Thanks for the link Houellebecq. I personally don't have a problem with girls engaging in martial arts/combat sports or any other competition based on skill/talent/stamina (that can all be enhanced with practice). If they were scored on physical beauty, I'd certainly have something to say! (BTW, no, I don't have ugly kids. lol!) Have you seen this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPLWKBWkn3s Hilarious.

@Poirot: Yes - kids will make friends whatever they do, but I have tried to imagine what the conversation/pressure might be like when a six year old beauty queen has a friend over for a play.

So Pageants are now being compared to cock fighting? Most people also said the world was flat - thankfully this wasn't agreed by all!

As for 6 year old pageant girls having friends over for a playdate- from my experience - they usually spend a few minutes trying on crowns and sashes then wander off into the garden to play on the swing set!

Pageant Mum- your daughter is 15; which is essentially a young adult (children potentially start being able to think like adults a few years earlier).
Thus it shouldn't be compared to younger age pageants.
Out of curiosity when did she start participating?

It makes a difference- as dedicating time in the earlier years of one's life (try 6-9) to any individual competitive system, starts to define a person- and may prove an artificial factor in repelling one from other things, or disallowing time to develop early skills to feel confident in them as their peers to want to participate.

Having the free time on the other hand to try these things early without committed events- and still decide they aren't the person's cup of tea and they would prefer pageants at a slightly older age is different.

(and I'm saying this as someone who hated sports and the usual 'traditional' activities anyway and wouldn't have missed them- but had been made to participate in a handful of competitions that did reflect things I could do well- and hated the experience and lost time I had to take out of my life to attend these things).

I admit that she started her Pageant life later than some, but she would tell you herself if they were around when she was younger she would have been front of the queue. She would have never forgiven me if I had known about them and not let her take part.
She began horseriding at 4 (pretty much as soon as she could sit upright in a saddle unaided) and Cheerleading at 7 with a break from 10-12 due to ill health. She has also tried Gymnastics, Drama, Dance even Brownies none of which she enjoyed so she stopped.
Knowing my daughter as I do, and knowing her personality I can wholeheartedly say she would have loved every single second of Pageants when she was younger.
I strongly believe our childhood is not only about learning its also about going out and trying new things, having fun and making memories for our adulthood. She is going to have some fantastic stories to tell her kids and grandkids when she is old and wrinkly.

@PageantMum, the things you describe your daughter enjoying about pageants are outside of any concern I have with them. The question is, would she have enjoyed them any less had the judges not 'scored' her on physical beauty? I just can't imagine any little girl saying 'mummy, I really want to stand next to my friends in a competition and have some strangers tell us which one is the most beautiful girl/brightest eyes/prettiest smile.' Win or lose, what positive message can possibly be gained from that type of competition? Do you have more than one daughter? Would you tell one she's more beautiful than the other?

Catherine you leave me no choice bit to observe that it appears to me that you have an extremely unhealthy fear of someone being, or being judged as beautiful.

This I believe is at least as dangerous as those who place excessive value in beauty.

I think a look at your value system would be at least as well advised for you, as for those you are denigrating.