Litte Miss Perfect, Toddlers and Tiaras....

[atmtcprincess]

I watched this show for the first time a few weeks back because I wanted to see what pageants are like now since I was in pageants when I was about the same age as these little girls (around 3 or so). WOW! They have certainly changed A LOT in the last 16 years. I don't remember a whole lot about them but the fake teeth, tanning, hair extensions, hair dying, and hooker look was not a part of the pageants then. It was more of a cutesy thing. Yes, we wore makeup but it wasn't plastered on like these girls. We took photos as well but they were not photoshopped at all, especially not to look as fake as those photos do. We actually still have them and a few are up in my room.

My mom and grandma were the active relatives when I did them and they were nothing like some of these moms. While I remember some moms coaching their daughters from the aisle, my mom never did that. All she would do was make signs to smile while sitting down. I had fun doing them but we stopped after about 3 years or so. I asked my mom why a few years back and she said it was becoming too cut throat. People would get so p.o. if their child didn't win. There were also a lot of backstabbers and cheaters as well. The same major people would go to the same pageants and it would just get vicious towards people who won. She didn't think that would be a good environment for me to be in so we stopped. I still get things in the mail every now and then asking if I want to participate in a pageant and my mom will get excited and want me to do it but I never do. Sorry for the long post. Just thought I'd tell what it used to be like. It's amazing to see the difference!

 

[rie'smom]

My mom judged 1 pageant at a local fair about 30-35 years ago. She said the mothers were so mean and would try to tell her bad stuff about their daughter's competitors. Mom never would do another one and could not get over the cattiness of those women.

 

[FSUDisneyGirl]

i watch toddlers and tiaras. every so often there's a girl/mom pair that i think are okay, not too over the top, the kid is having fun and wants to do it, etc...but usually, i think that's not the case.

eta: i'm so excited, someone put a bunch of the little miss perfect episodes on you tube. i'm off to watch them!

 

[marivaid]

According to one of my friends, the little girl who's on the "Short Reports" little show on the Disney Channel is a big celebrity in kiddy pageants. I can't remember what her real name is but on the show she is Summer Summers or somethin clever like that You'd think Disney'd frown on that...

 

[rie'smom]

According to one of my friends, the little girl who's on the "Short Reports" little show on the Disney Channel is a big celebrity in kiddy pageants. I can't remember what her real name is but on the show she is Summer Summers or somethin clever like that You'd think Disney'd frown on that...

I don't know if Disney would frown, look at Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.

 

[marivaid]

I don't know if Disney would frown, look at Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.

True. It may be a curse!

 

[Nickimouse]

Check out this intro to the show. So funny!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1HRfy4xxko

 

[Poppinsme]

DH and I just watched this on TLC!!!!!!!
GROSS!!!!!!!
Wow just wow. Thats all we can say.

 

[C.Ann]

DH and I just watched this on TLC!!!!!!!
GROSS!!!!!!!
Wow just wow. Thats all we can say.

They've been running back-to-back episodes on TLC every afternoon lately and every now and then I'll glance up and actually watch what's happening.. (The tv is mainly on for background noise..) I find the "glitz" and "glam" aspect terribly sad (beauty should be natural in my book) and most of the mom's drive me nuts!! I think many of them are simply living vicariously through their children.. Maybe the mom's should enter the pageants themselves and leave the little ones alone.. It's so sad and frustrating to see them yelling at their kids; threatening them; bribing them; hiding the costs from their spouses; etc..

 

[Poppinsme]

They've been running back-to-back episodes on TLC every afternoon lately and every now and then I'll glance up and actually watch what's happening.. (The tv is mainly on for background noise..) I find the "glitz" and "glam" aspect terribly sad (beauty should be natural in my book) and most of the mom's drive me nuts!! I think many of them are simply living vicariously through their children.. Maybe the mom's should enter the pageants themselves and leave the little ones alone.. It's so sad and frustrating to see them yelling at their kids; threatening them; bribing them; hiding the costs from their spouses; etc..

It's horrible IMHO.

 

[EMom]

When DD was younger, her dance teacher approached me about putting her in pageants. (Her DDs had been in them FOREVER and had done quite well.) She said DD was "born for the spotlight" or something like that. She was probably right. DD was a ham. And she had "the look." Dear lord, if we'd have piled the makeup, hair pieces, etc, on her, she'd have BEEN JonBenet Ramsey. I graciously declined her offer to mentor DD for pageants. No way we wanted DD to think her value was based on her looks an ability to charm judges.

When I was in HS, my friend won her local pageant and went to the Miss Texas USA contest. She won Most Photogenic. She would never have won Miss Texas USA as she was too petite. She came back and said although she'd met some nice girls there, she'd also met the most "cutthroat bunch of witches" (but not witches) she'd ever seen in her life. They hid/sabotaged each other's hot rollers, makeup, dresses, etc. She'd never seen anything like it, being the sweet thing she was. It was a rude awakening.....But we got some good stories out of it.

 

[minniecarousel]

Yeah, I'm with C.Ann on this one - I have the TV on for background noise. I couldn't believe today - one mom was totally off the charts, saying she didn't know if she could even have her daughter go through with the "talent" portion. Watching the Mom do the whole routine, coaching her daughter while the girl was performing was jaw-dropping! (A few of the girls had parents who didn't seem as pushy & the girls looked more natural.) Lordy - the hair! the make-up! What are they thinking?!

I think this is one area that I can't be convinced that this is good for the children. There were boys on today too, but I stopped wacthing. Seriously? 22 month-olds?!

 

[Poppinsme]

http://www.universalroyalty.com/texas_state_entry_form.htm

Wow look how much it costs to enter these things!
I admit its got me looking. Like a train wreck.

"A sucker is born every minute"

 

[torinsmom]

My DS did a few pageants when he was a baby/toddler. Of course, the boys events are a lot different. All they do is put on a suit and look cute. He liked getting all the attention; he is still a ham. The local pageant was always fun, little girls with very little makeup on, and just their Sunday best. Then at states it was a little bit more, and at the nationals, the girls looked like little streetwalkers, no lie. I would never have done that to a girl. Actually, when DS was 2, one dad told me he had his son's hair permed.

MArsha