Investigative Essay

Fake eyelashes, big hair, children crying, extravagant dresses, make-up, spray tans, dance moves, and tiaras are nothing out of the ordinary for child beauty pageant shows. Many people believe that child pageant shows may be “pushing the limits” with what content is allowed. Others argue that the children are just having fun and a pageant show is just like any other sport. Then there are the people who don’t really know much about pageants, they’ve seen the show Toddlers and Tiaras and believe the show encases what all pageant shows are like. Although child pageant shows have some of the same characteristics as they used to, the shows have evolved throughout time. Child beauty pageants today consist of many different key factors that are unknown to many. Beauty pageant shows contain both genders with the ages all across the margin. Pageant shows mainly consist of girls, but boys are permitted to enter the shows as well. The ages range from about six months to up to 16 or 17 years of age. Children such as infants, who are unable to do certain activities on their own, have parents who accompany them on stage. After the contestants reach their high teens, they usually will sign with modeling agencies and end their pageant show career. In many cases, the money spent on beauty pageant shows can lead up to the thousands. According to Heather Rutherford, eHow Contributor, “Entry fees range from $5 to a couple thousand dollars depending on the event.” Then on top of the entry fee, two or three dresses and outfits for each portion of a pageant show can cost thousands of dollars. Plus the manicure and pedicure, the spray tan, payouts to a hairdresser, the make-up, all of the accessories, gas money to and from the pageant, and hotel rooms make the price for one beauty pageant even higher. To enter a beauty pageant show, one must complete a registration form. Heather Rutherford, eHow Contributor states, “Most registrations can be completed by phone, mail or via the Internet. Occasionally, all registrations will take place on scene.” Most pageant shows require a fee to register. This fee depends on the type of pageant one is signing up for. The fee can go into the winnings for the child who gets the best ranking, or it can go to cover awards and trophies or decorations. Although all beauty pageant shows are different, each show has nearly the same set up. The first thing for many contestants is the pre-event. This includes any learning of choreography to songs or other materials that the participants are going to be involved in during the talent portion. During this time, contestants can also get interviewed by judges and perform their talents to let the judges get a side of the performer’s talents and personality. The next part of a beauty pageant is the event. This is where participants will arrange themselves on stage. The contestants present themselves to the judges by giving background information like their hometown or their age. This part of the show also consists of a talent, swimsuit, evening gown, and/or a sports portion. After this, performers are also expected to undertake an interview with the judges. During each section of the show, the judges will note and critique the contestant on their ability to perform and answer the questions. Contestants are also judged and given points by the different segments of the show. The judges will give a higher amount of points to the performers who executed the job the best. Once all the points are added up, the judges give awards. In most beauty contests, awards are not just first, second, and third places. Some common awards in pageants are “most talented, best outfit, best smile, best personality, congeniality, winner of category, winner of group and winner overall” according to Heather Rutherford, eHow Contributor. In many smaller pageants with contestants under the age of 18, awards are given for participation as well. Different types of awards are given for the type

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