Ok - here's my opinion. I saw the show once - came across it while channel-hopping, and sat there staring with my mouth open. I didn't finish watching the episode. I couldn't. As the father of a girl around the same age as the contestants, I found it utterly disturbing. I can't understand how parents can dress up their little girls like that and make them parade in front of strangers, or even worse on TV. Those girls seemed so conscious of their looks, their clothes, hair, makeup, I'm prettier than her, I'm better dressed, etc.
I can't help but contrast this with my daughter, who often puts up a fight when I make her put on shoes to go out.
My daughter is a child, who wants to run barefoot, climb trees and play. These little girls seem more like little women, already obsessed with their physical appearance. (I don't even want to think how high-maintenance they will grow up to be. Heaven help their future husbands!)
Now, I understand that they've probably blown it out of proportion to sensationalize it, but still...
Another thing I remember is a little girl throwing a tantrum because she didn't want to sit to have her hair done, but her mother made her. The mother then made a comment that they need to work on her discipline and dedication. WTF! If the child doesn't want to do it, why should she? So the mother can make money? That's the only answer I can come up with. And that sounds a lot like exploitation to me.
As for letting my own daughter do it - Hell no. I think she's a pretty girl, but she isn't aware that she is any more or less attractive than any of her friends, and I want to keep it that way. Little girls shouldn't base their self-worth of their appearance. Even older girls or grown women shouldn't. I want my daughter to grow up to be an intelligent, interesting woman who can hold a man's interest with her conversation, not her looks. I can't see what she would learn in a pageant that would contribute to that. I CAN see a lot of things she would learn there that would detract from that.
Also - the last thing I want my daughter to deal with at this age, is to be judged not pretty enough. I'd let her compete in other competitions, but this is just too personal. They're not judging a skill here, they're judging a person. I can't and won't expose my daughter to that.
Ok, rant over. I just want to find out if I'm overly hysterical, so please, feel free to rip my opinion to shreds. I'd actually be relieved to find out that I'm wrong about the whole pageant-thing.