pageant doco "Living Dolls"

I feel the same way Sue. I watched in horror when this documentary first aired. I was and still am appalled. Can you imagine what Shallow Hal's those little girls will become?

 

I know what you mean, heymom, but even in jest or exaggeration, I can't call these little ones "ho's" because they are not responsible, nor are they in way culpable for the over-the-top image they are made to project.

Perhaps their parents are very guilty of extremely bad judgment and taste, but it's not the children's fault.

I feel sorry for the kids. What they are learning is that their parents treasure their appearance more than anything about them. When they grow up and lose teeth, go through various awkward stages of development, etc., I hope they don't feel like they are no longer exceptional or "winners."

And I hope the ones who walk away without being the winner don't get the message that they don't measure up.

But I fear that is exactly what they learn.

 

I wasn't calling them prostitutes because of their own actions, but what their parents are doing to them. The children are innocent and don't understand what's happening to them. They make them up to look like whores, and unfortunately, it seems that at least some of them go on to act like whores. I was searching for anything on Leslie Butler, and when I found a forum, the folks talking about her said she was having sex at age 12 and group sex at 14. If it's true, it's not surprising, since her dad was all but pimping her out when she was 8. She looked like she could have been 24 when she was up on the stage, all made up and dressed up. Her routines were slick, but you could see it was like a circus animal, just going through the motions and putting on the show. The adults, every single one of them, are using their own kids for their own sick ego gratification.

Swan's mother never said a nice thing to her during the entire show. If she did one thing wrong during her practice, her mom jumped on her like a drill sargeant. When Swan cried because she made a mistake in front of the judges, the mom told us it was "stupid" to cry about it. At least the two gay guys were supportive and positive, although even they told Swan's mom to "work her" like they were talking about a field mule. They still coaxed and cajoled little Swan to perform like she was 20 and not 6.

I really never considered Patsy in this kind of environment, but if Neddie started her at age 4 or 5, then Patsy must have heard and felt these same twisted sick expectations, and based her self-esteem entirely upon her appearance and adult approval of it. It gives me a good idea as to her psychological foundation.

 

Yeah, I was surprised to see so many boys involved! I guess the boys don't even escape from this sick practice. Where are the DADS??!! (And I don't mean gay ones.)

 

OK, first, I have to thank you, Charlie. I actually hadn't seen this HBO show, but had seen some similar. When I watched this one, I remembered reading so much about it on the forums. It is rather infamous. So thanks for bringing it here so I could watch it...and let me tell you...CHRISTMAS HAS COME EARLY!

I'm in WHITE TRASH heaven!

I could not stop watching this program. I wanted to. I thought, lord, WHY am I watching this?! All the while, careful not to take...my...eyes...from...the...screen....

It disturbed me. I think the thing that disturbed me most was watching the subtle but definite rise/decline of the two main characters'...I mean, two main people's intensity switch from start to finish. It started out all momomomomom pushingpushingpushing...and by the end, poor little Swan had drunk the coolaide and she was HOOKED, baby! While Moma, on the other hand, was drained.

The astonishing situation of Swan's family was heartbreaking. That her mom was so oblivious to what this was REALLY costing the children...ALL of them...was pathetic. So much adult behavior was so inappropriate so much of the time, leading to children then in turn acting inappropriately as they were trained to do for the pageant. How any mother can spend $70K on one child not yet 6, to the impoverishment of her other 3 children, I have no idea.

The priorities of everyone in this program are upside down. The modeling coaches are truly demented. I kept waiting for John Mark Karr to jump out and start "Pro-aming" it!

And the part where the mom takes Swan to "train" with the professionals in Alabama? I kept wondering if THAT is where Patsy took JonBenet that last summer. Not those guys exactly, but something like that. Didn't they go to Texas? Remember that Judith Phillips said that something was different when Patsy and JonBenet came back? Patsy had that big diamond, but something was different about JonBenet...she seemed older, more serious, was it? That's what I saw happen before my eyes with this little Swan. She became subdued, acting far more adult than the adults prancing around, her mom smoking like she couldn't have her heart attack fast enough.

Anyhow, I found the most hilarious site as a companion piece with this program. I have laughed until I cried. "More crazy, please." So thanks again, Charlie, as I am going to try to finish this page tonight and consider it my early Christmas present. It takes a bit of reading to get there, but some of the characters...I mean PEOPLE...from the program show up here. Not to mention, the peanut gallery is in rare form! WHITE TRASH HEAVEN:

[warning, graphic language and crazy people]

http://fourfour.typepad.com/fourfour/2006/03/give_it_up_for_.html

 

That blog is a wonderful illustration of the damage a troll can do to a perfectly good thread! Just ugly. I didn't read the whole thing, but skimmed the responses to "Jonathan" by the bloggers. Too bad they got all involved in his excrement. This is what trolls do: oke: and too many people respond.

 

"She wore him like wet underwear" is one of the most succinct summaries of what can be said to be the relationship between Patsy and JonBenet I have ever seen.

 

Yeah, Why Nut, I felt very sorry for that little kid with his mental mother. What were they thinking when they let HER raise a child?

Heymom, it's hard to get through all the demented posts by that troll, but in the end, it turns out once he started posting, he pretty much was "all" the posters. He admits it himself by the end. He also lies a lot. I believe everything he posted about the little girl Leslie was nothing but lies. Either he's a pedophile or just a crazy person who got a grudge against this family for some reason.

See, this is why I can't undestand what makes a parent want to expose his/her child to this kind of life. Poise and public speaking can be learned in other, more healthy ways. Trotting out your small child like a show dog, having her makes suggestive moves and gestures for COMPENSATION, telling her to smile in an airport because people are looking at her...believe me when I say that this is not going to help a child learn how to deal safely with the world around him/her.

And that's why I find "Jonathon" in that thread so amazing as a teaching tool. "See, dear, this is the kind of mental sickness you attract when you parade yourself around."

You see, stalkers are the RULE of celebrities. Famous people can tell you that they have to have body guards. HAVE TO HAVE THEM. Otherwise, it's open season and they are the target.

 

Yes, you are right. One reason I would never want to be in the public eye. Can you imagine finding stuff like this all over the net, about your kid or about you??? God forbid. :shutup:

As for "Jonathan," that could just as easily been 3 15-year-old boys just messing around. You can't even believe the written word, even when it seems to come from a psycho, not on the 'net, because the writer is safe, completely hidden.