Absolutely nauseating...Toddlers and Tiaras

[Lisa loves Pooh]

No, I'm a girl. I still don't see the difference. Hoochie is hoochie, whether you are a pageant kid or not.

As far a travel sports go, I don't think I've ever seen a travel team with glitter, tutus and sparkly slippers. But, I've already stated, I haven't seen everything.

Going for a win isn't just for sports kids. Again, if the child enjoys it, I don't see the harm. YOU are the best judge of your child. Or at least, you should be.

Toddlers & Tiaras--I do watch the show.

But I do agree with you here...

The vehement discontent with Toddlers & Tiaras is that often we are viewing parents who don't seem to be able to be a good judge for their child, let alone the best judge for their child.

Me--the dress up and make up don't really bother me all that much when it comes to these girls. The heinously airbrushed photos and false additions (flippers/hair) do bug me.

I actually liked when, on the show Little Miss Perfect, a cute little girl with missing 2 front teeth skipped on the flipper and actually won.

As far as the *ahem* "hoochie mama" look-- I don't like it when kids are made to dress more adult than is needed. I don't like bare belly costumes on a 7 year old or "bumping and grinding" of the pelvis.

I don't like it in any format for any reason.

While my girls have had non-adult format dancing in their recitals this season and child appropriate costumes--after seeing what the school thought was appropriate in other numbers--aka the "hoochie mama" look, we are leaving. My children will have fulfilled their commitment. But just because I am okay with dress up and stage makeup doesn't mean I accept the "hoochie mama" look and we are getting out before they end up being stuck with such an ensemble or trashy choreography next year.

However, not all pageants and not all dancers/pom/cheerleading teams are created equal.

Some are "hoochie mama" while others remain age appropriate.

But the prior blanket statements that you made that they are ALL like that, are simply inaccurate.

 

[FredinFL]

If that is the misconception of what I said, let me retract that.

There are many other avenues that people try to pretend are more acceptable for little girls other than pageants. My problem lies in the fact that if you are going to hate on pageants because of the way the girls dress, then you need to pony up to the fact that many (NOT ALL) dance recital costumes are are far more provocative than any pageant dresses. Just as glitzy, just as over the top.

If you have other problems with pageants, like the girl who posted about being told she didn't fit the mold, fine. But don't say your major problem with the whole thing is the costuming and hair and compare it unfavorably to dance costuming. Because that's just ridiculous.

There are many parents forcing their kids to do the dance recitals and "you name" to fulfill there unfulfilled dreams, not only pageant kids. Let the kids be kids, let them do something they love, as long as they aren't getting hurt, who cares? You can't protect them from every thing. There's always someone not quite good enough to make the cut, that's a lesson everyone learns eventually.

 

[luvsJack]

There is a big difference in a child in dance, cheer or gym and in pagents. If you don't see the difference, it really may be in your not wanting to see the difference.

DD took ballet and tap from 3-5 years of age and took hip-hop for 3 years starting at age 8.. NOTHING about what she did on stage was anything remotely like being in a pagent. Her hair was styled in a ballet bun. She did wear glitter make-up but as in making her eyelids and cheeks glitter--not a fake eyelash or tooth in sight.

Her DANCING ABILITY was what was in the lime light--not beauty.

She also cheered for a few years--again during competition she wore some make-up. But it was totally their athletic ability that was being shown NOT beauty or charm.

IMHO, the difference in the costuming of the girls in pagent is that it makes these girls completly fake and it makes them think this is what is "beauty". Not really the same as a cheer uniform or a dance costume which is supposed to inhance the PERFORMANCE not the child's appearnace.

 

[goofy!]

A diva is a diva, whether in a group or alone. There's no difference to me whether you are sparkling and tartin' your kid up in a group for a show, or as the single star of the show. It's still short skirts, bellies showing, glamour and glitz. None are better or worse than the other.

If the kid is having a good time, great. It's the ones who drag the kids around thru these things that are sad.

PS: I LOVE MacKenzie, and am glad she's not mine.

Yeah, but in competitive allstar cheer, those bellies showing are often sporting 6 pack abs that any guy would be extremely jealous of

The higher level competitive cheerleader's fitness level are on par with any of the top trained athletes, if not better.

It has nothing to do with glamor or glitz in the competitive allstar cheer world, although there was a period where the more glitzy makeup the better that was very much over the top. But the focus of the sport is really all about physical conditioning, stamina, strength, flexibility and incredible athletic prowess. It is not "Bring It On."

I don't have anybody in competitive dance, but study after study has shown that dance is the best form of overall athleticism over any sport.

So, I do think there is a huge difference between kids using their bodies in a physical capacity, be it football, baseball, dance, gymnastics, swimming, competitive cheer rather than just primping, preening, and being judged on how many times they can twist their fingers in their cheeks and smile.

