and the winner is...!

Well, this comes to the end of the pageant... blog. It's been great fun writing an actual blog, well just a little fun. I did not know much about beauty pageant or about sexual exploitation of children in the media; just basic facts but know I do know a little more. The goal of this blog was to educate the population of sexual exploitation of children in the media. In the end, I think I have discussed more about child beauty pageants than sexual exploitation of children in the media. Oh well, at least I stuck to the subject. Through out the past few weeks we have explored many topics ranging from the TLC television series Toddlers and Tiaras all the way to a beauty pageant embracing plastic surgery. We have seen the necessities to participate in a beauty pageant, with a possible prize of only $1000! Furthermore, I have analyzed the negative side of beauty pageants; this side of the debate is very popular. While many participants will argue that there are benefits of participating in pageants. I guess it is for you, the reader, to decide what your view on beauty pageants is. In my opinion, I think beauty pageants would be a fun hobby. Participating in a few every so often but with some changes made. By changes I mean modifying the rules and regulations. No makeup, not tanning, no flippers. NOTHING. All, all, all natural. No “glitzy” dresses either replace those with nice spring, casual dresses.  Just make the pageant fun without any glitz. I hope this thought will become reality one day but to be realistic I do not think it will. In the end, pageants will either become more extravagant or illegal. Moving on to sexual exploitation of children, I really do hope this will end, soon! Children need to be children and should not be targeted of abuse of any sort. All in all, we have taken in depth look of the world of beauty pageants in the couple of months. I hope you enjoyed reading my posts!  

miss plastic hungary beauty contest

Winners of the Miss Plastic Hungary beauty pageant, queen Reka Urban, center, first runner-up Edina Kulcsar, right, and second-runner up Alexandra Horvath, left, smile together after the contest in Budapest, Hungary, Friday, Oct. 9.

In most beauty pageants having plastic surgery usually results in a disqualification but in this pageant, plastic surgery is a requirement; botox or collagen injections do not count. Budapest, Hungary, 2009, a night for unnatural beauties, the first beauty pageant to acknowledge plastic surgery, it ''strove to promote the benefits of plastic surgery in a country where artificial enhancements are viewed mostly with a wary eye.'' Obviously this all means the pageant is only for contestant that received a surgical procedure. '' "The entry requirement," says Reka Bodis, press director of the pageant, "is a surgical procedure done under general or local anesthesia." '' Surgery that is eligible and was showed off included breast implants, nose jobs and face lifts. One finalist had surgically adjested toes. The beauty pageants was eliglibe for 18-30 and the contestants over 30 had a seperarte category, ‘‘dame’’. They, also,  had to prove they went under the knife. Contesntants included were a former rhythmic gymnast, a firefighter married to a police officer, a mother of three and several strippers.

Pageant queen Reka Urban, a 22-year-old hostess, won an apartment in Budapest, first runner-up Edina Kulcsar was given a new car and second runner-up Alexandra Horvath took home diamond jewelry worth $10,800. The winners' plastic surgeons also received awards.

 Despite the  country's crisis-ravaged economy, plastic surgery has been booming.  A surgeon explained that even if one does not have money, they will find the money if the surgery is important. He is qutoed saying that plastic is is about restoring harmony; eliminating asymmetries and giving the women the opportunity to have normal features.

 

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/33246499/ns/today-style/t/miss-plastic-hungary-promotes-enhanced-gals/

http://www.tressugar.com/Last-Miss-Plastic-Hungary-Beauty-Contest-3602578

http://www.newser.com/story/71381/hungary-holds-miss-plastic-pageant.html

the good side of beauty pageants

Since this post I've been talking about negative aspects, I am going to switch things up today and discuss the "pros" of beauty pageants. I found an article online outlining the good and the bad of a beauty pageant but I am going to select a few points from the good and present them to you. These points are not opinions of my own, they are points that I have found from others.

1. Beauty pageants teach kids to be their very best. The promoters of Australia's first Universal Royalty Beauty Pageant defended the practice saying that it taught the lesson of "striving to be your very best."
2. Beauty contests can boost a child's self-esteem. The most cited reason parents give for putting their children into beauty pageants is to boost their child’s self-esteem, as well as teach poise, public speaking skills, tact, and confidence.

"She learns skills such as going out in a crowd, not to be shy, and to be herself while people are watching and focusing on her," one mother noted.

3. Child beauty pageants judge whole person. Some of the criteria considered in judging a pageant are writing skills, interviews, personality, looks, confidence and talent, depending on the specific competition.


4. Child beauty contests teaches there will always be somebody better. Another child beauty contest mother noted: "I want my child to be aware that there’s always going to be somebody better than her. It’s a hard thing to learn – it was for me – and I want her to start early."

