Angela Ponce, 24, (R) gets help from a fellow contestant getting dressed to compete in the "Miss World Spain" pageant in Estepona, southern Spain, October 25, 2015. Ponce, the first openly transsexual woman to compete to represent Spain at the Miss World pageant, was eliminated in the first knockout round. But Ponce already feels like a winner, she said, because her participation has brought visibility for the transgender community. "We need to educate society for diversity", Ponce said. (Photo by Susana Vera/Reuters)

Transgender actress Aubrey Banks presents a creation from the CHULO underwear collection ahead of CHULO founder and lead designer Ricardo Muniz during the New York Fashion Week, in a show that raised money for transgender and cisgender young women victims of violence, in New York, U.S. February 7, 2019. (Photo by Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

Contestants compete in the swimsuit segment of the Miss Venezuela 2012 pageant in Caracas August 30, 2012. The winner of the competition will participate in the 2013 Miss Universe pageant. (Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

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.

A contestant walks the runway during 2017 Miss Great Britain competition at the Mayfair A-list venue DSTRKT on May 11, 2017 in London, England. The pageant hopefuls were battling it out to represent Miss Central London. Miss Great Britain is a female beauty pageant. It is the oldest pageant in the UK, established in 1945. Following World War Two, a number of seaside resorts around the country introduced beauty contests as attractions. (Photo by Jules Annan/Barcroft Images)

In this January 6, 2017 photo, transgender inmates get a security check from female officers before entering their cell at Pattaya Remand Prison in Pattaya, Chonburi province, Thailand. The prison separates lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender prisoners from other inmates, a little-known policy despite being in place nationwide since 1993, according to the Department of Corrections. (Photo by Sakchai Lalit/AP Photo)

A competitor poses on the catwalk during the Miss Bumbum Brazil 2016 pageant in Sao Paulo, Brazil on November 9, 2016. Fifteen candidates compete in the annual pageant to select Brazil's sexiest female rear end. (Photo by Miguel Schincariol/AFP Photo)

Transgender model and musician Jessica Cortez reacts as she is prepared before walking in the CHULO underwear show during New York Fashion Week, which raised money for transgender and cisgender young women victims of violence, in New York, U.S., February 7, 2019. (Photo by Andrew Kelly/Reuters)