Pageant mum dresses girl as 'hooker', sparks storm
The mother of a three-year-old contestant on children's beauty show Toddlers and Tiaras has sparked an outrage by dressing up her girl as a hooker.
Wendy Dickey, who dressed her daughter Paisley in a racy outfit worn by Julia Roberts’ character in Pretty Woman, has defended her actions, telling gossip website TMZ there was "no harm was done to my child".
Wendy said that the costume - that included blonde wig, thigh-high boots, a mini skirt and skimpy white top - was "less revealing than gymnastics wear and swimsuits."
According to Wendy, her daughter had no idea who she was dressed as anyway and insisted she was a good mother.
"I'm raising my child just as well as any mother does. I take my kid to church every week ... at least I'm not forcing them into sports and getting my child injured like some parents,” the pageant mum told the website.
In the interview, Wendy said she did not understand why people were critical of child beauty contests and pageant mums.
"People need to look at their own family and what they're doing. I don't know why people are focusing so much on pageant moms when there's much more harmful things people are letting their children do," she told TMZ.
The mother told the news site that she had also chosen an elegant brown polker-dot dress with a hat - as also features in the rags-to-riches movie - but those scenes were not shown by TLC.
The episode featuring Paisley in the outfit will air on lifestyle channel TLC.
Another Eden Wood in the making?
This latest row involving child pageants comes close on the heels of six-year-old beauty queen Eden Wood’s controversial visit to Australia.
Tiny Eden is a glitzy pageant veteran and a household name in America, where she’s also a star on Toddlers and Tiaras.
Controversy constantly shadows the tiny pageant princess, and the announcement of her tour to Australia opened a Pandora's box of anger, with allegations pageants promote the sexualisation of children, pushy parenting and pedophilia.
More than 5000 people signed a 'Don't Let Them In' petition to stop Eden from coming to Australia, and while most parents would walked away, Eden's mother Mickie Wood offered to go head to head with her biggest critic instead.
"I don't care what anybody else says. My child is living a dream and I'm getting to experience it with her, and through her," Mickie said. "I'm not living my life through her, I'm watching her grow and shine."
Eden visited Australia for a beauty pageant but did a no-show because Mickie sensationally pulled her from the appearances citing security reasons.
