![]() ![]() Despite supporting sorority cotillions and church debutante balls, our community doesn’t traditionally embrace the pageant aesthetic–so it’s startling when Black girls occasionally pop up on these shows. Dunlap’s stance seems honorable, yet watching “Little Miss Perfect,” most of us find it hard to stomach kids as young as two getting spray-tanned, hitting sexed-up poses for heavily airbrushed “beauty” portraits, and being force-fed Pixi Stix and Mountain Dew to stay alert on competition day. “The purpose of being titled “Miss-anything” is for a young lady to represent a given community or group.” Hmmm. “As a contestant in children’s pageants in the ’80s, I made it my goal to exemplify beauty from the inside-out,” Dunlap explains. So, is putting false lashes on a preschooler simply a harmless act or just plain sick? Ericka Dunlap, Miss America 2004 (the sixth Black woman to hold the title) and “Little Miss Perfect” judge claims that child pageantry can actually improve the self-esteem of girls of color. ![]() And if child pageant-themed reality shows like “Little Miss Perfect” and “Toddlers and Tiaras” are to be believed, the number of little Black girls competing for the crown is on the rise. According to “The Tyra Banks Show,” there are over 25,000 annual kiddie beauty pageants, which generate revenue to the tune of five billion dollars. But for pint-sized beauty queens, this is far from child’s play. For most five-year olds, dressing up in Mommy’s stilettos and lipstick is a rare treat. ![]()
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