Helen Polley (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on a topic that causes me a great deal of concern. Child pageants and the early sexualisation of young girls appears to be an increasing problem gaining regular, even persistent, coverage in the media. I feel it is an issue that requires our immediate attention. We need to take a stand against this for the sake of all children and their right to a childhood. Child pageants are a long-held tradition in America, but now these pageants are on their way to Australia.

The pageant in question is open to children as young as one month old. It has been brought to Melbourne by the Texas based Universal Royalty Beauty Pageant. The reality is that girls as young as one month old can potentially be subjected to fake tanning, eyebrow waxing, false teeth and more—all in an attempt to improve their looks and win. The message that this sends to young girls is that they are not good enough. I think that in itself is shameful. When is this astonishing event going to occur? On 29 and 30 July, at Bram Leigh Receptions in Croydon, Victoria. Let me quote from the Herald-Sun:

The July pageant, for babies to adults, costs a minimum of $295, which includes a compulsory beauty competition, modelling and make-up workshops.

Optional extras include tanning, dressing like a celebrity for $50 and a photo and autograph session with American beauty pageant star, five-year-old Eden Wood.

But when I say they 'are on their way', that is not quite accurate. There has already been a small pageant in Victoria—'Little Miss Bayside'. And there was commentary from Women's Day that included:

"The pageant was supposed to be a fun event, where little girls got to be princesses for a day. As my two-year-old Caja and I arrived I promised that as long as our objective was 'fun', all would be well. But when face-to-face with a baby in a pink tutu it was hard not to gently encourage Caja to brighten her smile a little.

"Three hours later I had seen kids parading across the stage smiling sweetly and waving at their parents—most encouraging, some scary. The grandmother who loudly criticised contestants on stage was awful. Little girls weren't allowed to play with their new friends in case their hair got messed up."

"You had better do this right for mummy," snapped one mum to a tot.

What is really going on here? As a mother of girls I find it unbelievable that any parent would subject their children to a process of transformation so severe that, by the end of it, these little girls do not even look like children anymore. I also find it troubling that any parent would think it is helpful to put their daughters out on a stage to be judged only on their physical appearance. What kind of message does that send?

I personally find it very disturbing in this modern age where as women we have the opportunity to choose our own path in life and have the ability to become whatever we choose—a CEO, a politician, a business owner, a doctor, a mother, or any other career of our choice. At a time when we have gender equality, the right to vote and equal opportunity in the workplace, we still have practices going on such as child beauty pageants that reinforce areas of superficiality and overexaggerated emphasis on the importance of how we look, rather than the person we are and what we are capable of.

I believe all children, in this case particularly young girls, deserve the opportunity to be just children: to play, to have fun and to learn in a normal, non-competitive and not what I would suggest is a superficial way. Children should be free from the pressure of being critiqued and compared to others based on their looks alone. Cookson, an American academic, has said:

In the world of child beauty pageants, 5-year-old girls wear fake teeth, hair extensions, and makeup and are encouraged to 'flirt' onstage by batting their long, false eyelashes.

This sort of behaviour does not seem normal to me as a mother of girls and with two little granddaughters. The report from the American Psychological Association on the sexualisation of girls states:

Parents can also contribute to the sexualization of their daughters in very direct and concrete ways—for example, by entering their 5-year-old daughter in a beauty pageant in which she and other contestants engage in behaviours and practices that are socially associated with sexiness, wearing heavy makeup to emphasise false lips, long eyelashes, and flushed cheeks, high heels to emulate adult women and revealing "evening gowns".

Although relatively few girls actually participate in such pageants, they have become a topic of interest in the news, documentaries and advertising—

I understand that on some networks they actually have television shows dedicated to these pageants—

in particular regarding whether this precocious sexualization is problematic for these or other girls. In this way, the participation of a few may in fact contribute to the sexualization of many.