And I have a son that plays football, basketball and lacrosse. I can tell you that in many instances, the football parents first and lacrosse second far outweigh the cheer parents in total obnoxiousness. Although, I have to admit there are some states we have traveled to where you would think the cheer moms were in a pageant themselves There is a reason there are so many lifetime movies about "those" parents.

 

[FredinFL]

Really? Did you bother to look at the "dance costumes"? Because a few of those aren't all about enhancing the dance, unless of course it's the dance of the 7 veils.

If you are going to compare the costumes, many of the dance costumes are much more provocative than the frilly glitz dresses many of the pageant girls wear. Again, there are many people who push their kids in these events just the pageant kids.

I wasn't talking about the "deep wonderful things kids learn from participating" in these things really, I was talking about how if you think the pageant kids outfits are too much, you need to see some of the dance recitals going on around the country, because their outfits are much worse, much sexier, much more over the top adult looking.

Also, if done right, the pageant thing could be a lot of fun for a girl and her mom or dad. The people zeroed in for these shows are the over the top people, the people with story, the people that will make an impact. Are there a lot of them? Sure. So what? There are a lot of pushy parents out there. If they did a show on dance or cheer, you'd see them there too.

 

[FredinFL]

As for those 6-pack cheer abs, you ain't kidding! If anyone needs a belly shirt, it those kids! They are in some amazing shape.

 

[goofy!]

Oh, I'd hazard a guess that I haven't seen it all. Keeping in mind what I HAVE seen tho, my statement stands. I'm sure there are more somber, serious dance studios. I'm not sure about more somber, serious cheer studios tho.

Allstar cheer is not in a studio - it is in a gym.

And I can guarantee you that it is very, very serious. It is far too dangerous of a sport to not take it seriously.

The kids in our gym train 3x per week, 2 hours, 2 hour and 3 hours, 12 months a year. Half that time is spent on conditioning drills. I can't tell you how many suicide drills DN has done in the past year. Call it the boot camp of cheerleading.

I can absolutely guarantee you that the fitness level of the higher ranked cheerleaders in that gym is far, far superior than any of the football players on any of DS's teams.

 

[FredinFL]

I have a cheer kid in my GS troop, she is in superb shape. We climbed a mountain once to get to the Appalachain trail, you get to the half way mark and girls and moms were absolutely laying in the (closed off) road, it was THAT steep. THis kid practically skipped up the whole mountain trail.

 

[luvsJack]

Really? Did you bother to look at the "dance costumes"? Because a few of those aren't all about enhancing the dance, unless of course it's the dance of the 7 veils.

If you are going to compare the costumes, many of the dance costumes are much more provocative than the frilly glitz dresses many of the pageant girls wear. Again, there are many people who push their kids in these events just the pageant kids.

I wasn't talking about the "deep wonderful things kids learn from participating" in these things really, I was talking about how if you think the pageant kids outfits are too much, you need to see some of the dance recitals going on around the country, because their outfits are much worse, much sexier, much more over the top adult looking.

Also, if done right, the pageant thing could be a lot of fun for a girl and her mom or dad. The people zeroed in for these shows are the over the top people, the people with story, the people that will make an impact. Are there a lot of them? Sure. So what? There are a lot of pushy parents out there. If they did a show on dance or cheer, you'd see them there too.

The problem is that very seldom is it "done right".

And I have seen the costumes that dd wore and the ones all the other classes wore in her dance school. and I continue to see dance schools full of costumes as I have two nieces who are still in dance. Only one could seem "sexy" but what everyong thought was skin was actually skin toned material. And every dance costume I have ever seen was picked because it goes with the song being danced to or the genre of music.

Sorry, but a mom that pushes her child in cheer and the mom that puts fake teeth in her child's mouth because her own teeth "aren't pretty enough" are in two different categories, IMHO.

 

[FredinFL]

Okay.

 

[FredinFL]

http://youtu.be/lkJzUwOBayk

 

[Ciao Mickey]

The pageant girls aren't glamorous unless they are on the stage either. They also work and sweat for their moment in the sun. Many of them take dance lessons (if not all?) I don't care what you call it, if the kid is dressed up with makeup, shortie skirts, hair done, sparkles...the look pretty much the same. I don't knock anyone's hard work, but the pageant kids work hard too. They don't just throw the dress on and go.

Frankly, their outfits aren't anymore outrageous than many cheer, dance and gymnast outfits. Again, I'm sorry if this bothers you, but it's still the truth.

I honestly don't see why it's okay to dress kids up in sparkly outfits, makeup and hairdos and call them "dancers", "cheerleaders" or "gymnasts", yet the "pageant kids" outfits are deemed less reputable and less acceptable.

Either it's too much for ALL little girls or it's okay for ALL little girls.

