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Date Posted: 11:01:56 05/01/07 Tue
Author: .
Subject: ''

Beauty pageants became part of the American society in the 1920's. Child beauty pageants began in the 1960's. Child beauty pageants consist of modeling sportswear, evening attire, dance and talent. The children are judged based on individuality in looks, capability, poise, perfection and confidence. As the judges call it, "the complete package". School aged chi ldren were researched based on the influen ce competition has on their education and self-con fidence . Children between the ages of six and twelve were consi dered as school aged and were researched in this work. These are children that are relatively new to school education due to their young age, they are required by law to receive education, and are still impressionable by their parents. The children are divided into age groups so the competition would be objective for the participants. Stage mothers were taken into consideration involving the child's management, assessing that the mother introduced the child into the pageantry world. There are no laws concerning beauty pageants in New York, Texas, Massachusetts, Arkansas, California, Vermont and Maine so therefore it is presumed that there are no laws concerning beauty pageants. Beauty pageant history, regulations, guidelines, and controlling authorities are researched, along with their effectiveness and recommendations.

Beauty pageants originated as a marketing tool in 1921 by an Atlantic City hotel owner who wanted the city's tourists to remain in town longer. A local news reporter started the infamous term, still used today by saying, "lets call her 'Miss America'!" Pageants were introduced into the lives of Americans and became a major event, although they were discontinued from 1929-1932 due to the Great Depression.

As the years progressed, pageants served as political, educational and entertaining events. Pageants offered scholarships and helped beneficial programs. Marking a racial breakthrough, in 1983 Vanessa Williams becomes the first African-American titled Miss America. In 1994 the first handicapped woman wins the title of Miss America. The pageantry world helps introduce a face to the faceless troubles of racism, handicaps and illnesses.

According to the Attorney General of the Department of Justice in California, "there is no law that prescribes how a pageant must be managed, the rules are set by each contest promoter." Pageants are usually operated by for-profit organizations that produce a local, state or national contest that appeal to many age groups for different reasons. Some mothers lie about their child's age so the child can appear more mature and poised for that age group; now some pageants require birth certificates along with the entry forms to validate age. Beauty pageants are one of the fastest growing businesses in America grossing over 5 billion dollars (Coleman, Phyllis). The prizes differ depending on the size of the contest; radios, bicycles, grants, cash awards, trophies and tiaras are some examples. Some of the criteria considered in judging a pageant are writing skills, interviews, personality, looks, confidence and talent, depending on the specific competition. There is a fee required in entering a pageant, which may include entry, rental fees, awards,administrative costs and company profits. Participants have other expenses like clothing, hair, make-up and sometimes hiring a make-up artist, travel, food and lodging. According to the Better Business Bureau, at least one state has a requirement for new promoters within the state to place a deposit in order to protect entry fees of contestants. Although none of the states researched have that law.

Individual beauty pageants set their own guidelines for their participants, since they are exempt from the federal child labor laws (FairLabor standards Act, 1938). Child pageant contestants are not considered to be "working" children although they receive money and prizes for their performances and practice for hours per week to achieve those goals. A beauty pageant is operated in a couple of ways, either corporate sponsors, where the competitors must meet eligibility requirements to participate. The second way of operating a pageant is by putting the responsibility on the participants. The applicants are responsible for travel, lodging, entry fees, wardrobe, and sometimes the cost of the crown and prizes. Generally the contestants are required to get sponsors, sell tickets and advertise to compensate for expenses.

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