Toddlers and Tiaras Review- By Michael Carlisle

Title: Toddlers and Tiaras
Year: 2009-???
Network: TLC 
Country: US
Language: English

TLC stands for The Learning Channel, however nowadays the network is anything but "learning". Just like The History Channel is anything but "history", the shows have been reduced to fake Pawning and conspiracy theories. However this review is not a rant on the networks, this is about the somewhat controversial show Toddlers and Tiaras. Admittedly I don't watch it in my free time, but I have heard the arguments and decided to watch four episodes in order to write a review.

The show is basically about beauty pageants...for toddlers. Most of the show consists of over-bearing parents yelling at their kids and forcing them to "look beautiful" in order to win pageants, prestige, money and various other prizes.

I'm not exactly sure what this show is supposed to be doing, but my hunch is that it's putting a negative light on these toddler beauty patients. Through Toddlers and Tiaras we are seeing ambition and pride at its absolute worst, through obsessive parents who desperately wish to live through their child. We see a strange disturbing world that is obsessed with the artificial and in which a happy-go-lucky childhood is virtually non-existent. Perhaps the show is a stern warning against the lifestyle and a suggestion to eliminate such false views.

In this way I am comparing Toddlers and Tiaras to Salo: Or the 120 Days of Sodom, both are incredibly disturbing in content yet attempt to be righteous in their messages. However Salo was made by Italian intellectual Pier Paolo Pasolini, whereas this show is produced by TLC. Judging from the success of Honey-boo-boo and her mother, it seems the show is more exploitative and encouraging of the lifestyle than vice-versa.

In conclusion, it's a bit difficult to determine if the show is satire or exploitation. One would think that people wouldn't be supportive of such degradation, but then humans have sunk lower before. I guess this a "determine for yourself" kind of show, however I wouldn't recommend watching it regardless. Even if the show is a warning, the children on it still suffer. There may also be similar movies that take up much less time.  2.5/5 if satire, 0/5 if exploitation.