The controversial child beauty pageant princess Eden Wood of America received a not so good reception in Australia after visiting the continent last week. For security reason, the mother of the 6 year old, Mickie Wood cancelled the appearance of her daughter. However, the withdrawal was later blamed on the rival TV shows A Current Affair and Today Tonight. The pull out on Saturday's child beauty pageant in Melbourne angered Carmen Powell, a director of Pageants Australia and vowed she will never invite the Woods again.
The controversial child beauty pageant draws a stir in Australia. Groups have been organised to ban child beauty pageants for many reasons. As a layman, I do not fully comprehend their arguments for the ban. A child admires many personalities real or unreal. A girl wants to be a princess and a beauty queen. A boy wants to be a superhero, a rugby player or a swimming champion. One group who is against child beauty pageants argued that this relates to sex and sexuality.
Children adore what they see on TV and read on the newspapers and magazines. And since mass media is bombarded with beauty products, sexy women and handsome men, most children like to be like them in the future.
We are proud when somebody won a Miss Universe crown and yet we do not want a child to enter a beauty contest. We do not want our child to feel not "beautiful" and yet we do not ban beauty products on Australian TV and magazines.
If we truly want to ban child beauty pageant as a nation, then let us not participate in any international beauty contest. Let our child dreams!
