Demand sparks staging of child beauty pageants

One of America’s most contentious child beauty pageants could be staged in Ireland every year such is the demand from parents, organisers claim.

Texas-based Universal Royal Beauty Pageant bosses are already planning to hold their first competition in Ireland later this summer.

They had planned to hold the event under heavy security at a mystery hotel on Saturday but have now opted to stage it in either July or August.

Pageant bosses insist this summer’s event will not be a one-off, but the inaugural contest of what will become an annual Irish competition.

Pageant chief Annette Hill claimed interest from parents in this country is so great, that there is “more than enough demand to warrant an annual pageant”.

And she claimed a combination of factors, including her own TV commitments and a mix-up over the entry forms, had prompted her to change this month’s original pageant date to later this summer.

She also said she has received messages of interest from 3,000 parents, which she insists would enable her to stage a pageant here “many times over”.

“Any suggestion we have pulled out of Ireland for good is totally false. After the US and Australia, our next biggest fanbase is in Ireland. I’ve received about 3,000 emails from people in Ireland who are interested in entering their children into the event. So it would be absolutely crazy for me not to stage a pageant there.”