Child beauty pageants are a billion-dollar industry in the U.S. While some critics see the pageants as an exploitation of innocents, others—particularly pageant parents—view the competitions as a way for a young talent to enter the entertainment industry.

Miss Nord-Pas-de-Calais Camille Cerf (C) is congratulated by Miss Ile de France 2014 Margaux Savary (L) and Miss Auvergne 2014 Morgane Laporte after Cerf won the Miss France 2015 beauty contest on December 6, 2014 in Orleans. (Photo by Guillaume Souvant/AFP Photo)

Miss Ireland finalists pictured as they arrived at the official launch party for Miss Ireland 2022 in association with TanOrganic, at House, Dublin on July 6, 2022. The 37 finalists vying for the coveted Miss Ireland 2022 title were revealed at a sparkling white party for this, the 75th Diamond Jubilee of the competition. (Photo by Brian McEvoy/The Irish Times)

Woman enjoying the sun on one of Maui's black sand beaches, Hawaii, United States of America, North America on February 25, 2022. (Photo by Laura Grier/Robert Harding RF via AFP Photo)

An elephant decorated with a cloth walk in the annual Perahera (street pageant) at Rajamaha viharaya Buddhist temple in Colombo, Sri Lanka September 10, 2016. (Photo by Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters)

A rescued red fox rests under a closet at “Pawsitive Beginnings” fox rescue sanctuary in Key Largo, Florida, USA on August 1, 2023. Pawsitive Beginnings is a nonprofit group that works closely with organizations in parts of the USA where fur farming takes place to find permanent placement for foxes when needed. According to Pawsitive Beginnings, about 300 fur farms operate in the United States and there are very few federal laws to regulate the treatment of these animals born in captivity, raised for one year, and then killed for their coats. (Photo by Cristobal Herrera-Ulashkevich/EPA/EFE)

Contestants of a tourism beauty pageant balance eggs on their collarbones as they cruise along the Yellow River in Jiyuan, Henan province, China, June 22, 2015. The contestants believe that if they are slim enough, their collarbones will allow them to balance the eggs securely on their bodies. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)