Anna 

Cristal
My issue has historical controversies that  surround beauty pageants. For instance,
​"Miss America pageants were controversial for decades for many reasons, not the least of which was the fact that they did not allow contestants who were not white to compete, and had other racist overtones. African Americans were first featured in the 1923 pageant — during a dance performance where they played slaves.”
​This illustrates the controversy for women who were non-white, beauty pageants are meant to express oneself and their beauty but non-white women were not allowed to
Those that support beauty pageant argue that beauty pageants not only increase a child’s confidence but exposes them to life experience of winning and losing. 
​Hilary Levey Friedman, is currently a Harvard socio­logist who studies beauty and competition argues that the changing nature of pageants is creating a new group of winners who will pursue careers in  politics.
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​​It has also been argued that beauty pageants are a negative aspect of society. Opposers believe that beauty pageants destroys the image of beauty rather than creating it. Throughout the process contestants  develop cognitive and emotional problems, a report by the American Psychological Association found that the hypersexualization of young girls is strongly associated with eating disorders, low self-esteem, and depression.

One of the most widely used products in child pageants is hair spray, which contains phthalates, or plasticizers.”for a growing girl, the effects could prove detrimental. Excessive exposure to phthalates has been linked to stunted growth and even lung cancer.” The high heels “unnecessarily pushes their weight forward, causing lower back pain and hindering proper development of the feet.