Toddlers in Tiaras

[Fau Teixeira]

So there's a show on one of the TLC / Discovery channels called Toddlers in Tiaras .. it's about children beauty pageants and the life surrounding that.

As some of you may know. My opinion is that this is the most vile and repulsive TV show in existence.

I'm of the opinion that this behavior by the parents is nothing short of child abuse.

And here's proof:


Watch that video and tell me how the mother hasn't been arrested.

[BoSoxGrl]

I want to know how the lady doing it in good conscious didn't just say "No, sorry, I can't do it"
The mom, I get it, she's crazy.
The lady holding the wax had a choice though to not torture a 5 year old.

[Spider-Dan]

I actually saw part of that show last night.  I found it bizarre that these women would start entering their children in beauty pageants at 6 months old and claim that the kids "love them."  The kids can't even talk!

Mostly, the mothers are just pitiable.  One of them had 3 boys and said that entering beauty pageants was "the whole reason she wanted a daughter."  The mother in the clip above was finishing up walking practice with her daughter, and the little girl wanted to practice her "talent" (singing).  The mom said no and the kid threw a fit, and the mom hauled her off to another room saying, "I don't want a national television audience seeing this shit."  Meanwhile, the dad (who was dragged in to sit on the couch and act as a "judge") is just looking at the camera with exactly the expression you would expect from a guy who has been henpecked to death and has basically given up.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Haven't seen the show.  Didn't view the attached link.  And am not going to.

But based on the comments made above I will add the following:

The show and pageants are driven by the revenue they generate.  Watching the show or clicking on video links of the show is what generates the advertising. 

If you watch the show, even if just to be disgusted by it, you are aiding and abetting in the child abuse.  The best thing to do is not to watch it.  If nobody watches and nobody attends the pageants they will go away.  If the show is a commercial success even if most of the views are watching in disgust it will encourage more such shows and more abused children. 

[Fau Teixeira]

I don't watch the show, but reading a news story that comments on a negative aspect of the show is hardly supporting it

[StL FinFan]

I don't watch the show, but I do watch "The Soup", which regularly shows snippets from it.  I have no desire to see the whole show based on what I have seen.  It's sickening.

[fyo]

If you watch the show, even if just to be disgusted by it, you are aiding and abetting in the child abuse.

Not unless you have a Nielsen Ratings box (or you're watching online).

[AZ Fins Fan 55]

I have heard of the show but have never seen it and I have not had the desire to either. I did however watch this clip and I am truly disgusted. I do believe this to be a form of child abuse and as BoSox said how could the lady perform the waxing with a clear conscious. Sick!!!!!!  

[dolphins4life]

Pretty disgusting.

[Phishfan]

I think these parents are indeed sick and I don't support children's beauty pageants in any way. But I fall short of calling waxing eyebrows child abuse. Come on guys. Being PC has gone a little far with that comparison. I suppose making them eat vegetables is abusive also? I've seen just as bad a tantrum happen because of that.

[Pappy13]

The thing is that this really isn't all that different from what a lot of parents subject their kids to to play sports.  I should know because I'm one of them.

I have 5 kids that have played in various sports and at various levels in sports for the passed 20+ years.  I have a daughter that played on a division 1 "select" soccer team that won the North Texas state championship when she was 14.  This is the highest division in soccer in North Texas.  I say that not to impress but only to give you an idea of the level of sports I have been involved with.  Her team traveled to California, North Carolina and Florida for various tournaments each year and our team "fees" ran into the thousands of dollars to pay for her coaching and that does not include air fare, hotels etc for those tournaments and sometimes a personal trainer.  Let's just say that the level of commitment to the sport was huge.

Unless you have been a part of it, it's really hard to understand just how competitive people can be with their children when they have shown a real ability to compete.  I tried my best to not get too caught up in it, but I will admit that it was very difficult not to.  Looking up team rankings on a national website (they were ranked as high as #9 nationwide at one time), spending hours on soccer forums discussing every coach, child, parent and game, attending tournaments almost year round, talking with coaches who were scouting for various colleges etc, looking for personal trainers on top of spending 6 or 8 hours a week either practicing or training.  We practically lived on the soccer fields for several years.  It's really hard not to push your child to be the best they can possibly be and often times it's not in the kids best interests.

Eventually we realized that our daughter was never going to play for an NCAA division one college.  She ended up not even playing NCAA college at all, but chose an NAIA school because there was less pressure to succeed.  By this time she really didn't enjoy playing soccer much and within 2 years she quit altogether.  It was VERY hard for both my wife and I to come back down to earth. You tell yourself you're pushing them so hard because you want them to be the best, but the truth is that you like the attention your daughter is getting and somehow feel better about yourself as a parent the more your daughter succeeds and when they don't you take it very hard as well.

We both realize now that we got caught up in it and so did a lot of the parents of the kids that were on her team.  Not a single player from that team has gone on to continue playing soccer past college although a couple kids did make it to NCAA division 1 schools and did fairly well.  Still they all eventually quit playing.

Now, I don't think we scarred our daughter for life, in fact she's a pretty well adjusted person now, but we did over do it and we all know that including my daughter.  It's easy now to say that, but at the time we didn't think we were and that includes my daughter.  Most kids end up just fine despite being put into these extremely stressful situations.  A lot of them burn out eventually (parents too) and simply quit the sport or ratchet it down to normal levels.  A lot more eventually realize at some point that their child is never gonna be on the cover of Sports Illustrated and give up on the dream.

So I can't be too critical of these people, I know the deal.  You really don't know how you will handle the situation until you are in it.  Now it's really pushing the boundaries about as far as you can when the child is only 6 months old, but our kids were only 5 when they started playing soccer and by the time they were 8 or so we were pretty competitive.  I'm not saying I approve of what these women are doing with their daugthers because I dont, but I do understand it.  Hopefully they will all realize at some point it's not healthy and back away, most always do before there's any real harm done.

[StL FinFan]

I think these parents are indeed sick and I don't support children's beauty pageants in any way. But I fall short of calling waxing eyebrows child abuse. Come on guys. Being PC has gone a little far with that comparison. I suppose making them eat vegetables is abusive also? I've seen just as bad a tantrum happen because of that.

Have you ever had your eyebrows or anything else waxed?  It's painful.

[Phishfan]

I do have experience with waxing. I had a girlfriend who waxed and I tried it to "feel the experience". I still wouldn't call it abuse.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Unless you have been a part of it, it's really hard to understand just how competitive people can be with their children when they have shown a real ability to compete. 

Actually some parents can be real competitive and nuts even when the kid lacks all ability to compete.  

Case in point my dad.

[Sunstroke]

Haven't seen the show.  Didn't view the attached link.  And am not going to.

Amen to that... The world already shoves enough of its vile and brutal insanity down my throat without me asking for another spoonful.