Source: TLC’s Toddlers & Tiaras Webpage, “Top 10 Controversial Parents” Video Playlist
For this blog, I decided to do some exploring on the TLC webpage for the tv series Toddlers & Tiaras. I found a video playlist that showcased video clips of some the more extreme parents who involve their daughters (or sons) in the pageant world. After seeing some very over-the-top parent personalities and actions, I have documented several of them below. I found that an overall theme of pageant parents was the fact that these moms (or dads) seem much more dedicated to pageantry than the actual children themselves. It seems as if these parents are taking their role of pageant parents too far, as they are forcing their kids to do things they don’t always want to do instead of letting them just have fun. Instead of enjoying the competition, the parents get so competitive in winning high titles that they don’t allow their children to enjoy themselves. I also noted several quotes and characteristics that seem to have negative impacts on the kids.
Mom: Jamie Sterling, was a “pageant girl” herself Children:
Twins Brianna & Ashlyn
The Sterlings have five daughters competing in pageants, including their set of twins. Mom says twin Briana wins the most.
Ashlyn says “I don’t like competing against my sister because it’s hard to win”.
Mom: “Brianne does look a lot like mommy, and is probably the prettiest out of the five. Ashlyn is really skinny with a little bit larger nose than Brianne. She’s very timid and reserved, usually takes the back seat when it comes to Brianne.”
Ashlyn wins princess and Brianne wins Queen.
Dad has concern with glitz pageants because they’re competing against each other, but he doesn’t “oppose” because of fear of creating friction in marriage.
Putting the twins against each other is clearly a huge issue. It is already evident that the competition between her twin sister is having a negative effect on Ashlyn, as she always takes the lower titles. With her twin getting so much praise, spotlight, and high titles, it is creating emotional issues with Ashlyn, who is described by her mother as “timid and reserved” while her twin Brianne is very outgoing, friendly, and social which her mom describes as a “great personality”. Mom also is vocal in noting the physical differences between Brianne and Ashlyn, and not afraid to say that Brianne is her “prettiest” daughter. Ashlyn seems to be very aware of this, which seems to be setting her back and adding to her shyness.
Parent: David & Tanya Perez
Child: Ava, age 2
David has “always been “ interested in pageants. He always knew if he had a daughter that he would get her into the pageant world. Dad titles himself as the “SuperDad of Pageants” – “I’m her coach, makeup artist, costume designer, and her biggest cheerleader”. Dad is extremely upset that she lost out on talent competition, crying. It is clear that David is much more interested in Ava participated in pagaents than Ava actually is.
Parent: Heather Hughes
Children: Hayden and Maverick
“When I see little girls, I always think that I can turn my little boys into girls. These are my girls that I never had so I’ll just turn them into girls.”
“I don’t consider myself a pageant mom because I have a lot of background in child development”.
Hayden seems very distracted and uninterested. Call me crazy but it looked like the boys had a lot more fun in the beginning of the clip when they were shown riding toy fourwheelers outside. While a lot of pageant moms seem to be living through their daughters when it comes to pageantry, it seems far too over the top to live your pageant dreams through your sons. She is definitely forcing it upon them.
Parent: Stacie Fitzgerald
Child: Paige, age 4
Paige has been winning pageants since she was 2 years old. Her parents both go all out when it comes to her participation in pageants. Paige’s dad is a chiropractor who gives his daughter an “adjustment” before each pageant so that she is “at her best”. Paige also gets a caviar treatment for her hair before each pageant.
Parent: Julie Blair
Child: Cassidy
“What makes Cassidy stand out from the other pageant girls is mainly her behavior. She is a nasty little brat a lot of the times. You can see her and think she’s such an angel, but you can turn around and she’ll tear your head off in a second”. I’m not sure why Cassidy’s mom finds this so humorous.
Mom bribes Cassidy’s pageant participation with toys. (“The bribery for this pageant is some video game that she really wants. I told her that if she can win Queen, we’ll stop and get it for you on the way home. I promised it to her because I knew she wasn’t going to win the overall highpoint.”) Mom describes herself as always having been very competitive, which definitely is the driving force behind Cassidy’s participation in pageants. She is very overcritical of Cassidy’s performance, which could be crucial to Cassidy’s mentality, seeing as how when she won the Princess title instead of Oueen in her very first pageant, her mom states that she herself “stormed out, tossed [her daughter’s] crown in the parking lot and ran it over”.
Parent: Stacy Berg
Child: Madison age 10
Madison, who use the “stage name” of ‘Tootie’ during pageants, has competed in over 100 pageants over the course of five years. She came up with the alter-ego stage name idea from the television show Hannah Montana. The two personas seem to get a bit confusion at times, such as Stacy writing a note to Madison’s teacher referring to her as Tootie, and when Stacy called Madison by her real name at a pageant (in which Madison then demanded that she is “not Madison right now” and is instead Tootie). This situation seems like it could have a negative effect Madison as she develops into an adult. Another negative affect could be that her mom refers to herself not as a stage-mom, but as “Tootie’s personal assistant”. She claim she does everything for her and it is clear that she waits on her hand and foot. Tootie also has been spray tanning since age five, which she does not enjoy and often makes clear to her mom that she no longer wants to tan. However, the hard work of getting physically ready for a pageant pays off in Stacy’s eyes, as she states “When I see her on stage, it’s just like having a life-size doll”.
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