High Glitz: The Extravagant World of Child Beauty Pageants

High Glitz is a close-up and intimate look at Americaschild beauty pageants, and in turn our societys obsessionwith youth, beauty, fame, and fortune. Susan Andersonsvibrant portraits of pageant contestants twist notions ofsexuality and identity, with a new perspective on this uniquelyAmerican subculture.

High Glitz is a subgenre of child beauty pageantscharacterized by couture glitz costumes and a broad arrayof cosmetic preparations including, among other tricks of thetrade: glamour makeup, elaborate hairstyles, and flippers(false front teeth veneers). Andersons stunning visuals arecomplimented by a High Glitz Style Guide, defining andproviding examples of the following categories: Beauty/Formal Wear, Western Wear, Sportswear, and Swimwear, witha special section on hairstyles such as the Barbie and theUp-do.

Each year as many as 100,000 children under the age of 12participate in U.S. child beauty pageants, and it has recentlybecome a billion-dollar industry. Parents invest thousandsof dollars on costumes and private coaches to give theirchildren a competitive edge. Countless hours are spentby professional hair and makeup artists on each child inpreparation for the competition. The girls are spray-tanned,made-up, and groomed to a glossy perfection. Andersoncaptures the results of this time-consuming transformationprocess in exquisite detail.

In seeing how our societys values of beauty, glamour, andcelebrity are reflected in the hopes and dreams of thousandsof young girls, we come to see that these pageants are areflection of American culture itself.