Living Dolls: The Making of a Child Beauty Queen (2001) (TV)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Shari Cookson

Writer:

Shari Cookson (writer)

Release Date:

13 May 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

Documentary about the subculture of child beauty pageants (usually restricted to girls no older than 5), showing the lengths to which some parents will go to ensure that their children win these pageants... |

Plot Keywords:

Pageant | Beauty | Child | Children | Beauty Pageant

Awards:

Won Primetime Emmy. Another 1 win & 4 nominations

Cast

Swan Brooner	...	Herself
Robin Browne	...	Herself (swan's mother)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Craig Scime	...	Himself - host
Tim Whitmer	...	Himself

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Home Box Office (HBO)

Quotes:

Swan Brooner: singing: Someday, I'll be Miss America. And that will be the happiest day of my life. Someday, when they sing there she is, they'll put the crown on me. And then I'll make a long speech on TV. Oh, someday, when I am Miss America, I'll tell the world to make things start when your young. And what fun, it's gonna be, when Regis sings his song to me. Oh, someday. I bet you someday. I'll be singing, I'll be Miss America!

Critique of femininity in the film

`Living Dolls' is a very amusing film to say the least. The 'accurate' depictions of beauty conveyed in the film only further promote the typical American male definition of beauty and femininity: Barbie. The film furthers these stereotypes with John Berger's idea of the surveyor and surveyed, meaning that men act and women appear based on how the male wants them to appear. The film portrays young children made into dolls as they are coached, dressed, and made up, in order to turn them into a 'beauty queen.' The viewer cannot help but be amazed at the lengths parents will go through to make their child 'beautiful.' Your mouth will be agape as you hear coaches talking about putting hair extensions on 18-month-old babies, and fake teeth on children whose baby teeth were not perfectly straight. It is almost disturbing to see the objectification of these little women as they turn into Barbie dolls. In the process of following one child's, Swan's, journey to 'femininity,' one cannot help but notice the lack of 'femininity' her mother possesses. Ironically, as Swan turns into the ideal female, her mother breaks all stereotypical barriers of what a women and mother should be. She is not nurturing nor does she protect and provide for her family. She is an ex-marine who spends the bulk of her time training Swan to be a beauty queen while she neglects her older children. As Swan is the center of her mother's attention and time, her mom fails to notice her other children. She does not notice her daughter maturing and starting to date, nor does she notice her son's cries for attention as he is constantly in and out of jail. Mom does not nurture and protect her children; she does not cook real meals for them and she acts as a drill sergeant with her children being her soldiers. The lower class white family feels the economic burden of Swan's 'perfection' as Mom spends the families money on the costs of pageant entry fees, transportation, professional coaching, custom made clothing, and rewards for Swan's performance. It is also enjoyable to watch Swan's mom be the dominant partner in her relationship. One cannot help but chuckle when watching Mom's boyfriend bike ride to work as she takes his van.

`Living Dolls' is a movie for the open minded that will undoubtedly make you laugh several times while making you awestruck at the objectification of these children.