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.

Steve McCurry has been a photojournalist for over 30 years. He is the recipient of the Robert Capa Gold Medal, the National Press Photographers Award and four first prize awards in the World Press Photo contest. Photo: Afghanistan. (Photo by Steve McCurry)

Kim Kardashian west and Madonna backstage at MDNA SKIN hosts Madonna and Kim Kardashian West for a beauty conversation at YouTube Space LA on March 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Madonna's MDNA SKIN)

Paul Poirier of Canada and Marjorie Lajoie of Canada after training before the Figure Skating Ice Dance – Rhythm Dance at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China on February 12, 2022. (Photo by Aleksandra Szmigiel/Reuters)

Italy's Mount Etna, Europe's tallest and most active volcano, spews lava as it erupts on the southern island of Sicily, Italy, February 28, 2017. (Photo by Antonio Parrinello/Reuters)

Actress and model Rosie Huntington-Whiteley during an evening out and about in London, England on January 23, 2020. (Photo by Stephen Coke/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson is seen at the “Debbie Gibson's Love Song” show at 54 Below on February 08, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jose Perez/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

Children play on a donkey cart belonging to an elderly Afghan refugee sleeping on a roadside on the outskirts of Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, February 18, 2015. (Photo by Muhammed Muheisen/AP Photo)