persuasive essay on beauty pageants

Beauty Pageants for Children: Persuasive Speech Essay

Introduction, effects of beauty pageants on children.

Children Beauty Pageant is the outdoor entertainment of children in elaborate and colorful attires that focuses on the ranking of the contestants based on their physical appearance and their genuine ability to respond to the judges’ questions. Children under sixteen years participate in these talent interviews, casual wear, and sportswear competitions (Whitney 455). However, parents may encourage their children to participate in the beauty pageant competition, but it has adverse side effects on their bodies and emotional behaviors. The beauty pageant has both long-term and short-term health effects that result in children’s eating behaviors. Parents have little expectations of their children’s disorder because they assume that their children will grow up to be models and future entertainers.

Therefore, the beauty pageants industry has flourished, luring many children to the industry because of their impressionable minds. Moreover, more than five million participants take part in the beauty pageants competition, including children. Most children enter the beauty pageant industry because of their parents’ choices and blessings to push them to join the industry (Lenert). This is why parents have inadequate expectations of the severe effects of beauty pageants on their children. Hence, there should be immense enforcement of the illegalizing policy of beauty pageants among children. This should be done to save our children from the effects of general body disorders, emotional problems, and image distortions. Most parents push their children in the pageant beauty industry to get money upon their children’s participation without assessing the harmful effects of the actions.

Parents should take good care of their children by protecting them from indulging in beauty pageants competitions. This will only be achieved by making it illegal for the children to participate in the contests. Children are subjected to immense effects from pageant competitions. Therefore, children’s policy participation in the beauty pageants should be enacted and reinforced; thus, warning children from participating in the competitions. The effects are discussed below;

Participation of children in the beauty pageants competition leads to their body image distortions. It is because young children’s involvement in the pageants focuses on attractiveness, cuteness, and perceived attire. Most of the children participants grow thinner due to losing weight to suit in the beauty industry (Farrales 50). Moreover, the current report shows that more than half the participants have maintained their smaller weight to fit in the thin costumes and win crowns and prizes. The instances of parents subjecting their young children to the use of makeup and spray tans increase the sociological femininity of their children but destroy the outward appearance of their children. However, smoking fake cigarettes, putting on fake breasts influence the children’s physical appearance amidst entertaining a group of people for prizes.

In the above picture, the child has a distorted body image by applying makeup and spray tans, dressing of prostitute outfits, and poor body image. The photo shows how beauty pageant is dangerous to young children through hair extensions, fake eyelashes, fake teeth, spray tan among others. Children’s pageant leads to eating disorders among them since children are advised to eat to a specific limit to remain pretty and attractive to the audience. Following the above effect, the pageants develop severe disorders such as anorexia nervosa. Pageant children feed on crash diets, reducing their weights, thus reducing their appetite for other food substances. It destroys their eating habits on the verge of attracting and winning people during their beauty pageant competition. Moreover, about 6% of the children participating in beauty competitions develop depression issues. Furthermore, eating disorders lead to Princess Syndrome, which is the general thinness of the body and beautifulness of the participants. These are some of the behaviors related to body dissatisfaction and eating disorders.

Nevertheless, intense participation in beauty pageant competitions has long-term effects on the pageant children. It will have a drastic impact on their health status due to poor eating habits when they were still young. The eating disorders will affect children in the future due to body image distress. The reports state that more than 50% of beauty queens aged 11-16 years consider cosmetic surgery to increase their beauty and attractiveness. Furthermore, 6years to 10 years girls undergo hunger strikes to maintain their thinner shapes, thus showing greater body dissatisfaction. Eating disorders lead to depressions, lower self-esteem of the pageant contestants, and dissatisfaction, which hounds them to adulthood.

Due to inadequate parent expectations of their children pageant, children are emotionally disturbed through depression, stress, and anxiety. Since most of the children participating in the pageant competitions have the desire to win at all costs, their failure leads to depression and stress. Furthermore, children also have more zeal and the anxiety of winning as they participate in those competitions. Most children focus their attention on modeling, hence becoming addicted to beauty pageants without assessing their drawbacks.

