A general view of Tokyo Tower and the surrounding area in high resolution (~5600x3500 px) on February 10, 2012 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
Blanka Vlasic of Croatia and Team Europe celebrates a clearance in the women's high jump during the IAAF/VTB Continental Cup at the Stadion Poljud on September 5, 2010 in Split, Croatia. (Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)
Remote control plane builder Otto Diefffenbach III launches his plane resembling U.S. Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton in Carlsbad, California, U.S. September 15, 2016. (Photo by Mike Blake/Reuters)
Actor Robert De Niro presents the Guy Movie Hall of Fame award onstage during Spike TV's 5th annual 2011 “Guys Choice” Awards at Sony Pictures Studios on June 4, 2011 in Culver City, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
DJ Deadmau5 arrives at Spike TV's “2011 Video Game Awards” at Sony Studios on December 10, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images)
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. Shows such as Toddler & Tiaras have examined the behind-the-scenes drama of these tightly orchestrated contests, but now a show of Susan Anderson’s photographs at L.A.’s Kopeikin Gallery (through December 24), puts the glamour and excess of child beauty pageants on a pedestal for our contemplation.
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.