Toddlers and Tiara's

The TLC network has always had some very out of the ordinary TV shows maybe that is why it is called the Learning Channel. One show on the network that has been in the spotlight lately is “Toddlers and   Tiaras”. The show is about little girls and beauty pageants. I, myself watch this show every Wednesday night at 9 p.m. What I like most about this show is probably how the moms act, it always makes me laugh.

Recently though, people have been criticizing the show about how the pageant moms are treating their little girls. Many believe that the moms are making their kids grow up too fast. For example in one episode I watched, the mother of Eden Wood, a pageant star, gave Eden her “special drink” to help her perform better. When the camera zoomed to the can you could tell that it was a Red Bull even though they blurred the label out.  What I want to know is who would give their six year old child a drink that can be dangerous due to the high caffeine.

Another thing that bothers me is how the mothers give their daughters spray tans. The mothers believe that you can’t win a glitz pageant without a spray tan. By doing this they are teaching their children that unless they are tan they are not pretty. These girls are going to grow up going to tanning booths every week and could eventually get skin cancer. It seems the mothers are reinforcing the idea that being pretty is the only thing that matters.

Recently Peoples magazine did in article about “Toddlers and Tiaras” and one of the sections show the average cost of a glitz pageant. Entering a pageant alone cost around $1,000. Then you have to add in the cost of the dress, the hair piece, nails, and tan and usually they get some kind of facial. This all adds up to more than $3,000. Remember this is just one pageant and they have to do it all over again for the next one they enter. I wonder if this money could be better spent on a future college education for these girls.

Even though I don’t particularly agree with the ideas that the moms have I still enjoy watching the show and will probably watch it until they take it off air. In fact “Toddler and Tiaras” is one of the highest rated shows on TLC. I guess we all are fascinated with what people will do for fame.