These competitions are toxic and misleading to women since it requires ladies to be thin, tall, beautiful and attractive to compete with others. This lowers the self-esteem of other contestants who have distorted body images and induces a lot of pressure. Consequently, lady queens are compelled to put on scary attires on the verge of winning money and crowns (McDade-Montez et al.10). This lowers the dignity of the children, and they become physically and emotionally unhealthy because they have reduced their self-esteem in the beauty pageant competitions.

Children’s beauty pageants increase their tendency to be viewed as sex objects and enhance hyper-sexualization among children. This leads to early and premature sexual activities among children who participate in beauty pageant competitions. Through hypersexualization, young children are exposed to mature sexual tools and pictures on social media platforms, leading to their over-sexualization (Biefeld et al. 10). Hypersexualisation is attributed to children’s anxiety, eating disorders, and depression, among other sexual character practices.

In a nutshell, it is prudent to state that children’s rights should be respected to the highest level by banning their participation in beauty pageant competitions. Therefore, parents should also be vigilant and careful about the well-being of their children. Hence, from the above effects of the beauty pageants, it’s clear that children under eighteen years are most vulnerable to beauty competitions which lower their self-esteem, cause depression, stress, anxiety, eating disorders, and distort their body images. “Ban Child Pageant” policy should be enforced, and parents subjecting their children to the same to be arrested for breaking the law.

Biefeld, Sharla D., et al. “Sexy, Thin, and White: The Intersection of Sexualization, Body Type, and Race on Stereotypes about Women.” Sex Roles, 2021, pp. 1-14.

Farrales, May. “Repurposing beauty pageants: The colonial geographies of Filipina pageants in Canada.” Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, vol 37, no. 1, 2019, pp. 46-64.

Lenert, Taryn. “Pretty Baby: The Conundrum of Child Beauty Pageants.” (2018).

McDade-Montez, Elizabeth, et al. “Sexualization in US Latina and White girls’ preferred children’s television programs.” Sex Roles, vol 77, no. 1, 2017, pp. 1-15.

Whitney, Jennifer Dawn. “Working Girls: Economies of Desire in the American Child Beauty Pageant.” The Journal of the History of Childhood and Youth, v ol 12, no. 3, 2019, pp. 452-470.

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Essays About Beauty: Top 5 Examples and 10 Prompts

Writing essays about beauty is complicated because of this topic’s breadth. See our examples and prompts to you write your next essay.

Beauty is short for beautiful and refers to the features that make something pleasant to look at. This includes landscapes like mountain ranges and plains, natural phenomena like sunsets and aurora borealis, and art pieces such as paintings and sculptures. However, beauty is commonly attached to an individual’s appearance,  fashion, or cosmetics style, which appeals to aesthetical concepts. Because people’s views and ideas about beauty constantly change , there are always new things to know and talk about.

Below are five great essays that define beauty differently. Consider these examples as inspiration to come up with a topic to write about.

1. Essay On Beauty – Promise Of Happiness By Shivi Rawat

2. defining beauty by wilbert houston, 3. long essay on beauty definition by prasanna, 4. creative writing: beauty essay by writer jill, 5. modern idea of beauty by anonymous on papersowl, 1. what is beauty: an argumentative essay, 2. the beauty around us, 3. children and beauty pageants, 4. beauty and social media, 5. beauty products and treatments: pros and cons, 6. men and makeup, 7. beauty and botched cosmetic surgeries, 8. is beauty a necessity, 9. physical and inner beauty, 10. review of books or films about beauty.

“In short, appreciation of beauty is a key factor in the achievement of happiness, adds a zest to living positively and makes the earth a more cheerful place to live in.”

Rawat defines beauty through the words of famous authors, ancient sayings, and historical personalities. He believes that beauty depends on the one who perceives it. What others perceive as beautiful may be different for others. Rawat adds that beauty makes people excited about being alive.

“No one’s definition of beauty is wrong. However, it does exist and can be seen with the eyes and felt with the heart.”

Check out these essays about best friends .

Houston’s essay starts with the author pointing out that some people see beauty and think it’s unattainable and non-existent. Next, he considers how beauty’s definition is ever-changing and versatile. In the next section of his piece, he discusses individuals’ varying opinions on the two forms of beauty: outer and inner. 