As I was reading this article I was shocked to read point 3 & 4. "Child beauty pageants judge whole person." Oddly enough, most of the examples they enumerated was exterior aspects. Writing skills... Looks... Talent... all exterior aspects of a person! You could even included writing skills and confidence. With that said child beauty pageants are not "judg[ing] [the] whole person" just the exterior looks of the person. This point can actually be used in the negative aspects of beauty pageants. Of what I can think of right now there is no way to judge someone from what is "inside" in a beauty pageant... considering right in the name it says beauty and beauty is, usually, associated with exteriors looks in this society.

Now point 4... "I want my child to be aware that there’s always going to be somebody better than her." What is this?! No one is ever ever ever better than someone else! Okay, maybe person A is better in soccer than person B but person B can be better in volleyball than person A which as a result balances it out. Therefore, maybe some one is better than you in one thing but that does not mean that they are better than you in general. Seriously. Now one is better than another human. Period.

http://debatepedia.idebate.org/en/index.php/Debate:_Child_beauty_pageants

beauty pageants and figure skating

This weekend I had a skating competition, as I was getting ready a thought came to my mind. Skating competitions are very similar to beauty pageants. For this reasons, today’s post is to discuss aspects of beauty pageants in other extra-circular activities, more so figure skating. I’m not trying to say that figure skating is bad and we should stop doing it all together, I am just pointing out the similarities of beauty competitions with figure skating competitions.We all know about the fake hair, and teeth, the wigs, pounds upon pounds of makeup and tanning all just to impress the judges. Like beauty pageants at figure skating competitions your goal is not only to complete your elements but also make yourself remember able. Maybe not to the extent of beauty pageants but there is plenty of makeup put on, on girls of all ages. Yes, even young girls put make up on. This is done to make you more presentable. Now about the hair, I haven’t seen anyone with fake hair, unless they are good at disguising it, but this is because your hair should be pulled back tight and out of your face.

Additionally, beauty pageants usually included three sections: beauty, talent and outfit of choice. As far as I am educated with figure skating there are two sections: free skate and interpretive. We can compare free skate and talent together. In both sections you are demonstrating your talent to the judges to be judged based on your performance and whether they like you or not. Similarly, interpretive and outfit of choice is pretty similar. You are able to choose what ever you would like to present, pretty much, your music and costume. It can be compared to a dance routine.

I don’t know how many people actually put the comparison together; it isn’t actually that big of a comparison. I know for a fact that skating can get away with this because figure skating isn’t about the beauty it’s more about the impressing the judges and completing your elements. Well, pageants are obviously all about the beauty.     

The Olsen Twins

Maybe some of you know who they are... maybe some of you don't. Either way I am going to talk about them today. More specifically Mary Kate. In 1987, the twins started their acting careers on the television series Full House. They were hired at the age of six months and filming began when they were nine months old. The show was widely popular during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Mary-Kate Olsen has been in the public eye since practically since birth. Beginning with Full House followed by They starred in the video series The Adventures of Mary-Kate & Ashley, the ABC show Two of a Kind, and ABC Family's So Little Time. Okay, enough background information. Let's talk about Mary-Kate's health issues. 
"Mary-Kate Olsen seeks treatment for eating disorder." In mid-2004 Mary-Kate entered an treatment centre for an eating disorder at Cirque Lodge in Sundance, Utah. The eating disorder was anorexia nervosa. Now you are probably wondering why I am talking about this subject, let me explain. It is just to demonstrate that figures in the public eye are not a healthy weight. 

"Western society has placed demands on women to stay thin," says Jeanne Rust, executive director of Mirasol, an eating disorder clinic in Tucson. The pressure is even more intense in Hollywood.

This generation is trying so hard to transform their figure to attain the body of a celebrity yet the celebrities are not even healthy. Some girls and boys look up to these celebrities, the celebrities should be a role-model for people all around the world because girls see their role-model super-skinny they assume that it’s all right and they will mimic the celebrities’ action even if it is wrong.

Celebrities are making themselves sick because we as the public put a lot of pressure on the celebrities demanding (a little exaggeration but I couldn't think of another word)  them to be perfect. 
A side note, she not only has been diagnosed with anorexia, she has now recovered, but urged by her family to see Austrian psychiatrist, Ernst Lueger, she was treated for acute depression. Now I am not saying that it's because of the pressure of Hollywood but in my opinion it is. In Hollywood, like I mentioned before, you have a lot of pressure. These celebrities are constantly in the public eye and are being watched with their every move. You are pressured to be perfect and it does take a toll on the celebrities mental state. 

She (Mary-Kate) has said in several recent interviews that she owes her much improved mental health to Dr. Lueger’s expertise.   

"I didn't think I was fat. I just thought I didn't need to gain any weight. But I would drop weight and then I would be comfortable with that number. Then I would lose more weight and that would become my new number." -Tracey Gold

    
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary-Kate_and_Ashley_Olsen#Personal_lives
http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2004-06-22-olsen-treatment_x.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary-Kate_Olsen#cite_note-34
http://www.rateadrug.com/Slide-Famous-People-with-depression--mary-kate-olsen.aspx