Sasha: Beauty Queen at 11

[StarsOfCCTV]

9-10pm BBC 3 Monday
Dani Davis follows 11-year-old Sasha Harris as she sets about realising a long-held ambition to become a pre-teen pageant queen at a competition held in Dallas, Texas. Part of the Beauty Season.

Saw an interview with Sasha and her mother on Richard and Judy today, she seems really down to earth.

[Kirsty :]]

After watching that... oh dear Lord. I don;t know. I don;t think it's right.
Well.. from watching that it seemd her Mum wanted it more than Sasha did.
She threatens to actually ground her if she doesn't do well at an audition I think it is.
It's being repeated again right now on BBC 3..have a watch. Its really good! An eye opener. :)

[Abigail]

I think I saw the trailer for this, wasn't really watching. Did her mum say something along the lines of living through her daughter?

I'm really not convinced that taking part in a beauty pagent is the right thing for an 11 year old to be doing. I don't think I'd let my daughter do it.

[Kirsty :]]

Oohh I don't know.. probably though! It wouldn't surprise me.
No I wouldn't elt my daughter do it either... or my son.
How can you possibly have a childhood if your being poked and prodded and caked in make-up?

[Chris_2k11]

11 year old! thats what, year 7? ridiculous

[Abigail]

Year six or seven. It's just silly, no child needs to experience adult competitions at that age.

[Kirsty :]]

Yepp. The girl this focuses on is in Year 7. Her borther is also involved too... and he's 8

[Abigail]

That's just being totally irresponsible now. There's no need for an eight year old to be in a beauty pagent.

[Chris_2k11]

;586682']Yepp. The girl this focuses on is in Year 7. Her borther is also involved too... and he's 88 :eek: ive heard it all now

[Kirsty :]]

Yeppp... one of the girls in the pageant she goes too in America is 7; and is plastered in make-up! It takes things to a whole new low.

[Abbie]

I didnt watch it but the whole thing sounds crazy

[Abigail]

A documentary on the controversial story of "pre-teen beauty queen" Sasha Bennington earned an impressive audience for BBC Three last night.

Sasha: Beauty Queen at 11 looked at the youngster's efforts to win a pre-teen pageant competition in Dallas, Texas, and the role of her pushy mother Jayne Harris.

The one-off show drew 625,000 (3.1%) between 9pm and 10pm - well up on the channel's 483,000 (2.34%) average for the slot, and approaching the biggest multichannel audience of the day, which was 640,000 for BBC Three's 10pm EastEnders repeat.

[JustJodi]

I knew a gal in America who was grooming her little girl to be a BEAUTY QUEEN,, ( she was a 3rd runner up for Miss cucumber fair or something i cant remember what ) so she was pushing and pushing,, I remember her sitting all night long putting sequins on a little dress and little socks,, and a hair bow,, I thought it was nuts,, well I moved,, and a few years later I went back to the town I lived in and the woman was still going at it but with the 2nd daughter,, its been about 20 yrs now, I have no clue what ever became of those girls or the mom for the matter, my sis said she heard her husband finally had enough and divorced her , she was so obsessed spending money on fancy dresses, shoes, props and things required for talent or whatever it was crazy.
Watching that trailer about that little girl, broke my heart, this child will never have a normal childhood. her only friends will be her mother and who ever is working with her on the pagent,, the mother should be taken out and shot at dawn for what she is doing to tht poor child.:angry:

[Layne]

I was appauled at Sasha's mother, her attitude towards competition and her daughter.

[di marco]

i just watched this on iplayer. i cant believe the mum, you can tell everything sasha was doing was cos the mum wanted her too! i mean fair enough if she likes doing photos and stuff like that then thats fine, but quite a few times it seemed like she didnt really wanna do it but her mum was forcing her to cos her mum always wanted to do that so never really had the chance. the younger girls on there looked so silly in all the makeup, its ridiculous! and theres no way id spend all that money going to a pagent in america. let her do cheerleading if thats what she wants to do, and even let her be photographed and be a child model if thats what she wants, but she shouldnt be made up that much, she should still dress and act like a child. so much focus shouldnt be put on being a beauty queen, she should be able to enjoy a normal childhood without everything revolving around beauty pagents

[Bad Wolf]

just watched this on i player, what a HORRIBLE VILE NASTY woman the mother was!!!! if she doesnt have social services on her back for cruelty the there is a problem - she put bleach in her daughters hair to make it lighter - no hair dresser would ever do that to a child.

the model agent was spot on, the boy was a grade a brat.

its quite clear that its not the life sasha wants, she is clearly taken out of school too much - she couldnt really put a sentance together (luckily she doesnt have to because her mother speaks for her)

the dance coach was right, she doesnt want it, its her mum who does

it was just awful

[Trinity]

I have a friend who was dragged round beauty pagents as a child. She is an attractive, articulate and intelligent woman with a PhD.

She is as insecure as hell, and ALWAYS has to be perfect at EVERYTHING she does.

She hasn't spoken to her parents for 20 years.

[Bad Wolf]

watch the programme - its mnd boggling!!!!! for once model agents were put i a really good light, it was quite funny, they said they vet the parents as well and she thought they would be a nightmare to work with and all the stuff she had done to her girl to make her beautiful backfired because they said she doesnt look like a child and would not get work

[di marco]

watch the programme - its mnd boggling!!!!! for once model agents were put i a really good light, it was quite funny, they said they vet the parents as well and she thought they would be a nightmare to work with and all the stuff she had done to her girl to make her beautiful backfired because they said she doesnt look like a child and would not get work

i dont understand why the mum was still sending the girl completely made up to modelling agencies? the one on the show said they wanted the kids to look natural and afterwards the mum said thats what they always say, yet she still bleaches her daughters hair, plasters her in makeup and makes her look a lot older for child modelling. i dont understand it