At the end of the essay, the author admits that beauty has no exact definition, and people don’t see it the same way. However, he argues that one’s feelings matter regarding discerning beauty. Therefore, no matter what definition you believe in, no one has the right to say you’re wrong if you think and feel beautiful.

“The characteristic held by the objects which are termed “beautiful” must give pleasure to the ones perceiving it. Since pleasure and satisfaction are two very subjective concepts, beauty has one of the vaguest definitions.”

Instead of providing different definitions, Prasanna focuses on how the concept of beauty has changed over time. She further delves into other beauty requirements to show how they evolved. In our current day, she explains that many defy beauty standards, and thinking “everyone is beautiful” is now the new norm.

“…beauty has stolen the eye of today’s youth. Gone are the days where a person’s inner beauty accounted for so much more then his/her outer beauty.”

This short essay discusses how people’s perception of beauty today heavily relies on physical appearance rather than inner beauty. However, Jill believes that beauty is all about acceptance. Sadly, this notion is unpopular because nowadays, something or someone’s beauty depends on how many people agree with its pleasant outer appearance. In the end, she urges people to stop looking at the false beauty seen in magazines and take a deeper look at what true beauty is.

“The modern idea of beauty is taking a sole purpose in everyday life. Achieving beautiful is not surgically fixing yourself to be beautiful, and tattoos may have a strong meaning behind them that makes them beautiful.”

Beauty in modern times has two sides: physical appearance and personality. The author also defines beauty by using famous statements like “a woman’s beauty is seen in her eyes because that’s the door to her heart where love resides” by Audrey Hepburn. The author also tackles the issue of how physical appearance can be the reason for bullying, cosmetic surgeries, and tattoos as a way for people to express their feelings.

Looking for more? Check out these essays about fashion .

10 Helpful Prompts To Use in Writing Essays About Beauty

If you’re still struggling to know where to start, here are ten exciting and easy prompts for your essay writing:

While defining beauty is not easy, it’s a common essay topic. First, share what you think beauty means. Then, explore and gather ideas and facts about the subject and convince your readers by providing evidence to support your argument.

If you’re unfamiliar with this essay type, see our guide on how to write an argumentative essay .

Beauty doesn’t have to be grand. For this prompt, center your essay on small beautiful things everyone can relate to. They can be tangible such as birds singing or flowers lining the street. They can also be the beauty of life itself. Finally, add why you think these things manifest beauty.

Little girls and boys participating in beauty pageants or modeling contests aren’t unusual. But should it be common? Is it beneficial for a child to participate in these competitions and be exposed to cosmetic products or procedures at a young age? Use this prompt to share your opinion about the issue and list the pros and cons of child beauty pageants.

Today, social media is the principal dictator of beauty standards. This prompt lets you discuss the unrealistic beauty and body shape promoted by brands and influencers on social networking sites. Next, explain these unrealistic beauty standards and how they are normalized. Finally, include their effects on children and teens.

Countless beauty products and treatments crowd the market today. What products do you use and why? Do you think these products’ marketing is deceitful? Are they selling the idea of beauty no one can attain without surgeries? Choose popular brands and write down their benefits, issues, and adverse effects on users.

Although many countries accept men wearing makeup, some conservative regions such as Asia still see it as taboo. Explain their rationale on why these regions don’t think men should wear makeup. Then, delve into what makeup do for men. Does it work the same way it does for women? Include products that are made specifically for men.

There’s always something we want to improve regarding our physical appearance. One way to achieve such a goal is through surgeries. However, it’s a dangerous procedure with possible lifetime consequences. List known personalities who were pressured to take surgeries because of society’s idea of beauty but whose lives changed because of failed operations. Then, add your thoughts on having procedures yourself to have a “better” physique.

People like beautiful things. This explains why we are easily fascinated by exquisite artworks. But where do these aspirations come from? What is beauty’s role, and how important is it in a person’s life? Answer these questions in your essay for an engaging piece of writing.

Beauty has many definitions but has two major types. Discuss what is outer and inner beauty and give examples. Tell the reader which of these two types people today prefer to achieve and why. Research data and use opinions to back up your points for an interesting essay.

