Gay men find acceptance in the world of child pageants

Child pageants disturb me. I don’t care who is behind it.

 

  

I can’t wrap my mind around putting a ton of make-up, and little sexy outfits on CHILDREN for them to model in front of adults.

 

  

I am sure some of the adults aren’t child molesters, but at the same time, I would not be surprised if some were and this was some way to ‘’feed’’ their attraction towards children. They’re out there whether the children model or not….but this to me, just says “look at the pretty girl….look how grown-up and sexy she looks...”  - - to me, it is an invite, and i know that is not the intention, but these people aren't stupid...they have heard the this arguement before, yet they don't seem to care. whatever gets these kids noticed, right?

 

  …as for Jon Benet, I don’t think we’ll ever figure out who killed her and why….but my theory is that it was someone who liked the way she looked in the pageant…not just that, but that they knew her and her family well. If I remember correctly, there was no sign of a break-in or a struggle of any kind. EH

Fantastic. A brand new way of stereotyping gay men as child abusers. Thanks, AfterElton.com!

I doubt that the site strives to stereotype gay men as abusers, but post is hopefully simply recognizing another arena in which gay men (for better or worse) play a big role.

On the other hand, I do see these pageants as a horrible form of child abuse (no matter how many times the kids say the love it), so along with the parents, gay men who work in that world are as complicit in what I think is a dangerous endeabor. It's one thing for a gay stylist to be working with clients who are of a certain age (even if they are only as smart as a certain Miss South Carolina) as one could argue that maybe a college-aged girl is old enough to make her own decisions. I don't have any answers about what a "right age" is, but feel strongly that any single digits are unacceptable. If pressed, I'd suggest 18 at a minimum.

With regard to child pageants, the clients tend to be frumpy mothers/grandmothers who want to live vicariously via these contests. As is shown in Living Dolls, many times the girls want to be little girls but that are guilted, threatened, bought off, just to get them to perform, tan, pull out knotted dyed hair, or get them into provocative clothing.

While gay men are in no way guilty of creating what sells in these pageants, the winners are made to look like little drag queens and even most disturbingly, they are taught to seduce the judges/audience in ways that are known to be confusing to children as it sexualizes them too early. The walk, the bathing suits, the manipulation. I hate to sound like an AFA-member but while the job market is limited, but I think that any adult (of any sex/sexual orientation) who is into styling, should look for opportunities involving adults, mannequins, and so many other "beauty" opportunities that don't involve children.

I always tend to be quite laissez-faire with regard to things that don't hurt other people, but this is one a no-brainer for me. I am glad that there is negative publicity about this stuff. With the Olympics in full force, I am also glad to be seeing some stories about the price that some kids in certain sports, like gymnastics, pay for dreams that are not always of their own making. Kids need parenting and gay men and women can play a huge role in schools, and that is a fight that I think we need to focus on as gay men are not pedophiles and can contribute in positive ways that society is not allowing them into.

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...young women are lambasted with images of superficial obsession with appearance at a very young age even when they are the ones buying the magazines, and watching it on MTV or whatever. To advance this even sooner by taking children as young as 5 and doll them up and sexulize them is wrong on so many levels. Little girls should be playing outside in the yard, using their imagination to make up games, and learning about nature. They shouldn't be learning what colour of makeup accentuates their skin or hides a flaw, learning how to manipulate judges through appearance and fakery, and learning how to become consumers of mass produced crap that all ends up in the landfill. They also learn the worst kind of competitiveness, and back-stabbery just by watching their own mothers.

These pageants teach children how to be the worst kind of adults. And people *still* say "jeez, what's wrong with the world these days?".

 

 

I say we take the warning labels off everything and let nature take it's course.

I don't actually consider the stylists, judges and emcees to be child abusers. (Parents and coaches are borderline, though.)  I also don't necessarily expect child pageants to attract people with a creepy interest since the pageants are now closed off to the general public. There's less chance for a creepy person to be a spectator.

However, I'm still bothered by child pageants. Even if we were to ignore sexual overtones of little girls dressing up as women, the children are still being objectified. They are basically objects to bring social status to their parents. They are taught that their self worth depends on how pretty and attractive a third party judges them to be. That's such a terrible thing for somebody to learn at such an impressionable age. 

I'm happy that some gay men can find a place in beauty pageants where they are accepted, especially if they live in conservative areas. I just would prefer that the beauty pageants were restricted to adults.

Not surprising to see gay men working children's beauty pageants. Gay men play a big role in woman's beauty pageants. Who do you think teaches Miss America how to walk in heels? Gay men play a big part in just about any stage production. Gosh, there's hardly a foot light turned on before some queen asks why nobody knows how to light a stage properly.

I don't know how abusive participating in a pageant is for little girls, any more than sending an 8 year old to gymnast class, swimming or ballet camp. I am sure some of the girls enjoy it, like playing dress up. But I agree with others, tt sends the wrong message to them. And it's not only the makeup and sexuality which is creepy,(I don't know that it started that way even though Shirley Temple was taught to imitate Mae West), but that they are taught to regard looks as prize worthy at an age when they should be taught acceptance and personal skills..

 

This is moving far beyond just playing dress-up and actually making it competitve and frankly more than a little perverse.  But then, heterosexual pedophilia has always been easier to cover up.

Just what do you suppose the reaction would be if someone wanted to hold "Mr Boy Universe" pagents with little boys hmm? Somehow I suspect it would be instantly denounced as perverted.

But women are supposed to be objectified according to traditional values and this just takes it to it's logical conclusion by bringing it down the age scale and indoctrinating them young.  I wonder how many pedophile dads lurk in the audiences fantasizing about these baby beauty queens?  Or at least plotting to make a move on them a few years down the road?

I've long thought the same about "women's" (i.e. girls) gymnastics.  After all, why are the girls outfits so much more revealing than what male gymnasts wear?  And why do the girls/"women" get so much more screen time than the men when these events play on TV? 

My personal belief is that there is something genuinely ugly underlying all this, but it dare not speak it's name.

As for gay involvement in the beauty pagents. Many gay men have long had a fascination with treating women like living dress-up dolls.  Why would little girls be any different?  But I do wonder if, since gay men don't genuinely feel a sexual attraction to females, if they might not fully appreciate how provocative some of these things may be to straight men?  After all, for us female sex appeal is an aesthetic ideal rather than a visceral one.  What may seem harmless may in fact not be.