It's most definitely NOT like putting your sons on the baseball field

I recently read an article in a regional parents' magazine about little girls in beauty pageants. The article describes the different types of pageants ("natural" and "glitz"), typical costs of each kind and potential prizes in each.

I'm not anti-pageant, but here is where I have a problem. The article has quotes from interviews with some parents that encourage their little girls to compete in these pageants. There are also pictures accompanying the article.

On the first page of the article there is a picture of a girl with hair and make-up done, lips in a bit of a pout, and eyes looking into the camera with a "come hither" expression. The entire look could easily go onto the cover of Vogue or Cosmo along with headlines of "How to Make a Man Happy in Bed" and "Secrets Every Woman Should Know." The girl in the picture I describe is a preschooler.

I know that some people would argue that little girls love to dress up and dance around. I have little girls. I know they like to dress up and dance around. My girls are very expressive and some of their facial expressions are priceless. I've been around a lot of preschoolers in my life. However, I have never seen a preschooler make "bedroom eyes" and a sultry pout without the coaching of an adult. It simply is not in a young child's background knowledge and doesn't come naturally to them.

In this article, the mom of the 3-year-old pictured (whose family is scheduled to appear on Toddlers & Tiaras) says (my paraphrase), that having a little girl in "glitz" pageants is really no different that having her sons on the baseball field.

BULL!

According to "The Pageant Expert", glitz pageant contestants typically have fake hair, use heavy make-up, spray tans, fake eyelashes and teeth, and sometimes colored contacts. The "Expert" also says, "facial expressions tend to be exaggerated with lots of eyelash batting, tilting of the head from side to side, and blowing kisses...[These pageants] are very popular and easy to find for children under the age of 5."

How is that like little league baseball? When was the last time you went to the local ball field and saw a bunch of little boys completely altering their appearance before the game? When was the last time a coach and all the parents in the stands were encouraging the team to shake their hips, wave, blow kisses, or flirt with the umpires? When team and individual pictures were made, did the photographer touch up the photos as if for a magazine? Have you ever heard a coach say, "Just go out there and look good."?

I'm sorry, mom from the article, glitz pageants and little league baseball are not the same. The messages your children receive, directly or indirectly, are not the same.