Why are beauty pageants exploitive?

Answer 1

Some people feel children's beauty pageants are exploitive. Since there are many different types of pageants that a child can participate in (natural, scholastic, semi-glitz, and full blown glitz systems) it is unfair to group all competitions into one basket.

It also depends on the individual child and parent, how a child perceives the value of the competition. A pushy and insecure parent could convey a negative message to the child, hence making it a negative experience. A positive parent who encourages the child in a nurturing manner could make this a valuable stepping stone in the child's development.

Answer 2

I would say that they are. If a contestant is pretty enough then the person who set up the pageant might just conveniently have enough money to set up an ad with that contestant in it. With that ad, more people will be likely to come.

Answer 3

Many people believe beauty pageants are exploitive by using them as a means of marketing humans to make money. Others think pageants serve to teach contestants to concentrate on their appearance more than anything else and that this will cause psychological and emotional problems if the contestants see themselves as not pretty enough or thin enough, tall enough, too tall, too thin, etc.