"Welcome to the world of spray tans, Tammy Faye makeup, long hair wigs and swimsuit competitions. Miss America? Not exactly." (themomblog.ocregister.com) This is the reality for some children under six in America. This is not how we should see or experience childhood. There are many types of beauty pageants in today's society. Ages range from three weeks to eighteen years. Beauty pageants are an important part of our lives because we always judge on appearance and not on what's inside. The media also continually talks about these topics. “TV is full of reality shows featuring pint-sized beauty queens in expensive dresses, makeup and big hair.” (psychologytoday.com) We are completely overexposed to what is wrong rather than what is right. Childhood is something precious and should not be taken away from a child. Having young boys and girls participate in pageants creates an unrealistic body image in their heads. When kids see the looks of models and other beauty queens, they think they have to be super skinny, tanned and tall to be considered pretty. “Such competitions can make children feel like being pretty is the only option to gain popularity and success.” (bsu.edu) Girls seem to develop an act one psychologist calls "princess syndrome," which is so far-fetched it seems like a fairy tale. The parents in the competition go even further with the photos they took of their children. They hire professionals to retouch, brighten and even change the child's facial features in the photos to make them more desirable. On the TLC show Toddlers and Tiaras, kids asked questions like, "How come I didn't win?" and “What does this girl have that I don’t have?” What...... middle of paper ....... 1997. Web. January 25, 2012. Smith, Trish. “The good side of child beauty pageants.” Honest baby. March 22, 2009. The web. January 31, 2012. .Veciana-Suarez, Ana. “Toddler competitions constitute child abuse – Ana Veciana Suarez – MiamiHerald.com.” MiamiHerald.com - Miami and Ft. Lauderdale News, weather, Miami Dolphins and more. September 24, 2011. The web. February 13, 2012. "Why Beauty Pageants Are Good for Girls | Parenting - Yahoo! Shine." Yahoo! Shine - Women's Lifestyle | Healthy living and fashion blogs. ParentsConnect | Parenting, February 3, 2011. Web. January 31. 2012. .