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Spray Tans, Fake Teeth and Diapers

Spray+Tans%2C+Fake+Teeth+and+Diapers

It first came to my attention one Friday night in August, in the midst of watching the famous Shark Week on Discovery Channel.  I was pulling the usual check-every-channel-to-see-if-anything-worth-my-time-is-on, when all of a sudden an abnormally tan girl, plastered in makeup, wearing a wig that looked about twice her size, came on the screen.

This girl turned out to be about 6 years old.

 According to ABC news, she was the one of the estimated 250,000 children to compete in a pageant in the United States each year.                                                                                                     

There was something wrong with that picture. 

 As disturbing as this sight was for me to see, it was also intriguing, and so I then proceeded to find and watch another episode of the famous TLC hit, “Toddlers in Tiaras.” 

 What I saw in that hour was one of the most shocking things I’ve ever witnessed. 

 I got to witness a day in the life of Peyton, a 2-year-old pageant girl who got her first spray tan at 11 months old.

She hadn’t even cracked the one-year mark.

Peyton’s mom continued to take her to over 50 more spray tan sessions in the hopes that it would increase her chances of winning the pageant title.  

This one scene alone was very troubling to me.  Although spray tanning is supposedly one of the safest methods of getting a tan, I found it hard to believe that getting 50 spray tans in two years could do no damage at all.

So as I researched the effects of obsessive spray tanning, I came across the fact that “Only 11% of all substances used in cosmetics have been tested and approved by FDA,” according to Spray Tan Byron Bay.

Not only have they not been tested, but also many spray tanners contain up to 45 different ingredients.  It’s hard to believe it is safe to put that many chemicals on the skin of a toddler up to 50 times. 

But that was only one of the troubling segments I witnessed in the hour-long show. 

When I was a toddler, of course I enjoyed my days of dressing up as a princess for Halloween, and wearing the ever so popular Snow-White costume.  But I can honestly say that never in my princess obsession phase did my parents suggest that fake teeth would be the perfect complement to my white and red dress. 

Yes, fake teeth are part of the extent these pageant parents go to to make their children-or should I say dolls-look flawless.

In a world where media makes a person’s image seem like the only thing to live for, these parents are sending their children on a downward spiral.

If celebrities like Lindsay Lohan crash and burn in their early twenties, then these toddlers, who are essentially being told that they are not attractive without a wig, fake teeth, and a spray tan, must be headed for a mid-life crisis at age 10.

Obsessive pageant parents, Barbie’s were a fad when you were 12.  Your 4-year-old child should not be treated like that life-size Barbie you used to have. 

So toddlers, put the tiaras down. 
Please?

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About the Contributor
Claire O'Halloran, Web A&E Editor
A team player on and off the field, even with a knee injury, Claire O’Halloran ’13 is ready to jump into another great year of Inklings. Before her Staples journalism journey, O’Halloran always liked writing and really enjoyed (reading) newspaper articles that were humorous and memorable to her. She took Intro to Journalism her freshman year, and found that she really enjoyed journalism, and now loves everything about Advanced and journalism in general. Besides journalism O’Halloran enjoys music and tennis and being a part of Staples’ varsity soccer team, but an injured Claire, someone who always likes being busy, is thankful for having Inklings and all of its’ busyness and action. As web A&E editor and veteran web Feature and Opinions editor its no surprise that O’Halloran is one of the web’s biggest fans. She is attracted to how it is a place for instant information and quick answers. “The web is the future,” she said. “It’s the way to go.” O’Halloran also appreciates that her stories can be seen by anyone, anytime, any place all around the world. Overall she is excited for her final year with Inklings “We have a huge staff with a lot of new talent and it’s going to be great.”

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    BoshenaOct 7, 2011 at 8:46 am

    Even though I am a big fan of spray tanning I absolutely agree that spray tanning toddlers is just ridiculous. I think that kids look the best when they look like themselves – missing teeth and freckles included.
    However, as with everything, some people just carry things too far. It would be not too bad if they only did it to themselves, but to use their own children to fill their obsession is just sick.

    But then again – I am a foster Mom and it should not surprise me any more what some people do to their own children.

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