Many literary pieces and movies are about beauty. Pick one that made an impression on you and tell your readers why. One of the most popular books centered around beauty is Dave Hickey’s The Invisible Dragon , first published in 1993. What does the author want to prove and point out in writing this book, and what did you learn? Are the ideas in the book still relevant to today’s beauty standards? Answer these questions in your next essay for an exiting and engaging piece of writing.

Grammar is critical in writing. To ensure your essay is free of grammatical errors, check out our list of best essay checkers .

Maria Caballero is a freelance writer who has been writing since high school. She believes that to be a writer doesn't only refer to excellent syntax and semantics but also knowing how to weave words together to communicate to any reader effectively.

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Essays on Child Beauty Pageants

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The Problem of Children Competing in Pageants

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Beauty Pageants Do More Harm than Good

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How Banning Child Beauty Pageants Will Protect Childhood

How parental abuse is hidden behind child beauty pageants, reasons why child beauty pageants aren't about happiness, beauty pageants for children should be banned, relevant topics.

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Persuasive on Beauty Pageants

These role-models proved to the younger girls that external beauty as not everything, and that internal beauty would benefit them greatly in many aspects of their futures. As the competitions have grown, the pageants have become more intense with contestants willing to do anything in order to gain advantage over the other girls. With everyone intensifying themselves, it creates a more stressful environment that can severely damage a girls developing self-esteem. I think this topic is interesting and also sad.

With girls only having a few short years to feel completely confident with themselves before society begins to criticize them, believe that this time of placement is essential in developing a strong and confident teenager. Beauty pageants seem to be striping girls of their innocence too fast, which leaves these girls at a risk for psychological and physical abuse that will stay with them for years to come. These girls have unrealistic expectations to be thin, physically beautiful, and perfect.

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In one article that I read, it talked about how research has been conducted to see if former pageant participants are more likely to suffer from eating disorders, and a small study published in 2005 showed that formed childhood pageant girls did have higher rates of odd dissatisfaction, which factored into eating disorders. Take a look at the show Toddlers and Tiaras. Tears, tantrums, and fits are frequently shown on these shows, and of course instead of supporting or comforting their daughters the adults are mocking all of the crying children.

As a result, child contestants may believe that internal beauty comes from how perfectly they look or how well they perform on stage. Parents and other adults need to understand the potentially long-term impact super-competitive, beauty- inspired pursuits can have on a young girl’s psyche. Participation in activities hat seek superior physical appearance releases the idea that physical beauty and superficial charm are the keys to success, thus making self-worth and self-esteem tied to attractiveness.

The take home message for society is that natural beauty or brains aren’t enough to make it in the real world, and that the only way to be on top is to be prettier than the girl next to you. Alumna discusses the negative effects of beauty pageants in her article, “Beauty Pageant Winners Are Not Good Role Models. ” She states that beauty pageants can influence a growing girl’s body image and self-worth, and roves her assertion by talking about a small study that was done in 2005 that showed pageants contestants had higher rates of body dissatisfaction.

She goes on to talk about how the young women she has worked with to get over their eating disorders were all trained at a young age to value physical perfections, thinness, athletic prowess, and attractiveness. Her last valuable point that goes against Beauty pageants has to do with the amount of stress and pressure put on these young girls. They are always under enormous pressure, and constantly feel like they are not good enough to win which asses them to have emotional break downs. These girls grow a tendency to believe that their parents will love or approve of them more based on how perfectly their routine on stage is.

These girls are not given the opportunity to pursue anything else besides being beautiful. “Time to End Child Beauty Pageants” by Billy Reed provides a negative outlook on child beauty pageants. Reed supports the claim that Beauty pageants are a form of child abuse, due to the exploitation of the young girls who are entered in them. He states that many children will have damaged self-esteem from their past in beauty agents, which may lead to eating disorders such as anorexia or bulimia. Also, the young girls who are dressed in clothes too mature for their age with professionals doing their hair and makeup attract pedophilia.

After stating his two main points of his argument, Reed ends with his belief that no one under the age of eighteen should be able to be enrolled in a beauty pageant. In the article, Reed quotes a newspaper article which states “Some parents are so warped, so starved for attention or some kind of self-validation, that they will shamelessly exploit their children’s physical beauty without regard or the possible consequences”. These mothers are choosing to live vicariously through their children, by dressing them up in adult clothing and making them look picture perfect.

