Child Beauty Pageant or Child Exploitation
should be an argumentative essay.
The length of the essay should be between 800 and 1000 words.
A debatable claim phrased in a clear and precise way.
You should assume that your audience includes people who may not agree with your claim, so you must include valid and convincing support (evidence).
There must be an identifiable warrant, that is to say, link between the support you offer and the claim you make.
There must be an explicit counter-argument with reasonable arguments and adequate evidence.
There must be a rebuttal of these opposing views.
There should be enough background to help your audience understand the issue being debated.
should draw a strong conclusion.
Who is your intended audience? What do you expect your audience to believe or think about your topic
What are the main points of support that will best convince your audience about the validity of your claim?
What specific counterarguments against your thesis in general or against specific points of support do you anticipate from your audience?
What information about your topic will you need to supply as background for your topic?
Do you plan to use pathos appeals in your writing? Why and at what point?
Above all there must be a clear and logical flow of ideas through your argument – counter-argument and rebuttal.
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Child Beauty Pageant or Child Exploitation
In the 1920s, beauty pageants gained prominence and became part of the American society (Nussbaum, 2000). However, it is after half a century after the spread of beauty pageants in the country that the children pageants began to take root due to the increased popularity of adult beauty pageants. The children were judged on the basis of individual looks, the ability to pose, perfection and confidence that is "the perfect package" according to the judges (McBenet n.d).
However, while this was acceptable in the past, today the involvement of children in beauty pageants raises mixed reactions. For example, the supporters argue that it is by engaging these young children in pageants they are helping the child learn to walk on the runway and hence gain much knowledge about modeling. The child can therefore, learn and later benefit from modeling. Gurbenatis (2010) provides an example of Barbizon (Gubernatis, 2010). Moreover, they argue that since there are tough contestants, the child has to walk on the runway and showcase her "complete package" that is her looks, personality and confidence while wearing different attires. During these pageants, the girls’ looks are the central focus and, therefore, the girl is well-groomed with makeup and other accessories. Therefore, the girl gains vital lessons on discipline, patience, and confidence at a very young age (Michelle, 2012).
In addition, these individuals argue that winning these pageants comes with many rewards. Apart from the trophy and bragging rights acquired by the child and parent, the children often get a cash prize reward and in some instances scholarships. Therefore, this platform might help the child attain his/her goals (McBenet, n.d). While backstage, they engage in play with each other. This is crucial in improving the social skills as they learn interacting with other and in some cases form lifelong friendships. The proponents further argue that participating in a pageant results into the development of a positive self-image and self-esteem (Willett, 2010).
Finally, within the modern society, the children are increasingly closed off when compared to the past due to the modern technology. Developing an outgoing spirit is essential as a personality trait in attaining crowning positions in these pageants. Therefore, the children are constantly trained on how to smile, and this helps the children breakaway from technological dependence to communicate (Inbar, 2013).
The above arguments provide a positive picture of the pageants, however, the real picture and effect that these pageants have on the children is devastating. It is a clear illustration of the child abuse and exploitation that is prevalent and being supported and conducted by even the children’s parents.
The true objective of the beauty pageants is not to build the child’s confidence or for social i...