Baby Beauty Queens

July 22, 2009 8:41 AM

BBC iPlayer: As the American phenomenon of the children's beauty pageant hits the UK, this documentary uncovers a surreal new world where nine-year-olds get fake tans and seven-year-olds wear contact lenses.

If you are outside of the UK you could use proxies or a better solution would be VPN.

posted by nam3d (41 comments total)

Not available outside the UK. Links requiring proxies or expensive vpn services to access are not acceptable. Remember, Metafilter is global.
posted by w0mbat at 8:46 AM on July 22, 2009

I just saw this yesterday, on a nice HQ player that's available to the US. Let me search my history to see if I can find it.
posted by unixrat at 8:50 AM on July 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

Badabing - it's on Liveleak. Probably not supposed to be, but there you go.
posted by unixrat at 8:51 AM on July 22, 2009 [5 favorites]

... Shoot me now. Please.
posted by vivelame at 8:57 AM on July 22, 2009

THIS is how we repay them for years of exceptional music, film and television? I guess we shouldn't look surprised when they declare war in a few years' time. Yikes.
posted by chihiro at 9:01 AM on July 22, 2009

Hey, UK!
You're welcome! Let us know when you have your JonBenet, willya?
Hugs,
USA
posted by Thorzdad at 9:11 AM on July 22, 2009

There is not a palm nor a face large enough to convey my thoughts on this right now.

I thought Europeans laughed at Americans when we did this kind of thing.
posted by Talanvor at 9:17 AM on July 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

THIS is how we repay them for years of exceptional music, film and television?

You know they gave us American Idol, right?

I say it's an eye for an eye sort of thing. Enjoy your kiddie creepshow, UK!
posted by kuujjuarapik at 9:24 AM on July 22, 2009

Free anal bleaching with your child's bikini wax! What can we do next to oversexualize children?
posted by BrotherCaine at 9:25 AM on July 22, 2009

Mothers and daughters attempting to BE each other. So creepy and sad.
posted by hermitosis at 9:26 AM on July 22, 2009

The Telegraph also has a piece about it here, aparently their was a Little Man beauty pageant as well.
posted by nam3d at 9:40 AM on July 22, 2009

This American would gladly pay the BBC a license fee if I could have access to all their media content. (Not necessarily on this topic, but there have been other things I've wanted to watch unbowdlerized by BBC America.)
posted by potsmokinghippieoverlord at 9:40 AM on July 22, 2009 [8 favorites]

Beware the VPN link - I get this warning from Trend antivirus:

URL address: http://www.vpntunnel.co.uk/
Rating: Dangerous
Threat details:Verified fraud page or threat source.
posted by SteveInMaine at 9:41 AM on July 22, 2009

Just got to the part about Sasha, who is only seven and comes from a really poor family. Her mother just described her as being "translucent" when she was born prematurely.

The whole time I'm watching this, all I can do is imagine these girls at 16, or 25. They're all going to be like J'amie King meets Elizabeth Wurtzel.
posted by hermitosis at 9:45 AM on July 22, 2009

SteveInMaine really? I've had a friend use it no problem, their are plently other similar services out there if you're looking into something like a VPN.
posted by nam3d at 9:46 AM on July 22, 2009

Wow, what a depressing documentary. I made it through about 8 minutes before the misery and ickiness really started getting to me, and then I turned it off.
posted by OverlappingElvis at 10:03 AM on July 22, 2009

Is this anything like Little Miss Sunshine, only real?
posted by yoHighness at 10:05 AM on July 22, 2009

From Mr. Show, Pre-Natal Pageants.
posted by Pronoiac at 10:10 AM on July 22, 2009

DAMNIT! Pronoiac, I was just posting that, but wasn't logged in! UGH! :(

Anyways, yes. I recommend that sketch :D
posted by symbioid at 10:12 AM on July 22, 2009

Paedogeddon.
posted by jack_mo at 10:31 AM on July 22, 2009

Links requiring proxies or expensive vpn services to access are not acceptable. Remember, Metafilter is global.

Except if the only place they're available to is the USA, yeah?
posted by onya at 10:45 AM on July 22, 2009 [8 favorites]

In what world is it normal for a nine-year-old girl to be in a "long-distance relationship"?
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 10:50 AM on July 22, 2009

Except if the only place they're available to is the USA, yeah?

That's odd. You seem to be using proper American words but they don't seem to be in any meaningful order. Purple monkey dishwasher?
posted by codswallop at 11:08 AM on July 22, 2009

This is so tragic. I mean, not just these girls...but this whole freaking industry. Good god, vanity plastic surgery on your 7 year old? How could a reputable doctor even *DO* that?

