PAGEANT FACTS
- 250,000 children participate in pageants every year
- Natural Pageant v. Glitz Pageant
- The "Little Miss America Pageant" contest in New Jersey in 1961, affiliated with Palisades Amusement Park, is considered the first child beauty pageant.
- California, Florida, and New York hold the most pageants, and the number of pageants in the United States appears to be growing, in spite of the fact that many contests, especially at the national level, charge contestants between $250 to $800 to enter.
- Larger state-wide pageants earn up to $100,000 apiece. Basic entrance fees can cost a few hundred dollars per contestant, not including optional add-ons.
- Pageants are not organized or regulated: According to the Attorney General of the Department of Justice in California, "there is no law that prescribes how a pageant must be managed, the rules are set by each contest promoter."
- Even 25 years ago, top models and beauty queens weighed only 8% less than the average woman, now they weigh 23% less. The current media ideal for women is achievable by less than 5% of the female population.