Persuasive Speech: Beauty Pageants Should Be BannedDid you know that this year alone, 2.5 million girls will compete with each other and be judged on their physical appearance and physical abilities ? These girls starting at the age of not even a year old are taught at such a young age that physical beauty and ability are the only ways to win. I'm not sure about all of you, but I'm really struggling to see any silver lining in any of this. Good morning/afternoon, Mrs. Spencer and classmates. As many of you will know, my name is Jemma and today I'm going to talk to you about why I believe there are no positives to beauty pageants and they should be banned. According to the Australian Oxford Dictionary, the term “Beauty Pageants” is defined as a public entertainment consisting of a parade of people who will be judged and evaluated.JUDGED.This word alone should be enough to raise alarms in today's society. These children are taught that external beauty is all that matters and that the only way to lead a successful life is to hide behind a pretty face and that is NOT OK. Argument One It is a generally known fact that beauty pageants can be blamed for many cases of psychological problems and eating disorders. Statistics show that 60% of children who participated in beauty pageants have psychological problems later in life. This is not surprising when you consider the fact that many of these girls have been told from a young age that physical beauty is the only way to win. This often led to pageant children feeling that they were not good enough and going to extremes to better themselves. Much like the fashion and modeling industry, pageant contestants have been going… middle of paper… wrong. As I said before, cases like eating disorders and the lack of understanding of the real world in these young, naive children are traced back to previous shows. What kind of people would think that instilling false ideas of beauty into the minds of our youth is okay? “This simply demonstrates the lack of understanding and empathy these people feel once they realize there is money in this industry. Conclusion As I have told you countless times today, child beauty pageants have no upsides and should be prohibited. Not only do they cause mental illnesses such as eating disorders, but they also prevent these children from living a normal life; both by illuminating childhood activities, and even to the point of death children's beauty pageants should be completely prohibited. Thank you.