# Toddlers and Tiaras: There's crazy out there **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 30, 2009, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-tiaras-theres-crazy-out-there/504756 "2009-07-30T04:48:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-tiaras-theres-crazy-out-there/504756/41 "2009-07-31T18:49:28Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Isn’t it an interesting commentary on our conformity that it’s considered abusive to spell the name oddly? The thing is, though, that today odd spellings are the norm rather than the exception. You can’t look in the birth announcements without seeing names littered with stray Ks and Ys in some parent’s vain attempt to make their child “unique”. There is an abusive element in it, though, since having a “unique” name means that little Kynnydy will have to spell her name, and pronounce it, for everyone she meets, for the rest of her life. It’s not much of a burden, true, but it’s one that could easily be avoided. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-tiaras-theres-crazy-out-there/504756/42 "2009-07-31T19:28:51Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > What did you tell her? I hope you fought her ignorance successfully. (Re spanking the six-month-old), I said something like “Jimmy’s too little to understand”, and she said “Oh, he knows.” I couldn’t convince her otherwise. She was raised with younger sisters (and their babies) – I had an older brother and some babysitting experience. I’m sure she thought I didn’t know what I was talking about. I haven’t seen her since (it was 40+ years ago) and I don’t know how Jimmy turned out. Hasn’t Dr. Phil or Oprah (or somebody these pageant moms might listen to) weighed in on toddler pageants? ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-tiaras-theres-crazy-out-there/504756/43 "2009-07-31T19:45:05Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > The thing is, though, that today odd spellings are the norm rather than the exception. You can’t look in the birth announcements without seeing names littered with stray Ks and Ys in some parent’s vain attempt to make their child “unique”. Yes, it’s kind of silly to change the spelling on a common name. Why not make up a name wholesale like Temena or Lectic? > [@](#): > > There is an abusive element in it, though, since having a “unique” name means that little Kynnydy will have to spell her name, and pronounce it, for everyone she meets, for the rest of her life. It’s not much of a burden, true, but it’s one that could easily be avoided. Hey, you don’t have to tell me, but I have the added benefit of knowing immediately, who is a moron, and who actually pays attention to personal details by seeing who is baffled by my first name, “Erek”, and who actually remembers to spell it correctly, and who doesn’t need to be corrected like five times, “i-k?”, no “e-k”, “i-c-k?”, no “e-k”. It really does come in handy and gives me some insight into who is an imbecile, who is a narcissist, who is hard of hearing, who is not really paying attention, and who is kind considerate and attentive when I speak to them. ---
**Author:** ![Small\_Hen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ad7895/32.png) [@Small\_Hen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Small_Hen)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-tiaras-theres-crazy-out-there/504756/44 "2009-07-31T19:45:47Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > Aren’t you supposed to love them? Well, I’m only vaguely Christian, so I’m only able to just bearly refrain from killing them. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-tiaras-theres-crazy-out-there/504756/45 "2009-07-31T19:46:42Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > (Re spanking the six-month-old), I said something like “Jimmy’s too little to understand”, and she said “Oh, he knows.” I couldn’t convince her otherwise. She was raised with younger sisters (and their babies) – I had an older brother and some babysitting experience. I’m sure she thought I didn’t know what I was talking about. > > I haven’t seen her since (it was 40+ years ago) and I don’t know how Jimmy turned out. Ahh well you did what you could. > [@](#): > > Hasn’t Dr. Phil or Oprah (or somebody these pageant moms might listen to) weighed in on toddler pageants? Heh, they’d have to attack the use of toddlers in acting/modeling too. That’s multibillion a year business that puts food on the table for millions of people. Besides hasn’t Oprah gussied up toddlers so they could preen on national TV? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-tiaras-theres-crazy-out-there/504756/46 "2009-07-31T20:25:38Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > There is an abusive element in it, though, since having a “unique” name means that little Kynnydy will have to spell her name, and pronounce it, for everyone she meets, for the rest of her life. It’s not much of a burden, true, but it’s one that could easily be avoided. Hee. I read that “Kidney”. > [@mswas](#): > > but I have the added benefit of knowing immediately, who is a moron, and who actually pays attention to personal details by seeing who is baffled by my first name, “Erek”, and who actually remembers to spell it correctly, and who doesn’t need to be corrected like five times, I have a variant spelling that’s not new-fangled and it’s funny, people will listen to me spell it and still write it wrong. "It’s Gwendolen, G, w, e \ n, d, o, l, E (yes, I emphasize it), n." \ \*whereas I’m actually spelling it to head off the inevitable Y. