By Clark Milan
STAFF WRITER

When I think of spray tans and dress fittings, the thought of a model preparing for a fashion show or a celebrity getting ready for an event comes to mind.

“Toddlers and Tiaras,” new to the TLC network, proves it’s not just adult women who are getting beautified to command their presence.

The one-hour show follows the journey of mothers and daughters through the world of child beauty pageantry. “Toddlers and Tiaras” portrays young girls working with stylists, training with stage coaches and getting manicures and pedicures. The participants of this yearly affair even don fake teeth, hair extensions and bathing suits.

The Tuesday night program also features a mom admitting to financial strains, yet paying a $900 pageant registration fee and an additional $2,000 for a custom-made dress to make her daughter look like a real-life doll, a look favored by the billion dollar industry.

Being immersed in an environment infatuated with appearance, young girls will soak up impressions and grow into self-centered, materialistic human beings. Watching a preschooler demand for her make-up to be touched up while telling an adult to “shut up” is a disgrace and an embarrassment.

Constant criticism from judges, parents and peers makes it more likely for the participants to develop image and self-esteem issues in the future.

Child beauty pageants are also for the satisfaction of the competitors’ mothers. Many of them express their regrets for not being in pageants as children, and for their daughters to experience it means to finally fulfill their own dreams.

Dress-up and dramatic play is part of a child’s natural development. Thousands of dollars shouldn’t be forked over just to wear a sash and the hope to be crowned at the end of the day. These things are available at the store – a mother can give her daughter a positive experience every day of the week and reward her with a sash or a crown to make her feel like a queen for the day.