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This photograph shows the before and after of a young girl preparing for a beauty pageant. In the before picture, she had already had a spray tan, but otherwise, was completely natural. But in the after picture, you can clearly see the amount of work she has had done. Her hair is curled, and hair spray is used to make it look flawless, and to get rid of the appearance of baby hairs common in children. She is also wearing fake teeth called "flippers" to create the appearance of white, and perfectly straight teeth. Her makeup is focused on emphasizing the eyes and mouth, using a heavy amount of eyeshadow, fake lashes, and bright lipstick. As discussed in the course content, although all these tools are used to make the girls more "beautiful", the appearance of youth is still preserved, as a youthful appearance is the desired beauty standard within society.

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This photograph shows the impact beauty pageants have on women, and represents a metaphorical crowning achievement. The women in the photo receives a beautiful bouquet of flowers, which some could argue is a sexist gesture. Alsom he flowers are new, fresh, and beautiful; symbolic of the recipient. Beauty is only celebrated in regards to women with a youthful complexion, as society frowns upon any signs of aging. She is also wearing a sash that has "Miss Universe" written on it. This is implying that only the most beautiful women in the entire universe are participating in this pageant. There is a panel of judges that set the standard for who is the most beautiful, but that isn't necessarily a general reflection of society. There are so many women in the world, yet beauty pageants still crown one woman the most beautiful of them all.

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This photograph shows a line of young girls receiving prizes from the beauty pageant. Each received an award, expect for the girl in the middle. You can clearly see the devastation on her face, as she has been led to believe that winning is the main goal. As a result, she is likely to believe that she is not beautiful enough to receive a prize. This is similar to the impact that media has on the average woman, meaning we are brainwashed to believe that because we don't look like models, we are not good enough to be considered beautiful. Girls just like the one in the photo, are placed in beauty pageants at an age where they are so susceptible to external influences. This affects their thought processes, making them believe that being beautiful is what is most important in life. Society and media already have a huge impact on women and how they view themselves, without the added weight of beauty pageants.

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This video shows the lengths that people will go to to have the best chances at winning beauty pageants. Many of these measures disregard the health and well-being of the person. One mother was shown injecting her 8-year-old daughter with Botox, and another was shown forcing her daughter to tan in a tanning bed multiple times a week. Many children who participate in pageants at high levels are forced to treat it as a full time job, leaving no time to be a kid. This pressure at such a young age, and the high amount of critique from their own mothers often leads to self esteem, and unhealthy body image issues. Also highlighted in the video, is the amount of bad behaviour from the children who compete. To keep the children motivated for competition, the mothers often refrain from disciplining their child. This can lead to behavioural issues carrying on into adulthood, all because so many women are led to believe that receiving validation of your outer beauty is what is most important.

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The UGLY TRUTH Behind Kids Beauty Pageants

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10 Things you didn't know about kids beauty pageants. Subscribe: https://goo.gl/Hnoaw3 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The world of beauty pageants has gained a lot of attention in recent years. What was once seen as a fun hobby for young girls to take part in has been exposed for its hidden, darker side.

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This video shows the false reality of beauty pageants. On its face, it seems to be a friendly competition about portraying your best self. But what it really is, is a fight to be found the prettiest of them all. As mentioned in course content, this fantasy is very similar to the fantasy of disney princesses. At first glance, these women seem to live perfect lives while wearing their tiaras, making outsiders believe that all it takes to be happy in life is to be beautiful. In reality, each competitor is completely exhausted, and miserable as a result of tearing each other down. Also, these women are all subject to the "male gaze". The competitors are all conforming to the sexual objection of not only society, but for the pleasure of men. Beauty pageants began in the 1920's; the same year women were granted the right to vote. This is just further proof of how beauty pageants are used to keep women "in line", and to conform them to society's expectations of beauty.

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Miss America 2013 - Pageant Confidential: The Pressure Builds

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When the contestants arrive in Vegas, the not-so-pretty side of the competition surfaces.

