Collective Shout have sponsored a petition lobbying state and federal government to take action against child beauty pageants. You’ll be hard pressed to find any psychologists that endorse such pageants – in fact they do exactly the opposite. Study have shown that ‘a significant association between childhood beauty pageant participation and increased body dissatisfaction, difficulty trusting interpersonal relationships, and greater impulsive behaviors and indicates a trend toward increased feelings of ineffectiveness.’
Read more about it here or here. And then sign the petition here.
a girl who speaks 
If it’s the mother pushing the child in that direction it may damage the child. No one should try and live through their child.
Many pageant girls have grown up to be very poised, confidant adults with great opportunities and careers. You really don’t know what you’re talking about. I feel bad that you are so angy about something that is a fun mother daughter experience. There will always be bad mothers that will raise maladjusted children, pageants or not.
Of course no one should try to live vicariously through their children – this does do more damage. But this isn’t the only factor that is bad for children in these pageants. These competition pit girls against each other based on appearance. Perhaps the winners grow up to be ‘poised, confident adults’ but what about the rest of them? They can end up with depression, low self esteem and eating disorders.
That child beauty pageants are damaging to children is not just my opinion but the opinion of child psychologist around the world.