Dancers put on make-up so they don't look washed out on stage and wear costumes for their dance routines. Usually their hairdo is a bun.

That's a far cry from dressing up little girls in heavy makeup, false teeth, and Dolly Parton hairdos. Not to mention having them strut their stuff in the most provocative manner imaginably for their young ages...

 

[goofy!]

The pageant girls aren't glamorous unless they are on the stage either. They also work and sweat for their moment in the sun. Many of them take dance lessons (if not all?) I don't care what you call it, if the kid is dressed up with makeup, shortie skirts, hair done, sparkles...the look pretty much the same. I don't knock anyone's hard work, but the pageant kids work hard too. They don't just throw the dress on and go.

Frankly, their outfits aren't anymore outrageous than many cheer, dance and gymnast outfits. Again, I'm sorry if this bothers you, but it's still the truth.

I honestly don't see why it's okay to dress kids up in sparkly outfits, makeup and hairdos and call them "dancers", "cheerleaders" or "gymnasts", yet the "pageant kids" outfits are deemed less reputable and less acceptable.

Either it's too much for ALL little girls or it's okay for ALL little girls.

The average cheer uniform costs between $200 and $400. They wear the same one at each competition. There are a few gyms out there that have day 1 and day 2 uniforms.

Ours cost $400.00 and believe me, that is regarded as being on the very top end of expensive. And that includes the shoes and makeup.

I have never, ever heard of a cheerleading uniform costing several thousand dollars. Of course, there is far less fabric to bling on a cheer uniform

Our "hairdo" is a straighted pony tail. period. Although in the pageant kids' favor, there was a time where fake, curly ponytails or "cheer curls" were in vogue. You very rarely see it anymore. As the competitive cheer world evolves and becomes more and more physical, hairdos now have to take into account safety of the athlete first and foremost.

 

[eliza61]

I saw the promotion for the show. I figured it was not some thing I would watch when they describe one of the 6 year old contestents as "sexy".

Unless it's a 6 year old bottle of scotch, the word sexy should never be used to describe it.

I decided it was not some thing I want to watch and please a 6 year old blowing a kiss over her shoulder while winking is a hell of a lot different than cheering.

 

[Buckalew11]

I'm not a fan of pageants. I've been asked to do pageant hair for little girls and my answer is always "no". I want no part in making a child look like a mini-Dolly Parton.

 

[Ciao Mickey]

One other sad thing about these poor kids--most of them look like their mom or dad--what are they going to do when they grow up and are not so *beautiful* any longer?

How are they going to handle that?

 

[SandrA9810]

When I was in the Colorguard, make up was not for glamor or glitz, it was to help show expression. That's why it was the darkest eyeliner, brightest red lipstick, dark blush, and you ALWAYS had to smile on stage (unless the role calls for something different). Hair is always pulled back in a bun, ponytail, or braid.

Girls and guys came in all different shapes and sizes, but at the same time, the amount of exercise and activity that goes into these things, keeps the person in shape. Plus the better shape, the easier it is to do those things. It's more of a result than the purpose of being part of dancing.

No one has fake tans, fake teeth, or fake hair.

 

[aprilgail2]

The thing I find weird is that these people are all from the south. Are pageants only big in the south? I know they aren't big around here, but I would have thought that they were big on the coasts, etc.

It's very very sad...

I don't know of any here in NY-only place I have seen/heard of them was on these TV shows and it really makes me ill- the kids look like mini hookers! No way would I let my child out of the house at any age wearing some of those outfits and the make up these kids have on!!

 

[goofy!]

Many cheerleaders do spray tan. Nothing like wearing those skimpy crop tops with a pasty white belly - but 99% of them are the teens, not the little 5 and 6 year olds. Especially since competitions are in the dead of winter.

Two years ago we glued bright red glitter to the kid's lips However, we have followed the trend to more natural makeup last year and this year.

hmmm...maybe our outfits aren't that much different

As for pageants only being in the south? We are in Colorado, DS is 21 and many of his friends went to school with Jon Benet. (DS was open enrolled in a different school - she was at our home school.) 'Nuff said. Apparently the pageant world is in the wild west too.

DD does a lot of stuff with a Down syndrome foundation. Miss Teen Colorado and Miss Outstanding Teen Colorado and Miss Colorado (Miss America pageants) always attend too. The two teens are two of the nicest girls I have ever met. So, while I detest Toddlers and Tiaras (even though I DVR it since I love horror shows), I cannot paint all pageant kids with the same brush as McKenzie or all parents like Ava's dad. (Or Tom Hanks mocking Ava's dad).

 

[low-key]

Wishing someone shot because you don't agree with what they do is a bit extreme.

While they may not parent per your accepted standards, wishing them dead isn't the way to go.

, come on, you know that was a figure of speech, dont you ?