In the 1920s, an American hotelier, to extend tourists' stays, invented Miss America . Subsequently, other categories of participants were included, significantly lowering the age, in order to include the world of childhood : the so-called Child Beauty Pageants . There are beauty contests for little girls that maintain the aesthetics of their childhood, others, the Glitz Pageants, which focus on the transformation-imitation of the same girls into pseudo-adults: flirtatious glances and poses, heavy makeup, high heels, extensions, spray tan, false eyelashes, colored contact lenses, hair removal, false teeth and even the use of Botox . In America, given the abundance of annual organization, these pageants are a true "institution". In 2008, a reality show made in the USA on the theme: " Toddlers & Tiaras ". A beauty contest for girls up to 16 years old, divided into various categories (e.g., Junior Miss, Little Miss, Pre-Teen, etc.). In 2006, the film Little Miss Sunshine addressed this theme, winning two Oscars.

Women in Miniature

The phenomenon of female hypersexualization is expressed in making little girls appear as miniature women, consequently they are transformed into sexual objects to be exhibited. Female hypersexualization is connected to the hypersexualization of society understood as the constant sexual stimulation spread by the media and social media (for example, the sexting is the sharing of sexually explicit images via mobile devices or other means on the Internet). Specifically, according to theAmerican Psychological Association (2004 and 2005) sexualization is distinguished by some peculiarities:
– physical attraction is equated with being sexy;
– a person's value is derived from sexual behavior to the exclusion of other elements;
– a person is sexually objectified, that is, defined as an object for the sexual use of others;
– sexuality is improperly imposed.

What effects on girls?

In fact, these are not contests for attractive young girls, but adult contests with young girls pretending to be sensual women, subjected to adult voting. The role of parents is crucial , especially that of mothers. A generational hodgepodge of mothers (and their wishes), daughters instilled with the supreme value of beauty and of already being "grown up" which translates into success, talent scouts, and pageant organizers. What are the possible effects on girls? Issues related to eating disorders, self-esteem, psycho-physical development, anxiety, depression, up to the decontextualization of the real world and self-objectification, that is, the process in which female subjects are induced to adopt the perspective of an external observer on their own body, assuming the self-vision of an object to be evaluated (Fredrickson and Roberts, 1997). The threat of pedophilia looms . In 1996, the murder of 6-year-old beauty queen JonBénet Ramsey took place, a case that remains unsolved.

Baby models in Italy

In Italy, the children's fashion industry dominates with baby models and the proliferation of related agencies. Cinema and television included. Furthermore, a reality show called “ Little Miss America ” (the eponymous contest held every year in Texas) was broadcast , but was later suspended. A report by Enrico Lucci entitled “ Children of Success ” broadcast by Le Iene (2013) analyzed the panorama of a beauty contest for children from the point of view of the mothers who reiterated the willingness of 3-year-olds to participate, underlining the unimportance of winning at all costs. Obviously, the behavior and responses of the aspiring stars have punctually denied these statements. The documentary “ Divine ” by Chiara Brambilla (2010) shows the thoughts, attitudes, tantrums, stress, and sometimes the curiosity, of three little girls who agree to satisfy their parents' wishes for success . The words of some 10-year-old girls who want to become famous to make their mothers happy are emblematic. “ If you go to an audition and they say no, I feel offended. And I don't want to feel offended, ” says one girl. “ I'm not excited about the idea of ​​going to a casting ,” says another. “ I dream of flying and being a teacher ,” replies yet another. It's important not to exceed 1,40 m in height, otherwise you'll be excluded from children's fashion.

Violated childhood

Dreams of beauty and success are combined with economic and marketing issues. Yes, because if a daughter wins, her mother also wins: it's about social redemption . In Luchino Visconti's film " Bellissima " (1951), a mother (played by Anna Magnani) forces her daughter to participate in a casting in the hope of making it big in the cinema industry; accompanied to an audition, the desperate daughter begins to cry: her heartbreaking close-up amidst the producers' careless laughter is significant. So what do you want to be when you grow up? In a hypersexualized society , the limit between excessive and moderate depends in these cases on the parents. If participating in an advertisement, a fashion show or a film can be understood as a sort of game in and of itself, in everything else, if taken to exasperation, violated childhood triumphs , to the detriment of the right to be able to choose what one wants and who one wants to be when one has the maturity and awareness to decide.

Arianna Caccia

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