Mother spends 5000 Euros Turning 3 year old Daughter Bella into a Beauty Queen, so that she could win Miss Teenie Pageant. Desperate mother Ria Ferguson went on to say ‘I’LL RUIN HER AS MUCH AS I LIKE’.
She says she is ‘desperate’ to win with her daughter from behind the scenes at the UK Teenie Nationals 2016 in Watford.
Some of the contestants are barely out of nappies, but their nails are beautifully varnished, their faces covered in make-up and their limbs bronzed with fake tan.
Still, if you want to win a beauty pageant, a girl has to look her best however old, or young she is.
Yorkshire pals Hallie Mai Bushell and Bella Ferguson are both just three and are two of the tiny stars of new TV show Pretty Little Pageant Queens.
The TLC programme follows them and others as they compete to be crowned Miss Teenie at the UK Teenie Nationals 2016 in Watford.
Hundreds of children from all over the country are competing and the mums have pulled out all the stops to make sure their little princess stands out.
But competing in pageants is not cheap. Some mums admit to spending £20,000 on making sure their children look good.
Ria Ferguson, from Bridlington, East Yorks, has already spent £5,000 and her daughter Bella is only three.
She tells the cameras: “All in all the general cost of everything will be about £5,000.”
Bella has already won around 90 medals and crowns, proving how the UK pageant scene has boomed in the last decade.
Ria explains: “Since Bella started doing pageants she’s always won either at her age group or higher.
“She’s destined to be an entertainer.”
“Lots of people love Baby Bella. She’s got her signature catwalk which is a wiggle of her bum and everyone loves that. Mums will always tell you we’re not competitive but we really are.”
Her good friend Sami Bushell, from Doncaster, has yet to see her daughter Hallie Mai win big. She reveals: “Everyone wants to win a Teenie, the competition is fierce. We’re nervous as hell.”
“We’ve spent thousands of pounds on pageants — that money’s got to pay for something eventually. It’s got to get her a title, hopefully.”
On the show it’s clear to see the strain that constant rehearsals put on the youngsters. Hallie Mai and Baby Bella fall out during practice.
Sami admits: “I have ruined Hallie. She’s drama and that’s my own fault but I don’t care.”
“She’s mine and I’ll ruin her as much as I like.”
“People may think I’m a pushy mum and sometimes she won’t want to do it, but I will push her because I know what’s in her best interests. Hallie will hate me but she will do well in life.”
The UK Teenie Nationals are run by Anita Moss, who says the standard is incredibly high.
She says: “The judges are looking for the total package of the hair, the make-up, the dress, the tan — if you mess up on something, you’re going home.”
Pretty Little Pageant Queens is on TLC if you want to watch the little princesses.
In your opinion is this a little too much? I don’t know. Some of these babies turn out to be like Beyonce Knowles and Selena Gomez, and some wind up not so fortunate. As the mother said she might hate me but she would turn out better in the end. What do you think? Too much?
