In this paper I am going to analyze how the media affects the gender stereotypes that the documentary Miss Representation addressed. I believe that, the media perpetuates harmful stereotypes to both men and women. In this paper I will argue that Audre Lorde would agree with my thesis but she would also believe that the minority needs to be looked at more as well. In this paper I will argue that Rebecca Walker would agree with my thesis.
Lianne George was a writer for New York magazine and Metro TV, and a reporter on the arts for the National Post. Currently, she is a senior editor for Maclean’s, in which the article, “Why Are We Dressing Our Daughters Like This” was published. Maclean’s is a popular magazine which covers national and worldwide political and social issues concerning families in the United States and Canada. The targeted audience is educated, in the higher middle class, and around forty years old with an equal men and women reader ratio. In the article, George clearly shows how in society younger girls are shifting towards dressing more provocatively from marketers introducing them to sexual trends. Although George uses generalized ideas and doesn’t seem to have a strong voice on the topic of girls being dressed more sexually, her goal to raise awareness is effectively presented by constructing a common ground with the readers, and allowing the readers to critically think about the problem by providing contradictions.
Treays, the director of the 1996 documentary ‘Painted Babies’ has presented the idea that the beauty pageant industry is promoting the over-sexualisation and exploitation of young children. Forcing children into the beauty pageant industry is forcing them to grow up faster and lose their childhood, something that is irreplaceable. Furthermore, it incorrectly teaches young girls that they need makeup and clothes to be beautiful, which has a detrimental effect on their self-esteem in the long run. Treays has effectively used an array of techniques to suggest these ideas, including dialogue and camera angles.
The beauty pageants portrayed various messages regarding woman’s beauty and sexuality a very dominant one was the qualifications to be considered a candidate for Miss America. In the 1948 Miss America Pageant Contract, one of the rules and regulations is the following “5. Contestant must be of good character and possess poise, personality, intelligence, charm, and beauty of face and figure.” (American Experience). Most of these characteristics represent the ideal woman during that era, except they
Skip Hollandsworth’s “Toddlers in Tiaras” argues the negative effects of participating in beauty pageants for young girls. Hollandsworth supported his argument through the use of the following techniques: narratives, testimonies, logical reasoning, appeals to emotion, facts, and an objective tone that attempts to give him credibility. These techniques are used to help persuade his audience of the exploitation of young girls in beauty pageants and the negative effects that pageants will have on their lives.
Such glamour doesn 't come cheap. According to Dorothy Poteat, director of Southern Elite Pageants based in Chapel Hill, N.C., the very low end of the spectrum is between $400 to $500, minimum, per glitz pageant. The midrange is $1,500, but she 's seen parents drop $3,500 or more in preparations for one big day. The reason the price tag can become so heavy is the gear.
Child Beauty Pageants are beauty contests for children under 18 years of age. It is a competition which divided into different categories such as, talent, interview, swimwear, theme wear and much more. Coming to the 21st century, child beauty pageants has become a growing trend in many countries, especially in the United States. There is numerous television show that is specifically organizing the child beauty pageants like “Toddlers and Tiaras” and “Little Miss Perfect” (Kelling, 2016). About 250,000 children participate in child beauty pageants every year, and the number is only increasing. This activity is considered as one of the growing businesses in America which earned over 5 billion dollars every year (Lindsey, 2013). These beauty pageants will sometimes cause parents to abuse their children without knowing it. The Children may be forced to join the contest and they will be taught some kind of bad life lessons. So, the four main reasons why child beauty pageants are harmful are:
Children beauty pageants should be banned because it’s abuse, sexualizing children, and it damages the child 's thinking. Parents abuse their children because they put them in danger from pedophiles, it’s sexualization because children were makeup and skimpy clothes and affects their
The author is a credible source himself because he is a known writer. The author’s use of language and tone shows how strongly he feels about young girls being exploited at a young age but, yet he doesn’t come off offensive to the audience. Hollandsworth then begins to give examples by using credible sources within the article. For example, Karen Stein Hauser, Denver’s district attorney stated to reporters “It’s impossible to look at these photos and not see a terrible exploited little girl”. By the author using this just persuades to the audience that not only does he think it’s wrong to do. Also someone else who is not only a woman herself but, sees that it can be detrimental, many people don’t know how severe pageants can be. Another example the author used was CBS news anchor Dan Rather compared a past pageant video footage of JonBenet to “kiddie porn.” Indicated that these pageants are attracting the wrong image to society and are becoming more and more harmful to those who participate in the pageants.
