WUNRN
AUSTRALIA - CHILD BEAUTY PAGEANT
SPARKS PROTESTS, DEBATE
July 31, 2011 - Australia - Protesters gathered in Melbourne's CBD to rally against a child beauty pageant being held at Northcote, in the city's north, in which babies as young as two months old were enrolled.
They called for new laws to ban young children entering beauty pageants, and a code of conduct for the children's performances.
Catherine Manning, from protest group Pull the Pin on Beauty Pageants for Children, says age restrictions are needed for such events.
"To me it's abhorrent," she said.
To those involved in the pageant however, it is harmless and fun.
The Universal Royalty beauty pageant, a US-style event, involves babies and toddlers as contestants.
Organisers say the participants are judged on facial beauty, overall appearance, personality and talent.
Such events have seen participants using wigs, false teeth and spray tan. It has also been featured in the US reality TV show, Toddlers and Tiaras.
'Simply toxic'
Some say the pageant borders on child abuse.
Psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, who specialises in adolescent mental health would like to see such events banned altogether.
"We have got to say no," he said.
"In my view if you were to say to me that you put your child in that situation I would absolutely suggest to you that it's bordering on child abuse.
"These children will not come out of this unscarred psychologically and we're all sitting around rather like voyeurs watching it happen.
"There's something really quite obscene about that."
Victoria's Child Safety Commissioner, Bernie Geary, attended the event and says he will hand his observations to the State Government.
"Look it was fine and I'm glad I'm came on saw lots of people being happiness, being happy," he said.
But Dr Carr-Gregg is dismayed that the event has even been able to start.
All of the evidence says that this sort of early sexualisation of young people is associated with negative body image, disordered eating, depression, anxiety, low self esteem. It's simply toxic to the young people of Australia.
Psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg
"I'm disappointed that calls by the Australian Childhood Foundation, myself, Kids Free to be Kids and collective shout to the Minister Wendy Lovell to basically ban this stupid pageant has been ignored, so have our calls to the Federal Government," he said.
"All of the evidence says that this sort of early sexualisation of young people is associated with negative body image, disordered eating, depression, anxiety, low self esteem. It's simply toxic to the young people of Australia."
Ms Manning, who also conducts school workshops for girls on body image and self-esteem, would not go so far as to describe the pageants as child abuse.
But she also wants more action from politicians.
"We'd like to see an age restriction, probably 16 years of age and then a code of conduct around not just beauty pageants but children's performance, activities where they're quite often encouraged to engage in adult beauty procedures like waxing and spray tanning just to perform," she said.
Victorian Labor spokeswoman Jenny Mikakos agrees competitive beauty pageants for children should be regulated.
"This style of beauty pageant I believe is alien to the Australian way of life," she said.
"We don't want to see children judged on their beauty. All children are beautiful just as they are.
"And children should be allowed to look like children without being made up to look like adults."
'Mother-daughter time'
Pageant organiser Annette Hill spoke to Fairfax Radio on Friday.
"Who is it for someone to tell a parent you can't do tutoring with your child or football with their child or dance with your child. It's the same thing," she said.
"We've bonded together and like mother-daughter time, gone on holidays as well," one parent told Channel Nine.
"Just honestly, something fun for me and her to do together. Bond together," said another.
But Ms Manning believes most Australians do resist the attraction of the US-style events.
"There's acceptance from people in America that that's just part of the culture. I think people are quite affronted by shows like Toddlers and Tiaras and this type of Universal Royalty, high glitz pageant," she said.
The pageant has now ended, but no doubt the debate will continue.