Beauty,
Beauty,
Culture
Six-year-old Natália Stangherlin has been named "World Minimiss Brazil" and is considered (by a select panel of Brazilian judges) to be "the most beautiful little girl in the world." Which is interesting mostly because she looks nothing like herself when she competes.
Like any other competitive sport, beauty pageants require much prepping beforehand. Before she takes the stage, Natália gets her makeup professionally done by someone who makes makeup look like it was done by a blind child with no hands, has highlights put in her already blonde hair, gets her hair curled and blown out so as to best resemble a sassy Texan divorcée with a pill problem, and puts in a "flipper" - a set of false teeth for young pageant contestants whose own teeth have yet to all grow in. The resulting look is one of a very tiny grown woman from the 80s shrunken down into the body of a small girl:
Child beauty pageants, as the popularity of movies like Little Miss Sunshine and shows like Toddlers & Tiaras demonstrate, hold a huge fascination in the United States as well, where American contestants bear a striking similarity to Natália in that winners are overwhelmingly Caucasian, with blonde hair and blue eyes - even when coming from two extremely diverse countries. That's not to say that non-White contestants never compete or go on to win beauty pageants - since the 80s, seven black women have been crowned Miss America. And a whopping one Asian-American. Even so, the standard of beauty to which these women - and girls - must subscribe is undoubtedly white-washed. The day we see a beauty contestant win Miss America with unrelaxed hair, or a so-called Roman nose, or a noticeable epicanthic fold is the day we will begin giving the mainstream American pageant circuit credit for being inclusive and diverse.
We know that, when it comes to child pageants, judges are searching for girls with a specific "look," and that this look bears little resemblance to how children appear in real life, no matter what their race or ethnicity may be. We mean, seriously:
It's a sport, and makeup and hairspray are the protective gear. But we wonder how growing up with such an emphasis on becoming (not being) beautiful has on a little girl's psyche. What happens when teeny beauty contestants go through an awkward stage no flipper can remedy? Will they at least have their baton twirling skills to fall back on?
For those who criticize the fact that Natália has been competing in this industry since she was two, her mother will have you know that you don't see her day-to-day, that you don't see her as a mother. But isn't mothering a 24-hour job? And what will happen if Natália chooses to stop competing? Or suffers a losing streak? Or hits puberty?
Will she still be "beautiful?"
Sexy Babies: Child Beauty Pageants Allow Brazil And The U.S. To Be Creepy Together
Author:
17 Aug 2009 | 16:54
Comments: 11
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Have you seen, heard or read something interesting lately?
Tip your editorsSix-year-old Natália Stangherlin has been named "World Minimiss Brazil" and is considered (by a select panel of Brazilian judges) to be "the most beautiful little girl in the world." Which is interesting mostly because she looks nothing like herself when she competes.
Like any other competitive sport, beauty pageants require much prepping beforehand. Before she takes the stage, Natália gets her makeup professionally done by someone who makes makeup look like it was done by a blind child with no hands, has highlights put in her already blonde hair, gets her hair curled and blown out so as to best resemble a sassy Texan divorcée with a pill problem, and puts in a "flipper" - a set of false teeth for young pageant contestants whose own teeth have yet to all grow in. The resulting look is one of a very tiny grown woman from the 80s shrunken down into the body of a small girl:
Child beauty pageants, as the popularity of movies like Little Miss Sunshine and shows like Toddlers & Tiaras demonstrate, hold a huge fascination in the United States as well, where American contestants bear a striking similarity to Natália in that winners are overwhelmingly Caucasian, with blonde hair and blue eyes - even when coming from two extremely diverse countries. That's not to say that non-White contestants never compete or go on to win beauty pageants - since the 80s, seven black women have been crowned Miss America. And a whopping one Asian-American. Even so, the standard of beauty to which these women - and girls - must subscribe is undoubtedly white-washed. The day we see a beauty contestant win Miss America with unrelaxed hair, or a so-called Roman nose, or a noticeable epicanthic fold is the day we will begin giving the mainstream American pageant circuit credit for being inclusive and diverse.
We know that, when it comes to child pageants, judges are searching for girls with a specific "look," and that this look bears little resemblance to how children appear in real life, no matter what their race or ethnicity may be. We mean, seriously:
It's a sport, and makeup and hairspray are the protective gear. But we wonder how growing up with such an emphasis on becoming (not being) beautiful has on a little girl's psyche. What happens when teeny beauty contestants go through an awkward stage no flipper can remedy? Will they at least have their baton twirling skills to fall back on?
For those who criticize the fact that Natália has been competing in this industry since she was two, her mother will have you know that you don't see her day-to-day, that you don't see her as a mother. But isn't mothering a 24-hour job? And what will happen if Natália chooses to stop competing? Or suffers a losing streak? Or hits puberty?
Will she still be "beautiful?"
Brazilian Mini elected Miss World has routine of 'big people' [Globo]
What do you think?
- LOL
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Comments
she even has teh Brazilian Glaze! =0
Reply*the
Reply"Minimiss" sounds like the perfect name for a chocha.
ReplyTHIS.
ReplyFresas con leche condensada.
ReplyIs this another proposed chocha name? Because then I also nominate "Flipper."
ReplyThe spirit of Jon Benet Ramsey lives on..........Do you ever notice how the mom's of all these little whores, I mean precious little beauty queens, all look like butch dykes and their fathers are passive, effeminate, closeted homos? Ohh well, that's what pageant kids are for....helping parents overcome the shattered mess of their own lives by being the beauty mom never was or the girl dad could never get.
ReplyHA! no that just sounded super good. but it would be a good name Maybe flipper for a peen... are you adding new chochas to the crew??
ReplyI was watching The Soup this weekend and they had a bit about a show about these pageants. One of the organizers was talking about the swimsuit competition (they have a swimsuit competition!) and was all "we allow two-piece suits but no thongs; you have to have a perfect body to wear a thong." Seriously disturbing.
ReplyApparently itOs acceptable in the United States to dress toddlers up like full grown women and parade them on a stage in their swimsuits so they can be rated on their body, face and outfit by a panel of judges. This is not only a waste of time but itOs totally twisted. I sure these pageants are swarming with dirty old men too. http://doodiepants.com/2009/08/19/pedophiles-wonderland-the-world-of-kiddie-pageants/
Replymy sister was shown on that eposide. i have no problem with beauty pageants no matter the kids age
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