Frequently Asked Questions:
What is so bad about beauty pageants?
Beauty pageants judge children on their physical beauty. The percentage of the competition based on beauty varies between pageants, however we believe that judging children on their looks is cruel and potentially harmful, sending them the message that their looks are their currency and that if they don't fit a narrow beauty ideal that they are unworthy.
Isn't it just the same as any other sport or competition where there are winners and losers?
Competition is important, whether it be sport or performance based activity where children get to express themselves and 'shine', however no other competition compares to beauty pagaents where children are rewarded (or not) for their physical beauty. Beauty is not a talent or skill than can be enhanced with practice/determination/stamina.
Why don't you get a life and fight some worthwhile battles like child poverty?
Many of us do. We also see first hand the impacts that 'beauty competition' generated through relentless advertising of beauty messages (incl. media, advertising, pop culture) has on young girls, and see the bigger picture where this also impacts on the status of women. We should be encouraging girls to get out from behind the bathroom mirror and focus on more important, decision making roles in society, instead of wasting time and resources playing 'compare and despair'. Speaking of child poverty, the money some people spend on pageants would be enough to feed an entire village for a year.
There are ugly parents at the soccer too, and people pushing their kids to play piano, what's the difference?
There is no difference. We agree - regardless of the pursuit, parents living vicariously through their children are ugly. This isn't about 'pageant-parent bashing' or 'mummy wars'. We believe that pageant parents care about their children and don't see anything harmful in what they're doing, however many are ignoring the valid concerns raised by many people including child development experts.
Why is everybody going on about sexualisation? There's as much (if not more) sexualisation at dancing and cheerleading.
Unfortunately leading up to the Universal Royalty pageant in Melbourne, the issue was somewhat abducted by some whose primary focus was 'sexploitation', therefore overshadowing the Pull the Pin message. Even some 'experts' have been wrapped up in the sexualisation frenzy, missing the point entirely. Of course, the sexualisation of children is a concern, but it is not unique to pageants. Sexualisation/adultification are just side effects. Beauty competitions are an adult concept, so it's not surprising that girls would be encourged to emulate an 'adult' look to fit a narrow beauty ideal. Sexualisation is a complex issue, and not one that should be fought out specifically over pageants. Even if you removed the adult grooming/costumes/dance moves from pageants, you'd still be left with a competition based on physical beauty. Pull the Pin will continue to make this distinction. This is an independent campaign, and we are not aligned with any hidden agenda organisation, religious or otherwise.
Outstanding. Another band of vitriolic, neo-fascistic mothers trying to ban anything that doesn't conform with your worldview. Pitchforks everyone! I would imagine that any call to "mind your own business" would fall on deaf ears?
To quote from the beginning of BBC documentary series 'Beauty and the Beast: The ugly face of prejudice.' "...this emerging beauty fascism is not only breeding a generation of women dissatisfied with their looks, it’s feeding the prejudice faced by anyone who doesn’t fit the conventional idea of beauty".
I do wonder what your interest is in allowing children to be judged by adults on their physical beauty. Cock fighting used to be legal once too - and I'm sure the owners of the cocks were adamant that the cocks LOVED what they were doing - they were bred for it, but we just knew it was a cruel thing to do so it was banned. It's the same with pageants for children - no one's suggesting that girls are fighting to the death for the crown, but they are certainly being sent the message that they're not 'enough' if they don't fit the narrow adult contrived beauty ideal, which can have a detrimental impact on them (and lead to a myriad of mental health issues and disorders). I think it IS our business to challenge the society we're all a part of that says it's OK for others to look at children as objects to be judged and rewarded for their looks. If a girl of 16 wants to compete with her peers for the 'I'm the prettiest/hottest/cutest' crown, so be it - at least by then that decision will be made with proper consent understanding the possible implications. Beauty competitions are adult concepts created purely as a money making exercise. There is no benefit to a child to be told by anyone, let alone a panel of adult pageant judges, that she is more or less beautiful than her peers. The need to seek that kind of validification is not a normal childhood persuit. I wouldn't be so arrogant as to assume to know what the 'worldview' of all of our supporters is (I'd imagine it's quite diverse), but one thing I think we do have in common, is the desire for equality and for children to be allowed to be children.
Are you worried that you might be creating more publicity for pageants?
No. If they continue unchallenged, they'll become more engrained in our culture. You can't just ignore them and hope they'll go away. If they come/are here to stay, that will be the fault of inactive governments who fail to act in the best interests of children and the status of women. At the very least, any government should welcome thorough investigation including consultation with a wide range of interests and experts. We will continue with the help of our supporters to apply pressure to government to take a stand and pull the pin on beauty pagaents for children. Who's that going to hurt?