Beauty Pageants are an important part of the American culture in the 21st century. Many women, including small children, strut down the runway, dressing up in fancy clothes and makeup and charm, with the only and clear intention of catching the judges eye. Many claim that beauty pageants are a harmless activity that contestants can get a boost of confidence from. However, the sad reality of beauty pageants sends the message that women, even girls as young as 1 year olds, should be valued for judges for their appearance, and gives unrealistic beauty standards. With shows like Toddlers and Tiaras, young girls are facing harsh realities of adults choosing which child is the prettiest, the most charming. Many now wonder if competing in beauty pageants adversely affect a child’s development. Beauty pageants deprive children of their confidence and childhoods because they lower girls self esteem, they force children to look and
This is why I think child beauty pageants should be banned because they get sexualised and also their confidence/self-esteem will be lowered at such a young age. People are convinced that the contestants only turn up on the day and prepare on the day. However, this is not the case, because the contestants go to extreme lengths to win so they will prepare all year, this shows the pageants are being drummed into their brains 24/7. A two day rehearsal then takes place before the show to ensure that everything can go without a glitch. This is basically the theft of childhood, there is plenty of time as an adult to face this pressure without competing and failing at such a tender age. “You are all winners” – really? Hours of training and practise to create a false lovable identity to be told it’s a loser’s
“Click, click, click.” The sound of a six year old prancing on stage in five inch stilettos, pounds of makeup on their once pretty, raw faces, and self tan packed on their skin. This is a scene from a child beauty pageant. These pageants encourage young girls to become someone they are not. Many young woman that have participated in pageants as young girls, still do not love their bodies. Yet, the industry is multiplying quickly. Although child beauty pageants teach participants valuable life skills, in the midst of that, pageants set a unrealistic standard for beauty causing young adolescents to develop self-esteem issues and use too many self-altering substances.
“The focus of NCG is on building self-esteem and self-confidence, making friendships, teaching good sportsmanship, poise and public speaking and showing the importance of being involved in your community and charity. Any girl is welcome to compete.” (Joanne Oostveen). Despite what other people have to say, that beauty pageants have a positive impact on female adolescents. Beauty Pageants first became popular in the 1800s. They were created to give teens a chance to dress up and compete, something they would do anyway around their house, while learning important life skills. Beauty Pageants have a positive impact on female adolescents because they teach resilience, prepares women for real-world situations and teach females to have self-confidence.
For my own understanding about plastic surgery, it is a reconstruction of body and facial to satisfy our wants and also to help us. Base on internet, "Plastic Surgery is concerned with restoration, reconstruction, correction, or improvement in shape and appearance of body structures that are defective, damaged or misshapen by injury, disease or growth and development."[1] Plastic Surgery can cause a good and bad one. It depends on how people choose it to be. In the question if plastic surgery should be banned or not, I will answer not, why? Plastic Surgery should not be banned because it is a freedom to change physical appearance, increase self-confidence of those who undergo the process and helps patient return their old face or body. Plastic Surgery is making people happy its either just need or just wants. So who are we to judge them? Who are we to cut that happiness? Every person has reason to have happiness in life and there 's nothing wrong if their happiness is taking the plastic surgery.
According to demographicpartitions.org, “a report released on Women’s News on January 24, 2016, 2.5 million girls participate in 100,000 beauty pageants each year in the US.” Pageants are seen as an event that breaks females self esteem along with other psychological things. Despite popular opinion, beauty pageants can be more than a popularity contest. They build self esteem, promote more than beauty and show women supporting each other and themself.