Miss USA and Miss America are the most popular pageants in the United States. There are also pageants for younger girls like Miss Teen USA and child beauty pageants. Many other countries have similar pageants whose winners compete in international pageants, such as Miss Universe and Miss World.

Recently, pageant kids have gained in popularity because of an American TV show called “Toddlers & Tiaras”. One of the breakout stars from this show is Honey Boo Boo. This 6 year old girl, Alana, is a contestant and, many times, winner in child beauty pageants. She’s even been given her own show where cameras follow her and her family mostly around their home in Georgia and throughout the pageant circuit.

Carrie Prejean, now former Miss California USA 2009, raised controversy with her answer to a question about same-sex marriage during the Miss USA Pageant in 2009. She was awarded runner up. Later she was stripped of her title because of “breach of contract” issues after partially nude photos of her appeared online.

Caitlin Upton, Miss South Carolina Teen USA 2007, became famous during the 2007 Miss Teen USA pageant when she gave an almost incoherent response to a question. It made her look like the dumbest woman in the country.

The international pageant circuit is not without controversy. In 2012, Transsexual teen beauty queen, Jackie Green, vied for her chance to become Miss England. She made headlines as the youngest person in the world to undergo a gender-reassignment surgery at age 16.

Jenna Talackova made history as the first transgender contestant to enter the Miss Universe Canada pageant. She made it to the semi-final round but was not included in the list of five finalists.

It Ain’t Easy Being Pretty