Primo mommas

Every so often, I find myself doing masochistic things like watching toddlers in tiaras. Surprised that they still exist and amazed at the shameless things some of the mothers use to justify it.

It is toddlers and even older girls at impressionable ages  transformed from sweet innocence into show girls and less appetizing things.

It is  mothers using their children to live out some long lost dream at everyone's expense, some being plainly abusive and proud of it.

It is the idea that this is an investment of thousands of dollars in froufrou costumes, modeling classes and coaches when the family is obviously going deeply into debt to do it.

It is the sad brainwashing of  little children, telling them that if they are good at this, as one mother said, "She might grow up to marry a rich man." Making them feel that something as ephemeral as physical beauty and purchased things are very important and that the family is counting on them to get their money's worth.

I have a very difficult time understanding how anyone thinks this is a good thing, especially for little girls. How can parents feel no shame about being on television for the world to watch as they promote this twisted form of entertainment that snuggles right up against child porn.

The children are adorable before they are dressed up and sent out to work, but my heart breaks as their mothers tell them to stop crying and not shame their families, to not waste all the money and time spent getting them ready. Some even scowling when the child performs poorly and meeting them after the performance with remonstrances about what they did wrong.

How can anyone think this is healthy? It promotes the idea that success can be bought, that beauty creates worthiness, that seductive moves are how little girls should be viewed and that without all this, they are not enough.