When their children win pageants, it is somewhat of an accomplishment for the mothers that they have done something correctly. This is so wrong in so many ways, these children are not given a chance to be kids! They are taught from ages as young as 2 that it is all about who is the prettiest, has the biggest crown, the longest eyelashes or the biggest hair. Their view on reality becomes extremely distorted and will cost likely remain that way for the rest of their lives. Perhaps the greatest example of the dangers of child beauty pageants is the story of six year old Jon Bent.

Jon Bent’s mother was a beauty queen herself, and seemed to relive her dreams through her daughter. Jon Bent was portrayed through social media all the time, and as a result was kidnapped and murdered. The prime suspect in the case said he became interested in Jon Bent through the child beauty pageants. While outlawing pageants for anyone under the age of 18 may seem a little extreme, it has become necessary for the public to come away of the situations occurring behind the scenes. Beauty pageants degrade women to mere objects. Fifth beauty competition was based on skill or ability, that would be fine.

But nowadays people judge them for their outer appearance. For example, if five people were running in a race, only one will win. There is no doubt as to who ran faster. There is also no need for anyone to judge such competitions. These competitions also affect the self-esteem of some women who feel that a size ten isn’t good enough for the competitions. In every pageant or competition, you always see every intestate at a size zero to five. This brings a lot of high self-esteems down because they feel that the world revolves around skinny models.

Beauty contests are well promoted by the media, with television and images, which influence young women’s opinions on appearance. The participants of these contests are poor role models for these girls as they set impractical body weight, breast size and clear skin standards. This is another way of saying you have to be perfect in order to even compete in these competitions. This sets an ideal female body, which only a minority of women can then become incredibly harmful to young women by encouraging dieting eating disorders and cosmetic surgery, or simply making them feel inadequate and ugly.

For instance, when young girls see these models on television they automatically think that throwing up, over exercising and getting plastic surgery is a good thing to do. The models are showing them that this is the way to fit in. Every Woman is beautiful, if she can just be herself. The moment Women flaunt themselves, as in beauty pageants, they become an object to be degraded and an exploited sex object. Young girls who compete in pageants often look ex. by wearing makeup, hair extensions, fake teeth, revealing outfits, and by learning provocative poses and moves.

Paul Peterson, president and founder of A Minor Consideration, said on “Good Morning America” that beauty pageants are “feeding the sex industry. ” Phillip Block, chairman of the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, told the Australian Associated press, that he supports a ban on child beauty pageants in Australia because pageants judge contestants on “sexualities ideals. ” Being judged that way impacts mental and emotional development and affects self- esteem and body image. Pageants are not competitions that encompass naturally beautiful woman who decide one day that they want to enter into a beauty competition.

These contestants, whether they are seven or forty five, have dedicated their lives to these competitions. These pageants are not just a meaningless event to them; they are some of the most important days in their lives. These women engage in plastic and cosmetic surgery as well as dieting to win these pageants. Disqualified or losing contestants often lead lives of depression, eating disorders, and suicide. Nicole Hunter, a former tatty pageant specialist, states, “l don’t even know what it is to feel attractive without make-up on my face.

Whenever saw my mother and I wasn’t wearing make-up of some sort she would literally pull a tube of lipstick out of her purse and say, “You need make-up. ” Perhaps it’s because Nicole has worn make-up on her face since a young age. When children enter beauty pageants at too young Of an age, they can develop poor self-image, low self-esteem and even eating disorders. Beauty pageants tend to cause these sorts of issues among women especially when children compete at these competitions. These beauty pageants may be too much for children to handle and cause them to question their true beauty.

These pageants are extremely competitive and cause jealously and hatred between the opponents. Many thoughts that woman think about after losing these pageants are: Am I not good enough? Am I a loser? These thoughts are only the beginning of self-hatred which can lead to depression. The idea that everything that a contestant does is judged can really have a long term effect on these young children. For some children, it begins to be difficult to decipher the stage from the real world. Children shouldn’t want to look like someone else, they should want to embrace what they were given and show it off to the world.