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This video shows the dangerous influences that mothers of children who compete in pageants have over their kids. The mother highlighted in this video has a son and daughter who both avidly compete. Throughout the video, you can see the obvious favour she has for her son over her daughter. She explained how the mix of races of her son makes him so beautiful, and her daughter is average with her blonde hair and blue eyes. The mother even said to the daughter while she was practicing, "you're not a stripper, but shake your butt a little." Right away, the daughter asked her mom why she said that. At such a young age, even she knows it's wrong to objectify her like that. With the obvious doubt and pressure from her mother, the lack of confidence in the little girl is clearly visible. The girl was asked for three words to describe herself, and the first word she chose was pretty. This is just another example of the brainwashing that beauty pageants have over all those involved, as they are led believe that their looks are their best, and most important quality.

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"You're Not A Stripper, But Shake Your Butt A Little Bit!"| Toddlers & Tiaras

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Alaska doesn't feel as confident as her brother about winning a pageant. Will she be able to shake off her nerves and win over the judges?

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This website focuses on the fact that beauty pageants don't celebrate beauty as a whole, but those who are "beautiful" according to society's standards. As mentioned in the course content, beautiful in today's society is white, tall, and thin. The woman in this article was made to believe she wasn't skinny enough, and was told that the beauty world "wasn't ready" for her natural hair as a black woman. She was forced to conform to society's beauty standards in preparation for the competition by wearing a wig, but ultimately, she chose to flaunt her natural beauty. This article exposes beauty pageants for what they really are. On the surface, the competition seems to be about being yourself, and embracing your natural beauty. But it's really about women doing what it takes to win, disregarding their own health, well-being, and natural beauty.

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“I Used To Love Competing In Beauty Pageants Until I Saw First-Hand What They Were Really All About”

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Living off rice cakes and baby food was fine — as long as we didn’t pass out.

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This website, although silly, outlines what it takes to win the "Miss Universe" competition. It shows just how much it takes to win, and the strict requirements that must be met to qualify. You must be young, single, and beautiful to even have an opportunity to enter. The contestants must be on their best behaviour; always acting in a lady-like manner. This is an example of society's expectations of gender roles being highlighted in competition. The women are used as objects for men to look at, and the presence of a good personality is secondary. The women's most important quality while competing is to be beautiful, which is very similar to what society leads us to believe is what is most important in our everyday lives.

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wikiHow is a "wiki," similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 26 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Together, they cited 7 references.

wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has over 203,871 views, and 87% of readers who voted found it helpful. It also received 18 testimonials from readers, earning it our reader-approved status. Learn more...

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wikiHow is a "wiki," similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 26 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. Together, they cited 7 references. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback.

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This website emphasizes the effects that beauty pageants have on young girls. They create body image issues, and stress the concept of beauty over brains. It also shows just how much scrutiny the women who compete in these pageants are under. The contestants must maintain their good character, as women who compete in beauty pageants are seen as role models for young girls. While the idea that they want to set a good example for girls is admirable, I believe that these women should not be role models at all. There is enough pressure by society to be beautiful, let alone beauty contestants setting the example for how young girls should be/look. Teaching young girls that being educated is not as important as how you look is a dangerous concept, and should not be practiced.

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Beauty pageants are a mainstay of American entertainment. Its contestants are celebrities put on pedestals for men to adore and women to envy. But at what cost?

Pageants set a bad example for our youth by subjecting the contestants to unhealthy scrutiny, placing emphasis on beauty over brains, requiring significant financial investment and detrimentally affecting self-esteem.

Women who participate in beauty pageants are critiqued before and after their crowning, much like presidential candidates. Any skeletons in their closets are outed for the world to see and judge.

Competitors at the national or international level have a few common attributes: they are tall, tan and thin. They often spend hours per day rigorously and going on crash diets to lose weight.

This commercialization of women must stop. Girls need to be taught that an education will outlast physical perfection. Their careers will fulfill them more than a crown ever will. Let them find their talents, whether it be in Quidditch, chess, basketball or dance. Let's encourage them to read. Inspire them through our own actions. Embolden them by making them believe that they are beautiful in their own way. Support them in their quest to follow their dreams.

Sophia Sanchez is a freshman pre-medicine and psychology double major. Reach her at opinion@dailynebraskan.com or via .

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SANCHEZ: Beauty pageants send wrong message to girls everywhere

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Beauty pageants are a mainstay of American entertainment. Its contestants are celebrities put on pedestals for men to adore and women to envy. But at what cost? Pageants set a bad example for our youth by subjecting the contestants to unhealthy scrutiny, placing emphasis on beauty over brains, requiring significant financial investment and detrimentally affecting self-esteem.