Child Beauty Pageant, United States

The most cited reason parents give for putting their children into beauty pageants is to boost their child’s self-esteem, as well as teach poise, public speaking skills, tact, and confidence. Some parents who have children with birth defects say they enter them into beauty contests not in hopes winning, but to ensure that their child knows that they are beautiful. There is, however, no scientific evidence that supports these claims.
Mental health and self image
In a study published in 2005, a small control group eleven women who had competed in beauty pageants as children were compared to eleven women who had not competed. They were compared in different areas, such as BMI, age and overall body satisfaction. In general, this limited study found that those who competed in beauty pageants as children were more dissatisfied with their bodies, and had greater impulse disregulation and trust issues than those who did not participate, but showed no significant differences in measures bulimia, body perception, depression, or self-esteem. (NOTE: Due to the inadequate group sizes involved, this study cannot be used as conclusive pro correlation).