COMMENTARY | ABC News reports that on May 3, former Miss America Vanessa Williams spoke out against “Toddlers & Tiaras” during an interview with Anderson Cooper. In the interview on “Anderson,” Williams talked about how the little children did not know what they were doing, especially when they were screaming, and it was wrong to give them sugary drinks in order to give them energy. Here is why more celebrities and adults in general should speak out about “Toddlers & Tiaras” and how I feel about the show.
Williams does have a valid point about the children not knowing what they are doing, because most of the stars on the show are younger than 4. These little girls are often seeing screaming, kicking, and running around to try to get out of going up on stage, which should tell the parents they do not want to be there. Pageants are something that should be cherished by an adult audience, because the winner should have talent, charm, and obviously a great personality. I have watched the show a couple times, and have to shake my head at how these little girls are telling their parents they do not want to participate, but the parents push them into it no matter what. Williams also said she would never allow her children to participate in the pageants, and I think that as former Miss America, she knows what she is talking about.
Wendy Dickey, a mom on “Toddlers & Tiaras,” spoke with TMZ about what Williams had to say, and she was not at all thrilled with the criticism. Of course, Dickey chose to bring up how Williams had an abortion, which is something that is revealed in her new book, and claimed she should not be judging others. The thing is, these mothers on “Toddlers & Tiaras” are in it for their own personal gain, and that is something you can tell just by watching the show. You have mothers wearing tight clothes, showing off for the camera, and overall just trying to steal the spotlight away from their children. I do not know if these mothers are living vicariously through their children or not, but it seems they have a motive behind just thinking their children are cute.
More celebrities and adults need to speak out against shows like “Toddlers & Tiaras” because it is sexualizing young children, and also cannot be healthy for a young child on the inside or outside. On March 13, JonBenet Ramsey’s father, John Ramsey, spoke out against “Toddlers & Tiaras,” and mentioned how bizarre the entire show was. During the interview, John talked about how putting your child on display like that is a dangerous situation, and maybe if his daughter was not in pageants, she would not have been brutally murdered. If more notable people would come out against this show, then maybe it would force TLC to end production for good, which would help keep these desperate mothers off of the television.
