The best way to attract a pedophile is to cake makeup onto your five-year-old daughter, dress her in skimpy clothing and put her in high heels.

Child beauty pageants have become a hot topic ever since French Vogue published a photo spread of a young girl wearing high heels, a tight dress and makeup. They tried defending the photo by saying it reflected a common fantasy for young girls to dress like their mothers.

Now the French are attempting to ban such pageants, and the United States should do the same.

The French Senate voted to ban child beauty pageants for children under the age of 16 and now the measure is going to the country’s lower house for debate and a vote. Any adults who try to enter a child into illegal pageants or run illegal/underground pageants themselves can receive up to two years in prison and steep fines of up to €30,000 ($40,695). If lawmakers have their way, then there will be no French “Toddlers and Tiaras” and no French “Honey Boo Boo.”

The media and reality television already encourage stereotypes of the “perfect” woman. We already have glitzy beauty pageants like Miss America and Miss USA to focus on Pro-Am modeling; we don’t need child versions of the same. High heels weren’t made for little girls to parade around a stage performing different provocative moves like the “sassy walk” and “pretty feet.”

Along with showing off nonstop smiles exposing their false teeth designed to hide imperfect baby-teeth, the girls make facial expressions that include, but are not limited to, what is colloquially known as the “duck face.”

The amount of makeup caked on their faces makes them look like atrocious Barbie dolls. Some contestants wear wigs in order to display elaborate hairstyles that are drowned in hairspray. All of the glam, routines and time put forth into these ridiculous pageants are expected of girls as young as five and six.

According to the Huffington Post, the French amendment is a piece of a broader bill on women’s rights; “…the senators who voted in favor of the measure argue that it will protect children from being prematurely sexualized through the use of heavy makeup and often-provocative attire.”

A parliamentary report entitled “Against Hyper-Sexualization: A New Fight For Equality,” prompted the amendment, which in addition to calling for an end to the pageants encourages a ban on adult-style clothing for children, including padded bras and high heeled shoes.

Child beauty pageants give reason for young girls to be competitive; everyone wants to be a winner. But the girls that compete aren’t always old enough to understand what is going on and why others are chosen for certain awards. This can cause low self-esteem for the girls who do not win something as materialistic as a crown.

The girls have no choice in what they do. Typically as mothers approach their daughters with a can of hairspray or insist that their child practice their routine more perfectly the young girl becomes upset and cries in terror. Clearly, pageants risk the potential exploitation of children who really don’t have the opportunity to express their own opinions on the matter.

Child pageants fulfill the selfish needs of overbearing parents who are desperately trying to live vicariously through their daughters. Often times parents will express their overall disappointment if the child commits an error or mistake through emotional outbursts, exaggerated body language and dramatic yelling, all aimed at their children.

The entire idea of judging based off artificial appearances is wrong. Rather we should be focusing on a person’s natural inner beauty, which gives power, confidence and skills to excel in life. You don’t have to be good-looking in order to be successful and that’s the impression these ridiculous pageants are creating.

There’s nothing to justify spray tanning a four year old and putting makeup on her to look like a clown, or telling a three year old to sit still while you insert fake teeth and pluck her eyebrows.

According to The Week Magazine, John Ramsey and his family skyrocketed to national prominence in 1996 when Ramsey’s 6-year-old daughter JonBenét, a frequent child pageant contestant, was found murdered. The case was never solved.

Now, during interviews, Ramsey concedes that he was wrong to put JonBenét in pageants in the first place. He also claims that shows like “Toddlers and Tiaras” that chronicle child pageants are “bizarre” and are bad for little girls.

All in all, children should be allowed to be children; let them play, learn and socialize with other little kids. Child beauty pageants encourage children to act older than they should in an inappropriate manner.

All of the makeup, provocative outfits and timely routines inspire a poor self-image and present young girls in a way that predators might take advantage of them, now and in the future.

-Chelsea Keyes is a sophomore communication major from Tacoma. She can be contacted at 335-2290 or by [email protected]. The opinions expressed in this column are not necessarily those of the staff of The Daily Evergreen or those of Student Publications.