At the Fiestas Patrias in Ferndale, WA earlier this year, I saw the beneficial side of beauty pageants.
In this celebration, the winner is chosen by how well they represent their ethnicity. Seeing these young girls eager to show the world their identity through a beauty pageant is something not seen often in the North American culture of beauty pageants.
For these girls, it is a way to explore their roots and present them in another country.They also receive scholarships and are rewarded for their efforts to preserve culture in a foreign land.
In North America, beauty pageants for young girls have become taboo or are not seen as very desirable for a child by their family and society.
Take Honey Boo Boo, who has become famous in North America for being a child in beauty pageants. Her family has been criticized for pushing their child to compete in these events. Although the family has a reality show, which has given them fame and money, most people still don’t agree with children in beauty pageants. Some think these children are being forced into adulthood too fast.
In other places, such as Latin America, beauty pageants are a big part of entertainment and national events. In most cases, for Hispanics, it is an honour for a child to participate.
Beauty pageant contestants at Ferndale, WA. (Photo by Daniela Carmona)
