Yogurt: A Barrier to Women's Success - Raritan Valley Community ...

34controlled takes away natural human responses, like being able to nurture ahuman being. If one should forcibly alter their child in any way, they shouldat least establish a good relationship with their child first. The moms thatappeared in this episode of Toddlers in Tiaras seemed to lack a strong bondwith their child. It seemed as if that bond had dissipated in the process ofgetting ready for pageant time. The moms seemed to have no sympathy forhow their children were feeling. In the “Precious Moments Pageant” episode,one mom even resorted to threatening her child by saying, “you won’t win,the other girls are better than you” (Precious Moments Pageant). It wasapparent that her child was tired, annoyed, and antsy. What was importantwas that her child got up on stage and performed what they have beenpreparing for, not if they were sad and had stage fright. The same momeven said, “All of our money is on you now. Don’t screw this up”(PreciousMoments Pageant). This is not to say that pageant moms are terrible peoplebecause they have a determination to win, but rather that pageant momshave lost sight of what is more important, the mental and physical health oftheir child.It is no doubt that beauty pageants would take a toll on any individualor family. Toddlers & Tiaras is a good representation of how “Americansociety has a strong effect on parent’s decisions” (Sandel 271), as describedin Sandel’s argument. Our society over time has undoubtedly oversteppedthe boundaries of modesty because of a common desire for money. Forexample in this episode, one mother chose to dress her daughter in aprostitute costume, which she thought was “cute” and would win over thejudges and the audience. Of course there were “ooh’s” and “aww’s” in theaudience upon seeing the little girl, but there was a lot of negative feedbackfrom the public. But the mother protests that, “the whole idea was forpeople to see the comedy behind it”(Precious Moments Pageant).Well,dressing your daughter as a prostitute isn’t primarily perceived as