Psychiatrists have called for a ban on child beauty contests. They claim this leads to the " sexualization " of children - and that absolutely no good can come from such events.
Children probably enjoy what they see as a " dress up parade ", but the real harm comes when mothers lose the plot and become obsessed with winning. That is where things turn ugly and " win at any cost " introduces invasive procedures such as the injecting of Botox, the use of harsh chemicals to whiten skin or change hair colour - and the use of inappropriate clothing to promote a " sexy " image !
It is a fact of life that " sex sells. " The advertising industry uses sex to sell everything from clothes to magazines and newspapers. The only question is whether it should have a place in contests that involve competition between children.
Unfortunately, trying to limit cosmetics and clothing runs counter to human nature. Genetics bestow on some people an appearance that is superior to others, and the less endowed have always sought to even the scale by using enhancement. The psychiatrists are probably right. It would be almost impossible to devise a code of ethics that would prevent all of the harmful practices that they seek to prevent.
But - surely there must be some limit on such a ban. For instance, some newspapers run a " baby of the year " contest which features pictures of children born in that particular year. How do you compare tots under a year old with a six year old with bleached hair, Botox enhanced lips and expensive art makeup - dressed in clothing specially designed to create an older image sexy look ?
And that brings up the matter of the teenage years. When is it OK for a girl to decide to look sexy ? When is make-up permissible. ? At what age does the selection of clothes become a personal choice ?
Carry that to it's logical extension - and should we ban Miss Australia - and then Miss World contests between more mature young women who look at that as the start of a lucrative modelling career. ?
We have codes of conduct in sport and these regulate precisely what drugs will result in an athlete facing a ban. Perhaps a similar code should exist to regulate beauty contests - but given the never ending disclosures of cheating in the sporting world - would such a ban serve any useful purpose ?
Perhaps the best solution could be left to those who judge beauty contests between children. Perhaps looking " sexy " could be a mark down judgement - along with any sort of enhancement that is obviously not provided by nature.
But then - going by the fiasco of selecting a host for the world cup - and the shenanigans occurring in
events like the Tour de France - how are we going to find judges who abide by such rules ?
Maybe this time the psychiatrists got it right !
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