Beauty pageants judge children on their physical beauty. The percentage of the competition based on beauty varies between pageants, however we believe that judging children on their looks is cruel and potentially harmful, sending them the message that their looks are their currency and that if they don't fit a narrow beauty ideal that they are unworthy.
Isn't it just the same as any other sport or competition where there are winners and losers?
Competition is important, whether it be sport or performance based activity where children get to express themselves and 'shine', however no other competition compares to beauty pagaents where children are rewarded (or not) for their physical beauty. Beauty is not a talent or skill than can be enhanced with practice/determination/stamina.
Why don't you get a life and fight some worthwhile battles like child poverty?
Many of us do. We also see first hand the impacts that 'beauty competition' generated through relentless advertising of beauty messages (incl. media, advertising, pop culture) has on young girls, and see the bigger picture where this also impacts on the status of women. We should be encouraging girls to get out from behind the bathroom mirror and focus on more important, decision making roles in society, instead of wasting time and resources playing 'compare and despair'. Speaking of child poverty, the money some people spend on pageants would be enough to feed an entire village for a year.
There are ugly parents at the soccer too, and people pushing their kids to play piano, what's the difference?
There is no difference. We agree - regardless of the pursuit, parents living vicariously through their children are ugly. This isn't about 'pageant-parent bashing' or 'mummy wars'. We believe that pageant parents care about their children and don't see anything harmful in what they're doing, however many are ignoring the valid concerns raised by many people including child development experts.
Why is everybody going on about sexualisation? There's as much (if not more) sexualisation at dancing and cheerleading.
Unfortunately leading up to the Universal Royalty pageant in Melbourne, the issue was somewhat abducted by some whose primary focus was 'sexploitation', therefore overshadowing the Pull the Pin message. Even some 'experts' have been wrapped up in the sexualisation frenzy, missing the point entirely. Of course, the sexualisation of children is a concern, but it is not unique to pageants. Sexualisation/adultification are just side effects. Beauty competitions are an adult concept, so it's not surprising that girls would be encourged to emulate an 'adult' look to fit a narrow beauty ideal. Sexualisation is a complex issue, and not one that should be fought out specifically over pageants. Even if you removed the adult grooming/costumes/dance moves from pageants, you'd still be left with a competition based on physical beauty. Pull the Pin will continue to make this distinction. This is an independent campaign, and we are not aligned with any hidden agenda organisation, religious or otherwise.
Outstanding. Another band of vitriolic, neo-fascistic mothers trying to ban anything that doesn't conform with your worldview. Pitchforks everyone! I would imagine that any call to "mind your own business" would fall on deaf ears?
To quote from the beginning of BBC documentary series 'Beauty and the Beast: The ugly face of prejudice.' "...this emerging beauty fascism is not only breeding a generation of women dissatisfied with their looks, it’s feeding the prejudice faced by anyone who doesn’t fit the conventional idea of beauty".
I do wonder what your interest is in allowing children to be judged by adults on their physical beauty. Cock fighting used to be legal once too - and I'm sure the owners of the cocks were adamant that the cocks LOVED what they were doing - they were bred for it, but we just knew it was a cruel thing to do so it was banned. It's the same with pageants for children - no one's suggesting that girls are fighting to the death for the crown, but they are certainly being sent the message that they're not 'enough' if they don't fit the narrow adult contrived beauty ideal, which can have a detrimental impact on them (and lead to a myriad of mental health issues and disorders). I think it IS our business to challenge the society we're all a part of that says it's OK for others to look at children as objects to be judged and rewarded for their looks. If a girl of 16 wants to compete with her peers for the 'I'm the prettiest/hottest/cutest' crown, so be it - at least by then that decision will be made with proper consent understanding the possible implications. Beauty competitions are adult concepts created purely as a money making exercise. There is no benefit to a child to be told by anyone, let alone a panel of adult pageant judges, that she is more or less beautiful than her peers. The need to seek that kind of validification is not a normal childhood persuit. I wouldn't be so arrogant as to assume to know what the 'worldview' of all of our supporters is (I'd imagine it's quite diverse), but one thing I think we do have in common, is the desire for equality and for children to be allowed to be children.
Are you worried that you might be creating more publicity for pageants?
No. If they continue unchallenged, they'll become more engrained in our culture. You can't just ignore them and hope they'll go away. If they come/are here to stay, that will be the fault of inactive governments who fail to act in the best interests of children and the status of women. At the very least, any government should welcome thorough investigation including consultation with a wide range of interests and experts. We will continue with the help of our supporters to apply pressure to government to take a stand and pull the pin on beauty pagaents for children. Who's that going to hurt?
