According to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, the phrase ‘child abuse and neglect’ is defined as “any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker, which results in . . . serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, or an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm.” Parents are exploiting the beauty of the young by showing them off in pageants and are recognizing them to assume adult roles rather than be children. “Parents must regard their children as children of God and respect them as human persons” (CCC, 2222). By giving the child competitor the role of adults, such as competing in a stressful environment, training for long hours, and pressuring them to win, parents are essentially hindering them from living the life of a child. “A child is not something owed to one, but is a gift . . . a child may not be considered a piece of property, . . . ” (CCC, 2378). In the Sunburst Beauty Pageant, there was a category for children under the age of two. However, most of the contestants in this category were under nine months. The children had no say in whether or not they participated in this event. Parents will often admit that they do not think their children relish dressing up in fancy dresses and learning the routines to perform on stage, but the parents “get some satisfaction out of seeing strangers praise their offspring” (Elliott). These pageant parents are exploiting the children and objectifying them for their personal needs, even before the children have a say in their future.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “In the family, which is a community of persons, special attention must be devoted to the children by developing a profound esteem for their personal dignity, a great respect and generous concern for their rights” (Familiaris Consortio, 26). When pictures of Thylane Loubry Blondeau imerged in French Vogue wearing high-priced jewelry, provoking attires, and had sulking lips and stare, her mother, Veronika Loubry saw nothing wrong. Veronika’s reaction was simply “. . . the only thing that shocks me about this photo is the necklace she wears, which is 3 million [Euros]!” (Vuoto). This form of child abuse exploits and sexualizes the child for all to see, essentially objectifying the human body. In Psalm 128:2-3, “What your hands provide you will enjoy; . . . Like olive plants your children around your table” (NAB 2,3). Children are not to be considered property but to be “accepted, respected, and honored” (Evangelium Vitae, 92). By the participation of children in child beauty pageants, parents are essentially taking part of a form of child abuse through materializing the embodiment of the child.