Beauty pageants are expensive. Pageant moms waste money on these competitions when they could use the money for educational needs, emergencies, or even just family vacation trips. The average cost of a pageant dress is 31 ,OHO, and some cost as much as $5,000. Entry fees for pageants typically cost $100 or $200 and some pageants require contestants to wear several outfits, which can raise the price tag even further, not to mention travel expenses, which are Often part of the deal. Pageants are not competitions that encompass naturally beautiful woman who decide one day that they want to enter into a beauty competition.

These contestants, whether they are seven or forty five, have dedicated their lives to these competitions. These pageants are not just a meaningless event to them; they are some of the most important days in their lives. These women engage in plastic and cosmetic surgery as well as dieting to win these pageants. Disqualified or losing contestants often lead lives of depression, eating disorders, and suicide. Low self-esteem is common among worn of NY age. These competitions tend to put a strong focus on appearance rather than inner beauty.

It is true that some pageants have a talent portion, but this portion in child beauty pageants is irrelevant because most contestants are too young to have a real talent or opinions on world issues. Any questions answered right are based off of what the contestant’s coach has taught them to answer. In reality, these child pageants are solely based on looks. This fact can influence children to become completely obsessed with their look. Children that are entered in beauty pageants often grow to hate at people and the way they appear. This causes woman to grow up being as skinny as possible.

For example, many former pageant girls grow up suffering from anorexia. Some even feel bad about themselves after eating a salad with too much dressing. Not all pageant participants will have body issues when they get older, but some will. For the girls who do develop image obsessions, it appears that the hypercritical environment of their youth produces a drive towards the unattainable goal of physical perfection. Unrealistic expectations to be thin, physically beautiful, and perfect are at the earth of some disordered eating behaviors and body dissatisfaction.

A small study published in 2005 showed that former childhood beauty pageant contestants had higher rates of body dissatisfaction. This is only my mere opinion, but it is my job today to try and convince you all not to let your child into these self-torturing competitions. Some people put their daughters into these competitions so that their daughters will learn to stand out and not be shy. They want their daughters to be brave and show themselves off. Well, let me ask you something. If these women want their gutters to show themselves off, then why on Earth are they dressing their daughters up to be something that they aren’t?

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Controversy on child beauty pageants.

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Childrens Beauty Pageants

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Are Beauty Pageants Degrading to Women?

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Children beauty pageants have been around for so long that every aspect of the competition is considered normal. They always show the young girls having fun dressing up as princess characters with tiaras a size bigger than their head. However, they disregard the inappropriate aging, dressing, and treatment by promoting the fun side to it. Parents

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Miss USA, Miss Teen USA resignations: A reminder of beauty pageants' controversial history

T his week, the reigning Miss USA and Miss Teen USA said they are handing back their crowns , another reminder for pageant spectators that the tradition, with all its extravagance and glamour, has been beset by a long series of controversies.

Noelia Voigt announced on Monday that she was stepping down after winning the Miss USA title in September 2023 and participating in Miss Universe later that year. Without describing the details of what led her to resign, Voigt told her Instagram followers: “Never compromise your physical and mental well-being. Our health is our wealth.”

Two days later, UmaSofia Srivastava said she was resigning from the Miss Teen USA title as well, citing disagreement with the organization.

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It’s the latest trouble in an industry that in recent years has faced harsh criticism about its effects on women and girls, a decline in viewership and participation and a troubling reputation for sexism. Meanwhile, experts say some of the biggest U.S. pageants have made strides at reform, and many participants find great benefits in their confidence and opportunities.

“It is a very mentally, physically, emotionally taxing thing” to be catapulted into the spotlight as a winner of a major pageant, said Hilary Levey Friedman, the author of “Here She Is: The Complicated Reign of the Beauty Pageant in America” and the daughter of Miss America 1970.

The rise – and fall – of pageants in the US

Beauty pageants have an inextricable link to the path of feminism in the U.S., Levey Friedman said. Miss America was started the year after women got the right to vote, and the iconic sashes worn by participants in pageants large and small come from the sashes worn by suffragettes, according to Levey Friedman, who teaches a course on beauty pageants in American society at Brown University. 

