“According to statistics, about 5,000 children's beauty pageants are held every year and about 250,000 participating children take part in them” (Occupy Theory). Beauty pageants aim to develop the skills and confidence of the contestants. Over the years, beauty pageants have become excessive for young contestants, as parents are willing to do anything to win, even if it means exposing their child. Beauty pageants can bring out the physical beauty in your children, but pageantry only neglects your child because it leads to these negative effects and pageants only teach children that physical beauty will get them anywhere in life. With parents trying to win every competition, the competitions had negative effects on the contestants. Identified by Zawn Villines, "body image distortions", "low self-esteem", "poor body image" and "sexualization" are some of the potential effects that pageants have on the mind of the child. These effects can harm children in the long term because they give the image that beauty can lead to your success. Noted in Occupy Theory, "about six percent of beauty pageant contestants have suffered from depression." With all the pressure to be perfect and beautiful, children consequently feel like they are disappointing their parents for not being too perfect, which ultimately leads to depression. In children, depression is difficult to research because their entire lives revolve around their parents' dream of winning a beauty pageant and children are not necessarily focused on their wants and desires, making it necessary to identify a change in behavior. Quoted by Villiers, “Crash diets…teach children unhealthy approaches to eating” is an unhealthy habit that can affect the child in the long term. The crash diet is designed for children...... middle of paper ......follow their original goal and thus create a cruel experience for the contestants as their parents push their children to their limits and losing doesn't help not to succeed. their parents are proud. Works CitedDressProm.net. “The pros and cons of beauty pageants for toddlers.” Dimitra drawings. Dress Prom, November 18, 2011. Web. March 25, 2014. Katsikas, Aina. “Beauty pageants for children should be banned.” Academy of the Sacred Hearts Ka Leo. KALeo Enterprise Design, October 15, 2013. Web. March 25, 2014. Occupation theory. “Children’s Beauty Pageant Statistics.” Occupation theory. Occupytheory.org, December 20, 2013. Internet. March 25, 2014. Potter, Kambra. “Do child beauty pageants help or harm young girls?” JMS Reports. SanDiego State University, May 13, 2013. Web. March 25, 2014.Villines, Zawn. “Beauty pageants and children: it’s not always pretty.” Good Therapy.GoodTherapy.org, November 15, 2012. Web. March 25. 2014.