Comment & Debate
Kareen Nussbaum. “Children and Beauty Pageants.”: “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.”