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Pageants come with high price
■ OUR OPINION: Child beauty contests are potentially
dangerous, and it’s up to parents to decide what’s right
When 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey was found
murdered in her Boulder, Colorado home on Dec.
26, the media jumped on the story — and for good
reason. With a ransom note and the sheer
viciousness of the crime, the murder made for compelling
journalism.
But when reporters discovered Ramsey was also a beauty
queen — former Little Royal Miss, Tiny Miss Beauty and
Colorado State All-Star Kids Cover Girl, among other titles —
they moved quickly to uncover the $5 billion children’s pageant
industry’s many problems.
Photos of Ramsey and other contestants in very grown-up
clothes and make-up graced the covers of national magazines
and newspapers. Many readers were outraged at these images,
angry at the blending of adult values with youthful enthusiasm.
It’s true. Children’s beauty contests, which an estimated
500,000 girls under the age of 12 take part in each year, make up
a profitable, strange world. And therefore, they are ripe for criti
cism.
Furthermore, child pageants are a prime example of a problem
that sweeps through all of society. Is outer beauty more impor
tant than inner qualities? Televised pageants like the Miss Amer
ica contest aside, the measure of a young girl’s beauty is especial
ly troubling. Should children barely old enough to walk be
involved in such contests?
It is easy to say no. Measuring beauty solely
on physical appearance is inherently superfi
cial. And doing so at such a young age is es
pecially dangerous. The photos printed
of many of the contestants, including
Ramsey, show grade-school stu
dents with heavy makeup and
poofy hair who look more like
ladies of the night than children
of the school day.
It is important to note, howev
er, that Ramsey is an extreme ex
ample of a world that is easily la
beled as exploitative and hurtful to
children. Some pageants exist solely to
judge personality and involvement in ac
tivities and frown on excessive clothing or
makeup.
A child gaining a hobby is rarely criticized.
But it is where the hobby becomes an obsession
that people cry foul. And rightfully so.
But many people say beauty pageants are no different
than Little League for boys. There is always going to be
the parents who go
too far in their sup
port, the coaches
who ask a bit too
much of their play
ers. In the end,
\ every Little
League in the
country should
n’t be abolished
because of a
few bad ap
ples, right?
ta
The photos printed of many of
the contestants show grade
school students with heavy
makeup and poofy hair who
look more like ladies of the
night than children of the
school day.
The paral
lel with
baseball and pageants is questionable, but it is
true every pageant should not be condemned.
The important thing is that a line is drawn.
And the line should not be drawn by the
girls themselves. A common excuse used
by many parents is that their children like
i being in the contests. But every child likes
\ being in the spotlight. Every child likes
\ attention. Ultimately, it is the parents
\ who must make the decision on the
\ child’s behalf. Unfortunately, it is often
\ the parents who are involved more
\ deeply in the pageants than the chil
\ dren themselves.
Like anything, perspective must
be gained by the adults involved
(and to a lesser degree, the chil
dren). Beauty pageants can be
useful in a child’s development
— or destructive — but the po
i tential for excess is always
i there. While a child’s life is his
\ or her own, it is the parents’ re
\ sponsibility to steer the child
\ in the right direction. Raising
\ a child responsibly may or
\ may not include beauty
\ pageants. But parents
\ should be aware of the
\ dangers of excess.
■X. \ _
CHRIS HUTCHINSON/Emerald
This editorial
represents the opinion
of the Emerald
editorial board.
All thumbs
To Sens. Ron
Wyden and
Gordon Smith:
The two fresh
faced senators,
Democrat and Re
publican respec
tively, solemnly
vow they will work
together on behalf
of Oregon’s inter
ests. Before Smith
was inducted on
Jan. 6, publicity
stunts like the
men’s wives meet
ing for lunch
demonstrated the
former campaign
rivals’ new sense
of teamwork.
But with the ab
sence of veteran
legislators Mark
Hatfield and Bob
Packwood, who
brought millions
of dollars to the
state in a com
bined 70 years of
congressional ex
perience, Oregon’s
senatorial clout is
now almost non
existent. And de
spite Wyden and
Smith’s claims of
solidarity, they
disagree on al
most every major
issue, and that fact
is unlikely to
change —even if
the state’s well-be
ing is at stake.
To rich
adventurers:
Steve Fosset’s
failed attempt to fly
a hot air balloon
around the world
is yet another ex
ample of rich ad
venturers embark
ing on daring feats
to gain fame and
glory. We say if
these people have
nothing better to
do with their time
than risk their lives
for a few weeks of
publicity, go right
ahead. If nothing
else, at least it
makes for interest
ing reading.
To President
Clinton:
There was a lot
of hope and opti
mism in President
Clinton’s Inaugural
Address. The next
step he faces is
making his words
a reality. If he fol
lows through on
his promises for
bipartisan politics
and new leader
ship for the future,
Clinton still has a
chance to earn
himself a spot in
America’s history
books.
Correction
In the Jan. 17 issue of the Emerald, the
story on page one entitled, “Residency com
plex for UO students,” contained an error.
The article stated that nonresidents do not
pay Oregon income taxes. Nonresidents
gaining income from Oregon sources are re
quired to file with the state of Oregon. The
Emerald regrets the error.
Something on
your mind?
Earn fame and glory as a guest colum
nist for the Emerald. Just submit an
opinion column on any topic you care
(and know) about and earn a chance to
be published on the ODE editorial
page. Columns should be well written
and no longer than 500 words.
Drop off a copy of your column at the
Emerald office in EMU Suite 300 or
send it by mail to:
P.o. Box 315 Eugene, OR 97403