In the past, pageants were a way for a woman to boost her academic and occupational opportunities in ways she couldn’t otherwise, though they were first started by men to make money off women’s bodies, she said. Fame and scholarships awaited winners in some contests; a small-town girl could make it big on the stage with a boost from a pageant win. Today, barriers to jobs and college educations have eased, and women don’t need pageants to make those moves, Levey Friedman said. But over the years, participation in pageants has fallen off.

More: How a 1968 Miss America protest propelled the women's movement into national spotlight

Viewership has also plummeted, and once widely televised competitions have gone off the air . Pageants have faced waves of criticism for seeming to hyperfocus on women’s appearances and bodies, causing some rebranding over the years, including the introduction of all-women judges for competitions like Miss Universe.

Industry has shifted gears, somewhat

In 2018, then-Miss America board chairwoman and former title holder Gretchen Carlson announced the organization was axing its bathing suit judging round: “We are no longer a pageant. We are a competition,” she told Good Morning America . The focus shifted to onstage interviews of the participants. 

Miss USA is a separate competition and still features a bathing suit round . At the local level, pageants for young girls and women across the country fall into different categories, some called “glitz pageants” that focus more on physical beauty, and others that have an emphasis on interviews and academic scholarship prizes.

Today, “there’s much more of a focus on, ‘this is for women, and not for the male gaze.’” Levey Friedman said. “On the ground, it seems less sexist, but I don't think the public narrative has changed.”

Experts say beauty pageants can also have a negative impact on the mental health and body image of not just participants, but also spectators. 

Brandyn Churchill, a professor of resource economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, found in a study published last year that there was a link between increased media coverage of pageant winners in their home states and increased body image issues in young girls in those states between the 1990s and early 2000s. 

“It’s extending a pretty strong signal about what is the ideal body type that … does contrast with what individuals are viewing when they look in the mirror,” Churchill said. 

The study found that in the home states of Miss America or Miss USA winners, there was increased media coverage of the pageants, and at the same time, young women and girls were more likely to report they were trying to lose weight or have a skewed image of their weight. Teen girls were also 5% more likely to report taking steps to try and lose or maintain their weight. The results were more pronounced in the South and Midwest, Churchill said.

Toddler girls to adult women across the U.S. participate in pageants. From a young age, participants don elaborate outfits and makeup. As they get older, hair extensions, fake nails and even dental veneers come into play, Levey Friedman said. Some girls are told they are beautiful while looking far from their natural selves.

“That sort of dissonance, I think is potentially very damaging as well,” Levey Friedman said.

Miss USA 2019 Cheslie Kryst died by suicide in 2022 and her family said she struggled with depression behind the scenes of her pageant wins.

Why pageant culture stays strong in many communities

Still, pageant participants often cite the benefits they get from participating, including increased public speaking skills, confidence and opportunities to receive academic scholarships or professional connections, Levey Friedman said.

The Miss America and Miss USA organizations didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment, but their websites both say they provide opportunities for women to empower themselves and become leaders. 

“(W)e celebrate beauty, intelligence, and empowerment,” the Miss USA website says.

Leilanni Redd is a 28-year-old Californian who participated in pageants from the time she was 6 years old. She now works full time as a coach, training school-age girls on aspects of competitions including their wardrobes and pageant routines. Her students are from all over the country, and she said pageant culture is particularly strong in southern states like Alabama and Texas.

“Growing up, I was a very shy kid,” she said. “It did give me confidence that I didn't know I could have when performing.”

Redd said she never felt some of the negative pressures on her self-esteem that the industry is known for, but she knows her experience isn’t universal. Though she said her body never looked like the other girls competing, “I never once felt uncomfortable. I never once wanted to change my appearance because I saw other people look a certain way.”

Her students may go on to compete on a national stage, but their paths are wide open and many will pursue other opportunities and treat pageantry similarly to other kids who play a sport. Still, Redd said it’s hard to see so much turmoil in the industry. 

“It's a little tough right now to see that these girls are stepping down because a lot of girls work for the title of Miss USA and Miss Teen USA,” Redd said. “To see it crumbling at the moment is a little heartbreaking because it's like, what's the future going to look like for these girls?”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Miss USA, Miss Teen USA resignations: A reminder of beauty pageants' controversial history