Toddlers and Tiaras... Really? Really?

Tonight as I was channel surfing while hanging out with friends, I stumbled upon this little gem of American television, the show "Toddlers and Tiaras". There is so much wrong with this television show that I don't even know where to begin. Basically the show is about a group of mothers parading their young girls around on a stage dressed like pinups and showgirls to be judged by a panel on their beauty, personality and costumes. The mothers of these girls admit to paying thousands of dollars a year on these pageants. It's not uncommon for the girls, actually it's pretty rare to see a girl who is not, spray tanned, wearing a wig, has had dental work done on baby teeth, dress in revealing costumes and on strict diets and wearing more make up than most Broadway performers do on stage. I was watching this unfold in absolute horror and disgust. What mother in her right mind would let her child take part in something this demeaning and damaging, let alone encourage it? Many of the girls performed dances that were way too risque and suggestive for their age, and were wearing costumes that showed off skin at every angle. I hate to think what kind of damage this is doing to those poor kids' self esteem and judgment of what the average girl/woman is supposed to look like. Many of the mothers claimed that their daughters love performing and wouldn't want to do anything else, which was made apparent when one of the girls started crying in the middle of the show. At one point one, of the mothers was ridiculing her daughter about how she had "squinty eyes" and said that they needed to work on "fixing" that when she smiled. REALLY?? REALLY???