How Stereotypes Affect Young Children

     While Little Miss Sunshine was full of irony and comedy, there were some really tragic moments intertwined. One that I think was a bit glossed over was the way Olive felt about her body. As the movie progresses, the more Olive becomes self-conscious and is critical of herself.

    At the beginning of the movie, there wasn't really any instances of Olive being body-shamed or her worrying about her body. Olive is too young to be worrying about the way that she looks, and it isn't until the diner scene that she is exposed to how her eating habits might affect her. Olive is simply a child, and to be put in a place like that by her father can be extremely harmful and can lead her to develop unhealthy habits in the future. This shame puts so many young girls at risk for something that wouldn't even be put in their heads if it weren't for stereotypes. By comparing eating ice cream to the way that models look, which Olive's father knows is something that Olive idolizes, it's inappropriate and sad to see Olive feeling the way she does about a normal thing all kids do. It's extremely manipulative and portrays how modern-day society believes women, of all ages, should look.

    Later on at the pageant, there is a scene where Olive is standing in the mirror looking at her body. While it's obvious that she doesn't look the same as the other girls, there is nothing wrong with the way that she looks. This is a main reason why child beauty pageants are harmful; the idea of young girls looking like models and oversexualized is extremely toxic and unrealistic. While Olive looks at the other girls her age in bikinis, she stands in the mirror critical of her own young body. There isn't much time devoted in the movie to this subject, however, I feel as though it's a major idea that the writer's were trying to get across. On top of all of the tragedies occurring, this was an internal battle that Olive was dealing with and something that was being pushed onto her throughout the movie, and is something that occurs with girls and boys of all ages.

    These stereotypes are toxic for a young girl, or boy, and puts horrible ideas in the younger generation's minds. With social media progressing and reaching younger audiences, these stereotypes and unrealistic bodies have only gotten worse and are sending the wrong message to children even younger than Olive. It makes my heart break for these young girls who are dealing with something they should never worry about.