Child beauty queens are taking the pageant world by storm with pushy moms, temper tantrums, spray tans, fake teeth, and risqué costumes. This week's special double issue of PEOPLE examines the popular TLC reality TV series Toddlers and Tiaras, which has reignited controversy over a culture made notorious by the Jon Benet Ramsey tragedy. Critics of the child pageant industry warn that the stresses of competition, coupled with an extreme focus on physical appearance, can have a negative effect long before these girls will be eligible for Miss America. The parents behind these pageants continue to go to extreme lengths to win. Their behavior, broadcast each week to more than 2 million viewers, is often outrageous (waxing screaming children's eyebrows; booking pre-pageant chiropractor visits), and, to some, alarming. In an August Tiaras episode, Lindsay Jackson outfitted daughter Madisyn Verst, then 4, with faux breasts and padding for her derrière to more convincingly portray the curvaceous Dolly Parton; a week later, Wendy Dickey dressed up her 3-year-old daughter Paisley in Julia Roberts' streetwalker costume from Pretty Woman, complete with cut-out dress and over-the-knee boots. (She won.) Read Full: Popular TLC Reality Series 'Toddlers & Tiaras' Causing Outrage With Costumes, Tantrums & Pushy Moms - Starpulse.com
