As if there weren’t enough crazy reality shows, someone had to go and create Toddlers and Tiaras. For those that haven’t seen it, it follows the lives of young girls (and I do mean young) and their mothers as they spend all their time, energy, and money on little girls’ beauty pageants. And how do they win, you ask? By being their sweet, adorable selves? Perhaps I wouldn’t be as grossed out by the show if that were the case, but it isn’t. These young girls, that range anywhere from 3-10 years old, wear makeup, fake hair, fake tans, fake lashes, fake teeth, bikinis and short dresses as they prance and dance around the stage. And apparently no one sees a problem with this. Here’s a clip.

Whatever happened to regular, unadorned little girls? You know, the loveable little creatures with frizzy ponytails, missing teeth and juice-stained tee shirts. Are they not enough anymore? I guess not, because these mothers are dressing their babies up, sometimes beyond recognition, and having them strut down a walkway, all in the hope of being crowd the best. Is it that important to these mothers to have their little girls acknowledged as pretty by complete strangers that they’re willing to rob them of their innocence? By dressing them up in fake, adult accessories, they are teaching these girls that their looks are the most important part of them and that they should do everything to “perfect” them.

It’s bad enough that the media is encouraging our precious girls to grow up too quickly, but to have their own mothers’ endorsing this idea is a disease to our society. We’re producing superficial, looks-obsessed girls that grow up into superficial, looks-obsessed women, women that are more likely to develop eating disorders, women that are at an increased risk of having low self esteem (though you wouldn’t know it on the outside). When they develop a reality show about little girls and their academic, artistic, and athletic talents, I’ll be the first to watch, but until then, I’m disgusted.

Zara’s Mommy,
Nadirah