Toddlers In Tiaras : Tampering With Innocence

The TLC/Discovery Channel empire prides itself on bringing informative yet entertaining programming to the masses and often fills that bill . In recent years TLC's offerings are becoming increasingly exploitative of many groups of people , but most obviously children. Highlighted by the larger media outlets  is Jon and Kate Plus 8, but Dancing Tweens smacks of this as well as other "special" programming . The worst of the worst thus far is most certainly Toddlers In Tiaras - which is not narrated so we can view the asinine behaviour of soccer moms in their most vapid and grandiose glory . Jumping on the bandwagon is WE with their series "Little Miss Perfect".

According to TLC's billing "The preparation is intense as it gets down to the final week before the pageant. From hair and nail appointments, to finishing touches on gowns and suits, to numerous coaching sessions or rehearsals, each child preps for their performance. But once at the pageant, it's all up to the judges and drama ensues when every parent wants to prove that their child is beautiful."

Naturally as a decent and protective adult, I have some very serious qualms about not only this display of maternal abuse being on the airwaves, but existing in general . EVERY 2 year old is a beautiful creation of the Universe and deserves to be treated as if she is the most amazing kid on the planet UNCONDITIONALLY . Treated as a valid, intelligent, adored angel who is congratulated for a best effort as opposed to how much paste, waxing, hair extensions and spray-painting she can tolerate without crying .
She needs to be taught to view people as the truly are versus how many pretty dresses their obsessed parents can afford, to value intelligence and determination and not to be groomed into the next-generation meth head soccer mom . Babies on these programs are openly psychologically and sometimes physically abused while we sit and watch and boost the advertising dollar .

Which leads into the sexual exploitation of these wee girls . We are living in a nation where the most common procedure for girls 12-14 is Laser Hair Removal . Even infants are being forced to sit for long hours to be spray-painted and manicured , and this is not just the pageant community . In North America , in excess of $50 million is spent on cosmetics for girls under the age of 12 annually and 80% are terrified of being seen as fat . Toddlers in Tiaras is the extreme example of a disease that is rampant .

The disease is unapologetic paedophilia - while people line up to send the latest pederastic priest to a justifiably lengthy prison term preschool girls are told to pout, to giggle, and yes, even to look "sexy" by their parents and the judges . The fathers of these wee angels always seem either powerless against their sicko wives or perverted themselves . This translates into an entire society where the most vulnerable children are seen as "fair game " for weirdos, not to mention the other damage being in these pageants can cause .

By the time they are adults these girls will have permanent skin, tooth and hair damage and may have bone , vision and metabolic disorders from dieting at a young age . These kids will grow up with such artificial esteem that they will be insecure fools who might well wind up being the next batch of porn stars and strippers only to be "rescued" into the housewife role by some rich closet-queen to perpetuate the cycle again assuming they don't wind up on Santa Monica hooked on smack and giving blow-jobs to octogenarians for $20 .

Pardon me for being so graphic , but we need to save our girls from this bullshit, and while I'm not the type to interfere with parenting style, these pageants have nothing to do with it and must come to a swift end as they no longer have anything to do with talent and everything to do with objectification .