Child beauty pageants, such as the ones featured on the reality TV show Toddlers and Tiaras, are big business in the United States. The industry is so big that it is expanding overseas. One of the biggest pageant companies, United Royalty plans to stage pageants in all states in Australia.
Parents who wish to enter their children in the pageants have to pay $295 just to enter the pageant, plus thousands of dollars on expensive dresses, hairstyles and cosmetics
United Royalty intends to bring the six-year-old US star Eden Wood to Australia for the pageants. Media will have to pay $20,000 for an interview with her and $500 for a photo.
Melbourne mother Catherine Manning initiated the group Pull the Pin on Beauty Pageants for Children. It organised protests against beauty protests in all capital cities on May 24.
Manning told 91自拍论坛 Weekly the pageants were 鈥渢oxic鈥. She said the pageants featured on Toddlers and Tiaras involve young girls with fake tans, painted nails, fake nails, hair pieces, waxed eyebrows and heavy make-up
Pull the Pin calls on governments to put age restrictions on pageant entry so children could decide for themselves if they wanted to take part.
The organisation also wants restrictions placed on cosmetic procedures such as waxing and spray tanning.