The face of child beauty pageants

High Glitz is Susan Anderson’s portrait series depicting “the extravagant world of child beauty pageants”.

Hours of preparation are spent on each child’s appearance, and her camera records it all in graphic detail. Children’s pageants are a fascinating subculture, but more than anything they represent a strange microcosm of America itself. Our own values of beauty, success and glamour reflected in the dreams of thousands of young girls…

Sweet Jesus, I’m gonna have some nightmares tonight. Can’t sleep, clown’ll eat me, can’t sleep, clown’ll eat me… (via conscientious)

Update: Colby Katz has done a similar project. (thx, chris)

• photography
• Susan Anderson