Child Beauty Pageant, United States

Reasons
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.