Flippers, fake hair, and fake teeth making the impossible a reality?

Toddlers and Tiaras. Way too much makeup, little girls looking like they are 30, and ridiculous moms living through their children. This is the common conception of the TLC show “Toddlers and Tiaras” that has spiked controversy ever since the show aired.

Here is a post from a group debate that occurred over CafeMom (a forum I believe): “This show sickens me. Who the hell in their right mind would think it is okay to dress their little girl up in wigs, makeup, fake tans, false teeth and scantly clad clothes and parade them on a stage in front of a bunch of middle-aged men and have them voted on being beautiful?”

On the flipside of the argument, a pageant mom posts on the Toddlers and Tiaras wall on facebook “We get to ride in parades, go on trips, help with charity work, all kinds of fun stuff. We love them! And my daughter just recently taped with Toddlers & Tiaras…The producers and camera crew WERE AWESOME!…My daughter was featured on ‘Entertainment Tonight.’ You should of seen her little face when she saw herself and heard her name on TV! It was like she just won the lottery! Get over the pageant hatred!”

I, a pageant competitor myself, lie in the middle of these two claims. Competing ever since 6^th grade, my mom has never been a stage mom and was actually hesitant getting into the competition. There are two types of pageants: glitz and natural. Toddlers and Tiaras shows only glitz pageants but pageants like Miss America, Miss USA, or in my case, National American Miss are all natural. Glitz is the makeup, huge hair, little girls with fake tans, fake teeth etc. Natural for little girls is pretty, floor length dresses, no makeup, hair curled but natural, and no fake teeth or tans. I feel I am right in the middle of this debate as I have experience with the pageant world but do not agree with little girls competing in glitz pageants.

This leads me to adequately define my opposing subject position as a mom (and sometimes daughter) pairing who compete in the types of glitz pageant that are aired on Toddlers and Tiaras. They believe the pageants are doing good for the daughters, bringing them joy, and fostering a closer relationship. I, on the other hand, believe glitz pageants have gone too far in requiring perfection from the girls who compete. I believe pageants should be a place in which girls are free to be the very best they can be, challenge themselves, develop a lifelong skill set of public speaking, interview techniques, and the ability to control a stage as well as learn how to present themselves in the best light, how to write a resume, give back to the community, create lifelong friendships, and learn valuable lessons about your own character.

The moms who chose to have their daughters compete in glitz pageants would claim, “Using fake things like fake hair, fake teeth, and a fake tan are okay because it will help her win.” I believe this topic falls under the “science and culture” general umbrella because innovations such as flippers (fake teeth, think almost denture-like), fake hair that is manufactured (you can chose human hair of synthetic), and spray on tans would not have been achievable without the help of science. It is asking, just like any of the other topics we have discussed, if it is right (morally, ethically) to use these (I would argue scientific) innovations on little girls because “it’s the norm” of the pageant culture. And this is where the conflict arises.

On one hand there are the conservative non-pageant viewers who see Toddlers and Tiaras as repulsive and therefore the use of beauty-enhancing techniques as wrong. They have this view because of how the TV show portrays the girls. Like any reality TV show, they are not filming to tell exactly how it is; they are filming to increase ratings which means they (like Jersey Shore or the Real World) create a world in which we do not fully understand but is interesting and conflict-filled enough to grab our attention. The moms, encouraged by film crews, go to the extreme in the competitions and go past what some viewers think they should by forcing young girls to get highlights, eyebrows waxed, facials, flippers, spray on tans, and fake hair. These viewers need to remember the show is simply that, a show. They need to stop judging and personally attacking the people competing and keep a more open mind. They may still disagree, but do not go to the point of telling a mother she is sexualizing her daughter and that she is teaching her child the wrong values. Each parent passes on their own values and in some families, what the mothers are doing may be considered okay.

However, on the other hand, the mothers of the show need to realize how reality TV is portraying their child and them. They may say that the girls love pageants, but then to have them crying and throwing fits, they must understand how contradicting that looks to the viewers. Some moms on the show say how the girls love getting dressed up and experiencing the whole pageant weekend. I would instead encourage them to look into more natural pageants like National American Miss who do not even allow makeup on girls below age 14. No swimsuit, no short dresses, and no fake hair, tans, or teeth. If they wish to let their girls have a good time, make friends, get dressed up, and compete for a title, I would encourage them to try natural pageants in which those beauty-enhancing techniques are not necessary and actually prohibited for that age group.

Overall, both groups need to realize that the show Toddlers and Tiaras creates a whole world that may or may not accurately portray how the girls and moms of the show act in reality. The judgmental viewers may still disagree, but stop personally attacking the moms. The moms of the show need to realize how they are being portrayed and how far they are going with beauty-enhancing techniques and if that is appropriate for their young daughters.