Exercise 2, Child beauty pageants, p. 34
Child pageants should be banned because they have such a destructive psychological effect on young children. They place so much emphasis on physical appearance that many young toddlers begin to think that if they are not as beautiful as a china doll, then they are worthless. Also, these children may be stalked by perverts which can have disastrous outcomes.
(Topic sentence) Firstly, child pageants are extremely destructive for children, who often become obsessed with physical appearance. (Appeal to sympathy) Just imagine how they feel after they have been dolled up for two hours, made to look like a miniature Madonna, and then they do not win a competition. They don’t even get to take home the stuffed teddy bear! They are likely to become very quickly dissatisfied with their body image and lose confidence. (Link to experts) According to experts like Anna Wonderlich such an obsession can lead to eating disorders, depression and anxiety. In fact it can harm them for life. It’s not only the children who suffers from depression because of feelings of failure. The family also suffers as well as the community.
(Topic sentence) Furthermore, dressing up young toddlers in teenage skin also makes them the target of unwanted and inappropriate attention. (Real life example) The death of Jon Bennett Ramsay provides a dangerous reminder of the harmful consequences. (Appeal to fear) Ramsay was one of the prettiest American entrants, but this did not prevent her from the murderous fantasies of her killer. Also, there will be other consequences of a five year old thinking that she is 15 years old. (Fear) This is bound to lead to a confused sense of identity as she begins to act out a more mature role. (Shame) Evidently, parents are naive or careless who compromise a child’s safety.
(Signpost your rebuttal) Contrastingly, supporters of such childhood competitions may contend that it is a case of children having fun and enjoying dressing up. After all, they say, it is bound to increase the self esteem of the winners and gives all participants experience on the stage. They are likely to state that the opponents are exaggerating the effects; after all, they say, isn’t life all about competition and the earlier the participants realise this the better. (Counterpunch) However, does a nine-year old child become accustomed to the disappointment of constantly losing? Whilst competition is an inherent part of life, most young girls do not have the mental fortitude at this early age to withstand the fact that they may be constantly losing, despite being preened for hours. Those who do not win are being set up for constant failure and at an early tender age this will compound their feelings of insecurity and worthlessness.
It is obvious that we must ban child pageants as they exploit our young children. The emphasis on their physical appearances leads to many harmful consequences. Children risk attracted the unwanted attention of perverts through their increasingly sexualised appearances. We should be protecting our children and providing a stable and secure environment for their personal growth. Beauty pageants distort this environment.
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