Young children are still growing and developing and with the parents help, they are guided into a sense of direction. Parents of children who compete in beauty pageants primarily believe that by participating, they are putting the children’s needs first and have their best interest. According to the Catholic Church, the fourth commandment is as follows, “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.” As children, we are called to obey our parents and listen to what they tell us. Some parents believe that by their child’s participation in beauty pageants, the competition is healthy and that their child will gain skills needed for the future such as meeting new people (Cromie). The child’s relationship with his or her guardians “requires honor, affection, and gratitude” (CCC, 2199). Children’s parents are the first to teach the young, which strengthens the child’s relationship with them. It also reinforces their trust in following what the parents declare because parents are supposed to always have their children’s best interest in mind. Adolescents take in what elders tell them and what they see in the environment around them (Delgado). Children must respect their parents growing up and “obey the reasonable directions” their parents have given them (CCC, 2217). If the parent of a child believes that competing in beauty pageants will have constructive and valuable effects towards the child’s advancement, the child is obligated to listen and respect the wishes of their guardian. The parents’ care and attention that the child receives are expressions of the guardians love and respect for them; “providing for their physical and spiritual needs” (CCC, 2228). By the child’s participation in child beauty pageants, the parents are essentially helping them progress and mature. The children’s parents take on a major role in the advancement and responsibility of the child.
Abbey Curran, former Miss Iowa, was the first woman with cerebral palsy to compete for Miss USA. Abbey knew how participating in beauty pageants helps boost a person’s confidence, whether he or she had a disability or not. Her experience with pageants prompted her to create the Miss You Can Do It pageant for children who had special needs and challenges. In doing so, she hoped to make people, especially children, aware that nothing should stop you from achieving your dreams (“Confidence Through Pageantry”). Tanisha Nicole Brito, Miss Connecticut 2002, said that by competing in the Miss America competition, she has acuminated her interview and public speaking skills as well as learned communication skills. Laura Lawless, Miss Arizona 2002, also said by partaking in pageants, it has helped her gain a “wealth of self-confidence” as well as “enhances the ability to dream” (“Comments From Past Participants”).
By being participants in beauty pageants, young women and girls benefit from these events. Beauty pageants contribute to their development of poise in public situations and the ability to cultivate attributes of a more outgoing personality. They also aid with striving for personal goals such as public speaking and doing what you want to do, not caring what other people think, as well as presenting to everyone a topic important to the participant. In today’s society, beauty pageants showcase the positive attitude of each contestant. According to Miss. America, the national and annual beauty contest, “Miss America is a role model to young and old alike, and a spokesperson, using her title to educate millions of Americans on an issue of importance to herself and society at large.”