Miss Georgia USA Emanii Davis, Miss Kentucky USA Kyle Hornback and Miss North Carolina USA Devin Gant competes in the swimsuit competition during the 2016 Miss USA pageant preliminary competition at T-Mobile Arena on June 1, 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 2016 Miss USA will be crowned on June 5 in Las Vegas. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Guillermo Rodriguez and Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover model Kate Upton arrive at Club SI Swimsuit hosted by the Pure Nightclub at Caesars Palace at the Pure Nightclub at Caesars Palace on February 16, 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)

Emily Ratajkowski sizzled in a plunging black swimsuit. The model is holidaying in the Adriatic near the Mediterranean Sea in the second decade of July 2025. (Photo by Instagram)

American actress and singer Emma Roberts in the second decade of April 2025 shows off her lush locks in a swimsuit. (Photo by emmaroberts/Instagram)

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.

People dressed in swimsuits participate in the BoogelWoogel alpine carnival at the Rosa Khutor Alpine Resort in Krasnaya Polyana, Sochi, Russia on April 1, 2017. (Photo by Artur Lebedev/TASS)

Miss South Carolina Suzi Roberts competes in the swimsuit competition of the 97th Miss America Competition in Atlantic City, New Jersey U.S. September 10, 2017. (Photo by Mark Makela/Reuters)

Miss Universe Puerto Rico, Karla Guilfu, parades in a swimsuit during the Miss Universe 2023 preliminary gala in San Salvador, El Salvador, 15 November 2023. (Photo by Rodrigo Sura/EPA/EFE)