Children as young as 20 month old in some cases are being forced by their parents to take part in degrading beauty pageants. Children are forced to wear huge amounts of make-up, revealing clothes and humiliating costumes. These children are subjected to hours of hair and make up sessions and gruelling dance and singing rehearsals. This is child abuse. These children are being objectified and sexualised for large amounts of money. What kind of messages are these pageants sending to these children? They are going to grow up believing that they have to be 'perfect' and that only beauty matters. And those who do not win are going to grow up believing they are not good enough.

Child beauty pageants should be banned. The minimum age to enter a pageant should be raised to 16.