do the math

Yes, I admit it, I don't get beauty pageants like JonBenet and her mom enjoyed together; it wasn't something we have selected for our kids extra curricular learning experiences. Neither is karate, motocross, cheer leading or tap dance, all of which hold little interest or attraction for this household (today). But not being our choice doesn't mean there is a thing is wrong with any of these activities. Swimming, tennis, ballet and music lessons are enriching but as an extreme can borderline abuse as the author of the rebuttals the AJC article below points out.

Echoed by one of the authors in the article too are years-long allegations that JonBenet's pageant participation net result was kiddie porn does beg a few questions. Perhaps one of the answers resides only with the eye of the beholder. Personally, I don't see children, in JonBenet's case a 6 year old, as 'sexy' by any stretch of my imagination no matter what she is wearing or doing, 'inapproriate' by some standards or otherwise.

How many child pageant participants have been targeted for abduction, molestation or murder versus all the non-pageant kids who have been hurt or killed that were just being kids riding their bike, on the way to shool, at the playground or in their own front yard?

How many times have you heard about a pedophile arrested for molesting, possession of pornography or a kidnaping where the victim was dressed up with gobs of make-up, big hair and earrings?

I don't know the answers nor have I ever seen any indecent child images but willing to speculate that some of what molesters and child pornography consumers covet is innocence and purity--

Do kiddie beauty pageants border on child abuse?
AJC Woman to Woman
March 13, 2009

Commentary by Andrea Cornell Sarvady

"...Many of us were first exposed to this subculture when images of pageant princess JonBenet Ramsey inundated television following her 1996 slaying, images that Dan Rather referred to as “kiddie porn.” That’s a fair assessment. None of the parents involved in this world intend to make their pretty babies fodder for the photo and video collections of pedophiles, of course. Yet that’s the result when they take fresh-faced children and publicly make them up into Hollywood starlets...

Rebuttal by Shaunti Feldhahn

"No offense to my column counterpart, but give me a break!..

Yes, beauty pageants for children can go to excessive, damaging lengths — but so can any competitive endeavor!

I personally don’t understand the appeal of kiddie pageants, but a good parent will use whatever their child is interested in to bring out the good lessons. And if that is what a “pageant parent” is doing, they shouldn’t be criticized for it. "