The price of beauty. Sarah is a normal fifteen year old high school sophomore. Sarah has big dreams: to go to college and become a physical education teacher. After Sarah's father is fired from his job, Sarah fears that her dreams of going to college will be put aside or, worse, not come true. One day, while Sarah is reading the magazine, she sees an advertisement for a local competition. The advertisement spells out a cash prize for the winner and she decides to enter the contest in hopes of earning money for her college tuition. Sarah is also excited to enter a pageant because of the way glamor pageants are shown on television. After a long chat with his mother, he goes to the mall with his friends. She finally finds an inexpensive evening dress to display for the evening portion of the pageant. Sarah spends hours every day in front of the mirror perfecting her walk, her smile and her talent. After weeks of preparing for the competition with diet, exercise and practice, Sarah is exhausted and wonders how a teenager can continue to compete in pageants. When Sarah arrives, she is shocked by the behavior she witnesses from the other contestants; Sarah watches as one girl vomits in the bathroom, another has a panic attack, and some refuse to eat. As she prepares for her performance, Sarah looks around at other contestants who she believes are prettier, thinner, and more confident than her. Sarah feels out of place and no longer wants to go on stage for fear of embarrassing herself. Sarah's mom goes backstage and talks to her daughter about her dedication, her strength, and her inner and outer beauty. After the quick pep talk, Sarah decides to finish the show. Although Sar...... halfway through the study ......, the researchers found that the Miss America winners had a significantly lower body mass index (BMI) than the average female and found that many contestants scored higher on their body dissatisfaction, interpersonal mistrust, and impulse dysregulation. (Ackard, Henderson, and Wonderlich 291). After collecting and analyzing the data, the researchers discussed the reasoning behind the data. In a beauty pageant the contestants are always competing and comparing themselves to someone else. The pressure that comes from competition and the premeditated idea that “thin is better” logically contribute to body dissatisfaction, interpersonal distrust and poor impulse control. . In a study by Susan Haworth-Hoeppner states that in homes where weight is a frequent topic of conversation, children are often more likely to develop an eating disorder (Wolfe 436).