An Unlikely Parallel

        While browsing the National Geographic website I came across an article that instantly grabbed my attention: Millions of Young Girls Forced into Marriage.  I had definitely heard of child marriages before but never did it occur to me that this was happening to 'Millions' of girls.  As I dove into the article I found even more startling facts; "One out of nine girls in developing countries will be married by age 15".  This shows how huge this problem is.  Parents often encourage child marriage due to economic concerns.  Many times a daughter is the only form of "currency" a family has, or the only commodity a family has left to trade.  Not only are these young girls forced to do something against their will but they are also forced to engage in sexual relations with there spouse, "Girls ages l0-14 are five times more likely to die in pregnancy or childbirth than women aged 20-24 and girls aged 15-19 are twice as likely to die".  These statistics show the great danger that comes along with young pregnancies, and therefore child marriages.  After marriage these girls are expected to run a household and raise children, therefore they are forced to grow up too fast.  

           In parallel, some young girls in America are facing similar circumstances to these child brides: the stars from 'Toddlers and Tiaras'.  These young girls are heavily encouraged and usually forced by their parents to participate in pageant shows that require hours of pampering and are purely focused on outer beauty.  These toddlers get spray tans, fake nails, fake eyelashes, fake teeth, colored contacts, and heaps of makeup are applied to their tiny faces on top of all that they are dressed in inappropriate clothing.  

As a viewer states "These poor girls are being exploited before millions of national viewers at every level. At the most tender of age, they are being told to show more skin, sashay seductively and diet".  Clearly this show is faced with controversy, but its still a very popular TV show and has been on air for several years.  Not only does this send the wrong message for girls, but similarly to the girls being forced in to marriage these young American girls are forced to shed their innocence too early.  They are unwillingly forced by they’re parents to engage in an activity.  In both cases it helps the parents economically, in child weddings the parents no longer have to support their daughter and in pageant shows the winner is rewarded with large amounts of cash.  Both child marriages and pageant shows force young girls to grow up too fast.  For in child marriages girls are forced to take care of a family and pageant girls are forced to look a certain way and care about how they look, which takes away the innocence of childhood.  I believe pageants spoil the charm and innocence that childhood so delicately holds.