Table of ContentsIntroductionBodyConclusionIntroductionThe purpose of this article is to discuss whether or not children should be allowed to participate in pageants; like talent shows or beauty pageants. It is necessary to answer a few questions to have a clear vision on this question: is it beneficial for their growth and health? Is it for their own benefit or are they being exploited? Certain studies and analyzes have been carried out on this subject and may provide some insight. They showed that children may not have a clear understanding of what competition is, negating the fact that engaging them in such competitive shows can actually teach them the realities of life. Although many believe that competition can improve children's performance in the future, studies have shown that it serves them best when combined with teaching cooperation. Parents may claim that participating in competitions is what children themselves want, while children's desires are primarily a reflection of their parents' desires. In a world where pageants are part of a billion-dollar industry, children should be protected from commercialization and their rights to live normal lives should be preserved. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get the original essayBodyChildren are the most important resource for our future world, which makes us all responsible for their well-being. As the title of this article indicates, this is a discussion about whether or not children should be allowed to compete in competitions; like talent shows or beauty pageants. To begin, here are some questions that need to be clarified in order to make a good judgment: Is competition good for children? If yes, under what conditions? What do children learn from these competitions? Is it beneficial to compete in live shows against other children and sometimes adults? This leads to further questions; such as: Who really benefits from competition shows? How does loss affect children? How does victory affect them? If some competition shows are good for adults, does that mean they're good enough for kids? What follows is an attempt to answer some of these questions. First, is competition good for children? Author and speaker Alfie Kohn, well known in the parenting field, believes that competition has a negative influence on children. He says: “The evidence overwhelmingly suggests that competition is destructive, particularly, but not exclusively, to children. » He also adds that excellence can be achieved in the absence of competition. Many researchers share the same view as Mr. Kohn on this subject and believe that competition can harm self-esteem because of the anxiety it generates. These competitions encourage a “dog eat dog” attitude according to psychologist John Wills. Dr Wills, who runs sessions in schools, says talent competitions have become the compass for telling right from wrong for children of this age. According to Dr James O'Higgins Norman, director of the National Anti-Bullying Research at the University of Dublin, children learn that fame can be easily acquired. This quickly acquired fame will likely expire just as quickly without providing these aspiring children with a future career. One of the many examples isLeon Jackson, who was a former sales assistant of Gap before winning the X-Factor talent competition in 2007. After his first album, his label stopped cooperating with him, which ended his career so early. Second, Beauty pageants and most talent shows give children a superficial idea of ​​what beauty is and what skills are valued. For example, to win beauty pageants, as a CBC documentary shows, children need more than natural beauty and much more than costumes and makeup. They may also need to wear wigs or hair extensions, get a tan or spray tan, and Photoshop their photos. The message kids get from all this is that to be good-looking enough for the pageant and the judges, they need to accentuate their physical appearance. Not only do beauty pageants teach children that winning depends on how others see them, but they also sexualize girls in particular. Lately, beauty pageants are placing more and more emphasis on presenting participants as sexy rather than beautiful or cute. Their underdeveloped bodies are barely covered and most of the routines they perform are provocative. The American Psychological Association states that the sexualization of little girls can cause them to suffer from depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and most likely eating disorders, etc. However, the United States has not taken any serious measures to ban this type of competition while other countries This is the case of France which banned beauty pageants for children and imposed certain restrictions in 2013. Another reason it should be taken seriously is that beauty pageants and talent competitions are a multi-billion dollar industry. Parents make money and enjoy attention from their children's fame. This requires certain precautions to protect the rights of children against show organizers or against certain potentially violent parents. Additionally, when a child becomes a teenager and withdraws from beauty pageants, it is common for them to have identity issues. They face a long list of challenges in maintaining a perfect body image. In 2005, a study showed that children who participated in beauty pageants were more often dissatisfied with their body image. On the other hand, education becomes insignificant for these children, even in adolescence. Moreover, they perceive their body as their means of livelihood and in this case, imperfect physical appearance means unemployment for them. In 2009, a survey of 3,000 teenage girls showed that almost a quarter of them preferred to spend their money on their appearance rather than on their education, and cosmetic surgery was considered by one in five. A BBC survey found that six in ten girls aged 8 to 12 think they will be happier if they lose weight. Additionally, in most cases, children train too hard and too long when they have to perform, putting them under immense pressure. Some adults who care for these children may ignore their tears and even make fun of them in order to get them to practice more. As a result, these children may come to believe that their parents' love or adult approval depends on their performance. As Jim Morrison, lead singer of The Doors, says: “Most people like you for who you say you are. To keep their love, you continue to pretend – to play. You will love your pretension. It's true, we are locked in an image, an act. (Morrison, Jim) So what's going on.