint statement is as follows:
The author's viewpoint of Farewell to Manzanar is that the internment of the Japanese people in America was not only wrong, unjust and unconstitutional, but it scarred the Japanese families and practically tore apart their sense of normality and acceptance in the country. I know this because of the certain moments the author captured in her book, such as the break down of her family and her fathers madness, along with the self conscious thoughts she had once she was released from the internment. The author argues opposing arguments by saying the government tried to rationalize the internment and make it seem like the Japanese didn't care and weren't affected by it when they actually were.

Casting:
-Sara ****(name restricted for safety) as Jeanne because she has experience with repressed roles in plays.
-Sara would be directed to act innocent byut also insightful and determined to fit in
-Dakota Fanning as Radine because she has experience with self absorbed, confident roles
-Dakota would be directed to act very self confident and radiant, and kind but weary of Jeanne's race
-Jackie Chan as Jeanne's father because he has experience with beign a parental figure and showing aggression
-Jack would be directed to act distant from his family, half crazy, aggresive and short tempered.

Sound/Music:
-Sad music when Jeanne's father is taken from their home
-Suspenceful music when the family is entering camp
-Good, happy music when the family leaves camp
-Silence when father is raging and hitting Jeanne's mom/when he is yelling/acting crazy
-Lonely music when Jeanne is watching Radine be so successful
-Scary music when the army comes to take Jeanne's father from their home

Set/Costumes:
-Film the movie at the old Manzanar site or somewhere near it
-The actors/actresses should wear hand-me-downs and "recycled" clothing
-In the background there should be little barracks, the blocks that the barracks were on and the bordering fence in the distance.
-When the father is taken from home, the camera work should be fast and the points of view should switch rapidly.
-When the family is entering the camp, the camera should to close ups of their faces showing the fear and worry the actors/actresses are expressing

General Directing/Editting:
-Lots of screen time spent on the father going crazy and yelling and drinking
-Less screen time spent on Woody's optimism
-Transition between scenes with the number of days they've been in the camp
-Spend more screen time on Jeanne's inner thoughts about self consciousness after they are released from camp
-Lots of screen time on Jeanne's family falling apart.
-Show the family once their out of the camp and they're having a really hard time fitting back in to society.