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-tiaras-theres-crazy-out-there/504756/47 "2009-07-31T20:29:46Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > I have a variant spelling that’s not new-fangled Actually, this site lists Gwendolyn and Gwendoline as variants of Gwendolen. Ha! > **[Welsh Names - Behind the Name](https://www.behindthename.com/names/usage/welsh)** > > A list of names in which the usage is Welsh. I wonder if the original spelling looked like of these new names: Gwynndyllen 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-tiaras-theres-crazy-out-there/504756/48 "2009-07-31T20:42:42Z")
My name is 3 letters, fairly common, and people **invariably** can’t spell it, can’t say it, or both. I swear I can’t remember the last time someone saw my name written down and pronounced it correctly, or heard it and spelled it correctly. It’s truly astonishing. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2009, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-tiaras-theres-crazy-out-there/504756/49 "2009-07-31T20:43:00Z")
**Gigi** Yep, that happens with me too. My name is only FOUR letters long too, which makes it extra funny. And they always ask me to spell my last name which is a fairly common word that people use in other contexts, and I am like, “Oh man, it is so not my last name you are going to mangle.” ---
**Author:** ![Brynda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e79b87/32.png) [@Brynda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brynda)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2009, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-tiaras-theres-crazy-out-there/504756/50 "2009-08-01T05:37:22Z")
Wow, my little bad TV thread wandered into religious debate and funny names. If we just add race or gay/bisexual/transgender issues, we will have a hat trick. The last episode I saw was crazy, but didn’t come up (or down, I suppose) to the standards of the lady with the 2 week old. Just ordinary crazy. Yes, I saw the ep where the mom pitted her twins against each other and clearly preferred one of them. “BreAnn is pretty and AshLyn is …AshLyn”. Nice. I see very bad things in their futures, assuming one doesn’t kill the other. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2009, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-tiaras-theres-crazy-out-there/504756/51 "2009-08-03T15:28:03Z")
Did anyone see the episode with Madison, whose pageant name is “Tootie” and who speaks about “Tootie” in the third person. Her mom seems to kind of resent her “I’m not Mom here, I’m Tooties assistant. Slave is more like it” So quit…she clearly has other interests. Can you say you’ve “won a total of $10k” is you’ve spent over $20k on dresses and pageant coaches and travel and entry fees etc.? ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-tiaras-theres-crazy-out-there/504756/52 "2009-08-06T22:56:32Z")
Last night? After putting on the fake hair, fake nails, and fake teeth (!), makeup and costume, one of the girls went out to, as her mother put it, show them “the real her”. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-tiaras-theres-crazy-out-there/504756/53 "2009-08-06T23:12:44Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > Last night? After putting on the fake hair, fake nails, and fake teeth (!), makeup and costume, one of the girls went out to, as her mother put it, show them “the real her”. :smack: I don’t know how many goths and punks I knew who saw it that way as well. ---
**Author:** ![BrandonR](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandonR](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandonR)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-tiaras-theres-crazy-out-there/504756/54 "2009-08-06T23:48:16Z")
I’ve always been so disgusted by the show’s premise I’ve never actually seen it… But it sounds like this [hilarious Mr. Show](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPNvGP8Q9Kc) sketch is getting closer and closer to reality all the time. ---
**Author:** ![GoodOmens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@GoodOmens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GoodOmens)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-tiaras-theres-crazy-out-there/504756/55 "2009-08-07T13:48:15Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > I don’t know how many goths and punks I knew who saw it that way as well. The difference is, theoretically, the goths and punks are doing to themselves. Nothing wrong with creating an external image that coincides to your internal image. Definitely something wrong with enforcing it on a toddler. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/toddlers-and-tiaras-theres-crazy-out-there/504756.md?page=2)