The notion of having girls as young as one or two years old entering beauty pageants begs the question: who is it really for? Many parents will argue that it gives young girls good life experience and the ability to understand competition and accept winning and losing. I would question that argument when we are talking about children aged under five, and as young as one or two. It would seem that in many instances the pageants are more for the mothers of the children, and this is simply not fair. In my opinion there is no good reason for taking away a little girl's childhood and replacing it with adult behaviour to fulfil what is ultimately the desire of the mother to compete and win. Some parents would defend their actions by saying it is nothing more than playing dress-ups and having some harmless fun. However, what it is doing—and perhaps unintentionally—is preparing young girls to seek approval for their physical appearance.

A recent editorial in the Age by Michelle Smith makes an excellent point. She says that beauty pageants normalise the notion that physical appearance is of the highest value. They teach young girls that being judged on their appearance is normal. To me this is just wrong. She said:

Girls' beauty pageants are a symptom of the way we socialise girls to value themselves on their exteriors, while boys do not learn that their worth depends in a significant part on their face and body.

When girls become women, they are already aware of the value placed upon fitting the feminine physical ideal. Whether they intend to read the news or to be the prime minister, a woman's appearance will be crucial to her success or failure.

It has been suggested that teaching girls to value themselves on their physical appeal can create numerous psychological problems, including dissatisfaction with themselves, eating disorders and depression. Dr Michael Carr-Gregg, an Australian psychologist, has also spoken out on the potential damage that can result from young girls being involved in these pageants. He said:

This is so clearly toxic—it's tantamount to having a tobacco-smoking competition for under-14s—that's the risk in terms of the psychological dangers, that's the comparison that I'd make.

It is not just the immediate effects that are concerning; clearly, there can be long-term problems associated with child pageants. I have been shocked and appalled by footage recently of little girls being bribed and pushed into competing in these pageants in America and it saddens me to think that we would allow anything even remotely similar to this in Australia.

It is paramount that we stand up and say something about the practice of little girls being paraded around in scant outfits and make-up while being judged on their physical appearance. The individuals behind these pageants must also take responsibility for their actions. As far as I can tell, these pageants are run like a business, with the primary aim of making money. This would clearly indicate to me that there is no real concern for the children and their wellbeing—rather, they are more concerned with the bottom line and making a profit.

The potential for damage is such that I do not believe we should condone child pageants in Australia. I would also argue in this chamber that we should seriously consider this issue and the real risks it poses. Today I have only scraped the surface of what is a much larger issue, and I have spoken about this previously. It is my concern that our children are being made to grow up and act like adults too quickly. This is not only inappropriate but also potentially very damaging.

Other issues with this problem are the early sexualisation of girls and inappropriate behaviour being encouraged by music videos and adult style clothing. In music videos, women more often than men are presented in provocative and revealing clothes and typically serve as decorative objects that do not have any other purpose or impact on the musical production. In most cases, they are not even playing an instrument. They are often displayed in ways which emphasise their bodies, body parts and facial features.

The impact that music videos, and celebrities featured in them, can have on young people is quite profound. Adult style clothing is just another part of the problem of early sexualisation of girls in particular. A recent study has found that, of all clothing items assessed, 31 per cent had sexualising features. In this instance, it may be easy to blame parents for dressing their children in an inappropriate way; however, the parents are not the cause of the problem. One researcher said:

Blaming the parents is exactly what the marketers want you to do. They spend $12 billion getting your kids to want the things you don't want them to have, and then they blame you for buying them.

When we have a situation where so many individuals in such different areas are becoming alarmed, I think we need to think seriously about a solution to this problem.

Journalists, child advocacy organisations, parents and psychologists have all expressed concerns that the early sexualisation of girls is a broad and increasing problem and is causing harm. It has been my intention today to draw attention to this broad and complex issue in the hope that we can work together to formulate a response, to ensure that the wellbeing of our daughters and granddaughters is of the highest priority. These young girls represent the future female leaders of our nation. They will one day be senators, members of the House of Representatives—that other place—teachers, mothers and professionals. It is our responsibility to ensure that their physical, mental and psychological wellbeing is preserved. I believe that by allowing children's pageants to run in Australia we are neglecting the best interests of our children.

I urge all those in this chamber and, as this is being broadcast, those in our community to think seriously about the negative ramifications that come from parading young girls around dressed as adult women. I encourage you to not support child beauty pageants continuing in this country.