Toddlers and Tiarars

[hoyden]

I agree

but I wonder if the need for approval from the parents overides the need for approval from boys later in life

"overrides" or creates?
I'd wager that unmet needs from parents (particularly the father for a daughter) become the desire for attention from boys later on.
And often unhealthy attention (see: GGW....)

of course, my armchair psychoanalysis could be totally off.... 

[il d00d]

I agree

but I wonder if the need for approval from the parents overides the need for approval from boys later in life

I think we could call them both bad feedback loops and call it a day.  Personally, I think sexualizing girls at a young age has a little more to do with any permanent damage done.  They are forcing these kids to go through the motions of acting like adult women when they don't have any notion of what that means.

As far as the show goes, it is likely there are as many people who feel the way you do about it Cyrus, so I think the net effect of any exploitation on the part of the network is a wash.  Sure they are getting advertising dollars, but they are also generating a lot of outrage in the process.  So "misdirected" was probably an overstatement - good for you for telling it like it is 

[GAAN]

Having never seen the show...

What is the network's angle?

exploitation or documentary?


also, why is it assumed that the kids are being forced?

my friends daughters of that age eat up the idea of playing dress up like mommy

[cyrus buelton]

From what I have watched here is my take:

we have watched the show twice before rendering an official opinion: last night was the second and last time we will watch.

Basically each week they follow like 4 girls and their parents who are "prepping" them for the pageant they have entered.

They interview the parents about the clothes they wear, they interview the girls about how they want to win (while they have rollers/curlers whatever the make the beast with two backs you call them in their hair).

For God's sake, last night one of the little girls went to a dentist to get an implant put in because she lost a tooth (hmm...natural life occurrence) the week before the pageant, so the Mom took her to get the implant so it wouldn't hamper her chances of winning.

So the day of the show, they dress in these expensive dresses (I recall last night one cost >1,000$.........that was more than my wife's wedding dress....but then again, she got lucky and ended up getting one for 60$, but that is a different story all together. It was from Jessica McClintock....special order dress that the original person never wanted....odd size, so they couldn't sell it <my wife has a rather "large" chest....so shopping is hard for her). Anyway.

So they put all sorts of makeup on these girls, blah blah blah........they pick the winners. Parents get pissed off, the kids cry, etc.

By the end of the day.....the little girls are asleep on the floor or chairs, etc.


I assume they are being forced because of how the parents act. They yell at their child, they do this, they do that.

You'd have to watch a show to get the idea.


I am not sure what the angle is...........I guess documenting child pageants?

[cyrus buelton]

http://tlc.discovery.com/videos/toddlers-and-tiaras/


You can watch clips.


Note: they even spray tan these girls...........

[yamifixer]

Disclaimer: I have never watched a second of the show. The promo commercials piss me off.

I have a cousin who 15 years ago put her daughter into these "pageants" she is now 17 and the biggest spoiled brat b*tch I have ever met. cute and knows it.

[NorDog]

what's worse?

Toddlers and Tiaras

or

Girls gone wild

which one do you think has a more damaging impact to a young female?

The difference is simply a matter of time.

[duccarlos]

my wife has a rather "large" chest....

Understatement of the year.

[cyrus buelton]

Understatement of the year.

That's probably true.

[Triple J]

The show sucks...as do almost all "reality shows". I've never watched it...only seen clips on The Soup...but you can tell it sucks, and the people on the show are most likely dirtbags exploiting their children.

That said...not all pageant kids are like that. I went all the way through school being friends with a girl who consistently won the Cinderella pageants in elementary school (I think that was the pageants name...not positive). She was a normal kid, and turned out just fine from what I remember in High School. Of course...they'd never show a normal family on a reality show...you only see the wackos.

I don't think pageants are bad as a whole. Just like any activity, it depends if the kid is interested in the activity, and if the parents support/regulate them (as opposed to pressure/force them). I played little league baseball and wrestled beginning at age 6. I enjoyed it, but there always was one kid every year that absolutely hated it, but was forced to play by his parents. Same thing IMO.

[lauramonster]

another tragedy is that these kids lose their childhood.  They're so busy being small adults, they don't run, fall down, laugh 'til it hurts, all the things being a child entails.  That's also when they learn socializtion, so what're they learning?  ( I'm guessing that all stimulus is toward them - not a thought on their own, and everyone doing things for the so they never learn to do it themselves)

lots of reasons to boycott the show.

[Le Pirate]

The show sucks...as do almost all "reality shows". I've never watched it...only seen clips on The Soup...but you can tell it sucks, and the people on the show are most likely dirtbags exploiting their children.

I have nothing to add. I don't like pageants...I won't let my daughter enter them (if/when/whatever). I think they are probably okay, except when taken to the extreme. Such as, the people on that show.

I, BTW, have never watched it....I've also only seen clips on the Soup.

I just wanted to say, I thought it was funny that someone else here was also a Soup watcher 

[Triple J]

I just wanted to say, I thought it was funny that someone else here was also a Soup watcher 

The Soup rules! Might be the best show on television. 

[Popeye the Sailor]

Meh-probably almost every show out there, reality and otherwise, exploits in some way. 

[metallimonster]

That's probably true.

I keep wondering how you pulled that one off