I attended to local Chinese New Year celebrations in town yesterday .

They had a stage set up , with the only show seemed to be a pretty little girl competition .

That just didnt sit right with me .

I was with an 18 month year old little boy who was approaching his sleeping time  .

So, we wondered back stage , just so he could see things before we went home .

There were a dozen or so little girls , ranging from 6 to 16 years old .

Their parents were dressing them up in tradition Chinese clothing and applying full make up

FULL MAKE UP .

False eyelashes , bright red lipstick and everything else .

Their parents were showing their Children how to pout and to look alluring .

It just didnt sit right with me .

There were many adults waiting in front of the stage, waiting to see these children .

Now, I am not prudish at all , I took some photos of my Son with girls his age who were dressed up in Chinese attire on the streets , they looked sweet together, no harm in that .

   But a group of adults all waiting to see made up pretty little girls being paraded before them and people judging them on their looks, just didnt sit right ..

    As I walked home past the bar area, the working woman were all dressed up the same with the same amounts of make-up and the same clothes as the little girls and as they they were all plastered with make up on , their only difference was their size .

    If the "pretty little girl" competition had been part of the evenings entertainment , them I may have viewed it differently, but it seemed to be the only attraction .

   It just didnt sit right with me .

It crossed the line from being cute Children to sexualising them 

What do you think those young girl beauty pageants in the US have been doing for years?  They dress them up like little hookers.

Not sure what the problem here is. 

 

Was the op having weird thoughts? 

 

The problem might not be with the children's completion.

2 hours ago, wow64 said:

Not sure what the problem here is. 

Was the op having weird thoughts? 

The problem might not be with the children's completion.

 

   I just found the whole concept to be a bit weird.

Pre teen girls with false eyelashes and full make up , with long skirts split up the side to thigh height and adults go there specifically to see whom they think is the prettiest .

   The girls were made up to look sexy and alluring, rather than just naturally pretty

I just dont think that its a good idea for adults to sit and watch pre teen girls and look/leer at them and to judge which one they think is the prettiest/ sexiest

6 hours ago, giddyup said:

What do you think those young girl beauty pageants in the US have been doing for years?  They dress them up like little hookers.

2 hours ago, sanemax said:

 

   I just found the whole concept to be a bit weird.

Pre teen girls with false eyelashes and full make up , with long skirts split up the side to thigh height and adults go there specifically to see whom they think is the prettiest .

   The girls were made up to look sexy and alluring, rather than just naturally pretty

I just dont think that its a good idea for adults to sit and watch pre teen girls and look/leer at them and to judge which one they think is the prettiest/ sexiest

I'm surprised that you seem unaware of the child beauty contests, they were around when I was a kid and that's more than 60 years ago.  Surely you have heard of the JonBenet Ramsey case?

Edited January 29, 20179 yr by giddyup

Pretty normal goings on out here in Asia. The make up and wearing of mums shoes is just tolerated more over here.

The OP has stated that he is not a prude. I accept that, but he certainly is not worldly. As others have said above, this is big business in the USA.

On 1/29/2017 at 11:50 PM, wow64 said:

Not sure what the problem here is. 

 

Was the op having weird thoughts? 

 

The problem might not be with the children's completion.

That's more than a bit unfair.  These competitions in many countries including the USA, sail well over the line of sexualizing pre-pubescent girls.   It becomes more than a bit disconcerting when you are there & actually see what the Mums are doing to their little girls.   And it is SOOOO competitive.

You wondered backstage while they were getting dressed up?

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Funny how some threads from the get go drift towards "yeah, but what about the USA"...

Pics , or it didn't happen !

2 minutes ago, alanrchase said:

You wondered backstage while they were getting dressed up?

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It was  behind the stage rather than "back-stage"

It was on the road and it wasnt fenced off or anything 

 

3 minutes ago, FlorC said:

Pics , or it didn't happen !

Thats quite pragmatic, from you

6 minutes ago, alanrchase said:

You wondered backstage while they were getting dressed up?

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Yes, Very good point actually.  BTW,  he wAndered backstage and wOndered if it was a not in good taste..

well stand up then

13 minutes ago, sanemax said:

Thats quite pragmatic, from you

People are getting way over sensitive , when it comes to kids.

It goes on in many countries.In the USA there are comps for kids,and the mother's are really into it.there was a programme on tv a few moths ago and the mothers were almost prepared to kill to get their child to win.It was scary.fanaticism at its worst.

if you dont like it get up and walk away 

  like tv if u dont like it switch it off nobody forcing u to look.

this is chinese tradition  xhould investigate this tradition  and read more before u Judge

 

 

 

 

Eh, I think this is one of those cultural things that many of Westerners just don't get. I remember seeing this for the first time at my elementary school. It was sports day and the cheerleaders were all made up. It was weird, but all the moms seemed to enjoy it. I still think it is a bit strange, but it's not hurting anyone so live and let live.

6 minutes ago, bkkgriz said:

Eh, I think this is one of those cultural things that many of Westerners just don't get. 

JonBenet Ramsay?

1 hour ago, DoctorG said:

 I accept that, but he certainly is not worldly. As others have said above, this is big business in the USA.

"Unworldly"  "America" .

I think you used the wrong word there , America isnt the rest of the World

26 minutes ago, bkkgriz said:

I still think it is a bit strange, but it's not hurting anyone so live and let live.

What about if the guys who went to see the show decided to go and sit outside a school playground and look at all the little girls and trying to decide which one he thinks is the prettiest, would that be acceptable?

20 minutes ago, SaintLouisBlues said:

JonBenet Ramsay?

Yeah, I'm aware of the Ramsay case and the beauty pageants in the West. I think Thailand and America approach these pageants at different levels. Thailand is more about fun and having a good time. The US is all about competition and winning at all costs. I think the OP is approaching at a creepiness level that we are raised with in the West. Making little girls look like adults is creepy for most Westerners. However, in Thailand, it is not considered creepy. 

3 minutes ago, sanemax said:

What about if the guys who went to see the show decided to go and sit outside a school playground and look at all the little girls and trying to decide which one he thinks is the prettiest, would that be acceptable?

 

I'm not sure. In the eight years I taught at the school nobody came around to look at the girls. So I guess in this case there was no problem.

The travelling community in the UK is no different, birthday parties etc, young kids plastered in make up and bloody spray tans.

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1 hour ago, FlorC said:

People are getting way over sensitive , when it comes to kids.

Maybe people are but asking for pics of kids is still weird 

On 1/29/2017 at 9:03 PM, sanemax said:

 

   I just found the whole concept to be a bit weird.

Pre teen girls with false eyelashes and full make up , with long skirts split up the side to thigh height and adults go there specifically to see whom they think is the prettiest .

   The girls were made up to look sexy and alluring, rather than just naturally pretty

I just dont think that its a good idea for adults to sit and watch pre teen girls and look/leer at them and to judge which one they think is the prettiest/ sexiest

I totally agree but we seem to live in a self advancement world going full tilt. Marry well and live the good life seems to be the goal and that takes an illusion of beauty. They practice early. 

On 1/29/2017 at 5:50 PM, wow64 said:

Not sure what the problem here is. 

 

Was the op having weird thoughts? 

 

The problem might not be with the children's completion.

Nasty implication, unwarranted by the posting. Try doing a little research into a subject which, thankfully, is concerning to a great many individuals and organisations.

I find it weird and unsettling. And the parents are projecting what they want onto the child.

 

But that's me.