The other day when I was indulging in one of many guilty pleasures (the one I'm referring to is watching those Entertainment News shows..hehe) all the sudden a huge story comes on the screen entitled, "Mom Gave 8yr. Old Daughter Botox." Ummmmm, WHAT?!?! I literally had to watch the segment a few times for it to register in my head as something real that happened and still, at this very moment, I am appalled.
As I was watching I heard the mother say that her daughter ASKED her for the Botox! I seriously couldn't help but laugh because, c'mon, what 8 year old ASKS or even knows about Botox?!?!? But apparently the little girl asked her mother for the Botox because, and I'm quoting, "I just, like, don't, like, think wrinkles are nice on little girls." Wow! I guess the whole story behind all this is because the little girl competes in Beauty Pageants and neither the mother nor the daughter (what a shock, she's 8!!) saw anything wrong with it because "other people do things just like it at pageants." LOL Wait, it gets better!!
Watching this story unfold made me reminisce of my childhood. I took myself back to when I was 8 years old. I have such wonderful, warm memories at that age. Spending time with my family, being in school, playing with my toys...etc...Oh wait, I almost forgot! That was the Christmas I asked Santa for Botox!! Duh!! lol yeaaaa not so much!! To me, that is completely inappropriate that an 8 year old is being put through something like Botox and that she even knows and understands what Botox is!
The worst part, as if it could get any worse, is that for whatever reason (and I have a feeling someone better come up with a good one and quick!) the mother was being videotaped injecting the Botox into her daughter's face! And the little girl was saying it hurt and was clearly in pain but that didn't stop good ol' mom from continuing! Ugh just repeating this to you guys and visualizing the pain on her face is making me outraged!! She's 8!! She's a beautiful, precious little girl who has the rest of her teenage and adult life to be worried about her physical appearance, she shouldn't have to start from now.
I truly feel sorry for this little girl. While on the one hand, yes she likes being in these pageants, who wouldn't? They make them seem like they're fun and glamorous so the kids do it but really, if you've ever watched Little Miss Perfect or any of the other shows about kid beauty pageants, you know that it's not as fun as it looks. And sometimes I wonder if it's more fun for some (not all!) of the moms to live vicariously through their daughters. I mean, I hate to bring it up but look what happened to Jonbenet Ramsey! She was GORGEOUS for a child and now where is she? Not here anymore because some crazy psycho took her destiny in his own hands after watching her compete in those pageants for who knows how long and then going to her house and doing awful things to her.
And another thing that bothers me is what kind of message is being sent to those little girls regarding their physical appearance? Most of them wear Flippers (little snap-on false teeth so you can't see that they lost a tooth or two like a normal child), get spray tanned, wear full faces of make-up, being made to eat a lot of candy to up their energy levels and even have to wear a swimsuit!! Why do they need to associate being beautiful with winning and that losing means they weren't pretty enough or talented enough. They are way too young to have to start dealing with that and I can only imagine it getting worse as they get older.
I know that it's cute to watch the little girls all dolled up looking extra fabulous in those pageants and I know that it's awesome to win the big prizes but is it really worth the psychological effect it's going to have on the child in the years to come? I'm not so sure...
I say, Let the kids be kids...All children are beautiful, special and talented in their own way and every parent should acknowledge that and let their child know that (and I'm not saying all parents don't do that already, I'm just sayin). You don't need pageants to prove that your daughter or son is fabulous & gorgeous. If they don't learn when they're young to accept themselves as they are and other's as they are, then they are really going to have a tough time as they get older.
I'm sorry this is soo long and all over the place but this story really gets me going, if you couldn't tell! It's sick and twisted and I'm kinda happy the mother is under investigation (and for damn good reason!). I mean seriously, where did she get this Botox that she was doing it herself at home? Does she really know the long term effects it could have on her daughter? Why have it videotaped and then put on the internet?? Sooo many questions and I'm sure, in a short time my trusty news shows will have some answers. Hopefully everything turns out ok for that family, but I'm not sure that's going to be the case. I hope that little girl knows that she is beautiful as she is. Before her Botox experience. And before the pageants.
Just one last thing to chew on: " You can be sorry for not being perfect, but never, ever be sorry for being yourself."
xoxo Lisa xoxo
I agree with you on this. Little girls should be treated as little girls not like plastic that you can shape into anything.
ReplyDeleteAmen! I knew I wouldn't be the only one to feel this way! I agree with your comment as well. They are little girls, not barbie dolls! It makes me sick to think about this Botox story and all the other little girls that go through similar situations. Thank you so much for reading this and commenting! God Bless!
ReplyDeleteI agree little girls, especially, should be able to be who they are. It's sad when her mother is giving her a message that she is not good enough! Very sad.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog, always positive and very interesting topics! Keep up the good work.
It is very sad!! If she can't be who she wants to be or accept herself as she is at 8, what's going to happen when she is 16?!?! I feel horrible for that child!
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting on my blog!! That means the world to me!!!!!!