Chelsea Ballint stands on stage with 10 anxious girls, looking out into the audience. She sees her dad and her boyfriend sitting together, smiling eagerly at her. With no time to prepare herself, the announcer calls her name over the loudspeaker. Seventeen-year-old Ballint has just won her first pageant title, Ohio's Homecoming Queen.
Tonight, the junior public relations major will compete in the Miss Ohio USA 2007 pageant in Portsmouth.I never thought I'd be in a pageant
Ballint said of her late adolescent start in the pageant world. When her childhood friend competed in pageants, Ballint was playing outside like most other kids.
Ballint entered the pageant arena when she first decided to compete in Ohio's Homecoming Queen. She continued on to the national pageant and won the title America's Homecoming Queen. After this, Ballint was inspired to join the Miss USA pageantry circuit.
Everything happened by the seat of my pants she recalled.
The Miss USA organization has a platform for breast cancer, which intrigued Ballint because of her grandfather's lost fight against lung cancer. As the public relations chair for Colleges Against Cancer, Ballint maintains an active role in the fight against cancer.
Freshman broadcast journalism major Brianna Savoca grew up competing in pageants. She participated in her first pageant at age 9.
Children shouldn't be forced to compete in pageants ... they should really want to compete Savoca said. My mom never wanted to put me in a pageant unless it was my choice to do so.
Because she did not compete as a child, Ballint does not support child pageantry.
I would never put my daughter in (a child pageant)
Ballint said. There are healthier things.
Since the JonBenet Ramsey murder of 1996, child pageantry has been thrown into the media spotlight.
According to The New York Times in an Aug. 24 article, Images of a 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey
dressed in miniature sheaths and wearing lipstick and high heels
are fresh again with the arrest of a suspect in her murder ' images that
depending on the beholder
may verge on the grotesque.
Sophomore Cassandra George has competed in pageants since age 5. As a participant in the American Coed Pageants circuit, George has found child pageants to be extremely beneficial.
George said unlike the child pageants that exploit young girls, as with Ramsey, when a good circuit is found, it can help girls with self-confidence and conversation skills, George said. A good child pageantry organization does not allow contestants to wear makeup. The pageants focus on the contestants, not playing dress-up, she said.
Jeanne Heaton, OU's director of counseling and psychological services, views child pageantry as an industry that has lifelong effects on women who compete in them.
It's a lifelong focus on looks and how other people evaluate your looks
Heaton said.
Heaton believes child pageants are dangerous for developing a sense of self. What makes for self-confidence is doing well what you value
(not) what your parents value
Heaton said.
A benefit for older pageant competitors is the scholarship opportunities. Savoca has received bonds and scholarship money for participating in the Miss America circuit.
The organization is one of the world's largest providers of scholarship assistance for young women, said Sharon Pearce, director of communications for the Miss America Organization. Last year, the organization made available more than $45 million in prize and scholarship money.
The Miss USA circuit does not provide scholarship assistance. However, they do provide cash prizes for winners and participants.