It is my firm belief that these mothers are every bit as abusive as parents that deride their children, and possibly even as abusive as those who beat their children. This is a horrible, horrible, horrible thing to do to a little girl.
posted by dejah420 at 11:36 AM on July 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

*does a little taunting jig at symbioid*

it's a sad jig because this topic is incredibly depressing
posted by Pronoiac at 11:36 AM on July 22, 2009

Is this anything like Little Miss Sunshine, only real?

Well if a British movie debunking child pageants is made, they'll have to call it: Little Miss Overcast!
posted by Jody Tresidder at 11:46 AM on July 22, 2009

Er...please, how do you get part 3 on liveleak? (Because I don't want "to meet sexy women in my area" - which is what I'm offered instead.)

I'd just like to know who wins!!
posted by Jody Tresidder at 12:26 PM on July 22, 2009

Jody Tresidder, in the upper right hand corner there's a scrolly box labeled Media. Click on the third Unknown Title in that box (the thumbnail that's dark with a light building in the center) and you'll get part 3.
posted by katemonster at 12:32 PM on July 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

Katemonster,

Thank you very, very, very much. Looks perfect. (I was totally stuck).
posted by Jody Tresidder at 12:42 PM on July 22, 2009

Is this anything like Little Miss Sunshine, only real?
posted by yoHighness at 10:05 AM on July 22

Wikipedia sez: All the girls acting as participants in the beauty pageant, except Abigail Breslin, were veterans of real beauty pageants. They looked the same and performed the same acts as they had in their real-life pageants.[28]

So, pretty much, yeah.

Ugh, I don't know if I can stomach watching the documentary just yet. Just reading about the subject matter usually leaves me feeling sick and depressed enough as it is.
posted by kosher_jenny at 12:44 PM on July 22, 2009

Did anyone notice the bit where Madison's mother (the Glaswegian) said she had a "perfect figure" for modeling? And if she could just maintain that and become even more beautiful as she grew up, she could be a top model? Holy cats, since when does a 9-year-old have any kind of a "figure," let alone a perfect one?
posted by chihiro at 12:56 PM on July 22, 2009

Good god, vanity plastic surgery on your 7 year old? How could a reputable doctor even *DO* that?

I personally have no idea, but if anyone has an answer to this question, I am fairly confident it's Bob Saget.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 1:09 PM on July 22, 2009 [1 favorite]

Why Bob Saget?
posted by dejah420 at 1:37 PM on July 22, 2009

Good god, vanity plastic surgery on your 7 year old?

I hope it's not a spoiler to reveal said surgery is pinning back protuberant ears - (and the girl is nine, in case that makes a difference). I was imagining much worse.

Gripping stuff - and I liked the tiny positive flourish at the end.

Though I hated the voiceover of funereal doom. The editing, interview selection and the - many, many - edgy juxtapositions could have done with a somewhat more neutral tone - I thought.
posted by Jody Tresidder at 1:52 PM on July 22, 2009

This is very close to child abuse.
posted by Mister_A at 2:02 PM on July 22, 2009

Can't we just buy these people some dolls to play with before they go and have kids instead?
posted by lucidium at 2:24 PM on July 22, 2009 [2 favorites]

Too awful to watch. NSFSane people
posted by Cranberry at 3:26 PM on July 22, 2009

I hope it's not a spoiler to reveal said surgery is pinning back protuberant ears - (and the girl is nine, in case that makes a difference)

She had it when she was 7 though, but for me the two years doesn't make a difference.
posted by liquorice at 5:26 PM on July 22, 2009

how do you get part 3 on liveleak?

Look at the top-right corner... they show icons for all three of the videos. When I clicked the one for the third video, it was inserted at the top of the page above the first video. Definitely odd, but I could watch it.
posted by Nattie at 6:43 PM on July 22, 2009

Yeah I'm assuming it's pinnaplasty. My sister had this when she was... 10? 12? something like that. She's in her 20s now and seems happy to have had it. Then again, (a) she wasn't in any sort of beauty pageants and (b) she was old enough to be self-conscious/unhappy about it (yay middle school) so it wasn't like she had it "forced" upon her. As the article above mentions, this is one of those things that isn't going to change after a relatively young age, so it's not like getting breast implants at 15 or something.
posted by wildcrdj at 7:18 PM on July 22, 2009

Now showing on TLC: Toddlers & Tiaras.


Ick.
posted by jazon at 7:50 PM on July 22, 2009