Living Dolls: The Making of a Child Beauty Queen

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Living Dolls: The Making of a Child Beauty Queen
Directed by Shari Cookson
Written byShari Cookson
Produced byShari Cookson
Jean Guest
Linda Otto
StarringSwan Brooner
Robin Browne
Michael Butler
Shane King
Leslie Butler
Distributed by HBO
Release date
  • May 13, 2001 (2001-05-13)
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Living Dolls: The Making of a Child Beauty Queen is a 2001 HBO documentary film on child beauty pageants directed by Shari Cookson. [1] The film is part of HBO's America Undercover [2] series.

The documentary follows five-year-old beauty contestant Swan Brooner and her mother, Robin Browne throughout the year of 1999 as Brooner moves from a pageant in Cape Coral, Florida to the higher profile southern pageants. [3] The film further explore the sexualization element prominent despite pageant contestants' young age. [4] [5]

The documentary later focuses on Alabama residents and beauty pageant coaches Michael Butler and his partner Shane King, along with Butler's seven-year-old daughter, Leslie, who has won 27 national titles in her pageant span. Browne, who worked three jobs and had already spent $60,000 on her daughter's pageant career, hired Butler and King to help Brooner reach the next level of pageant competition. [6] Browne ultimately reported spending more than $70,000 despite Brooner's young age. [4]

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References

  1. Stange, Mary Zeiss; Oyster, Carol K.; Sloan, Jane E. (2011-02-23). Encyclopedia of Women in Today's World. SAGE. ISBN   978-1-4129-7685-5.
  2. Edgerton, Gary R.; Jones, Jeffrey P. (2013-07-24). The Essential HBO Reader. University Press of Kentucky. ISBN   978-0-8131-4372-9.
  3. Brantley, Doug (May 2001). "Living Dolls: The Making of a Child Beauty Queen". Out. p. 35. Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  4. 1 2 Rosenberg, Howard (2001-05-11). "Beauty, Always in the Eye of the Beholder" . Retrieved 2021-12-10.
  5. Schuyler, Michael T. (2011). "When Jesus, Moses and Gay Pageant Coaches Go Camping: The Function of Camp in Documentary Films". Studies in American Humor (23): 29–47. ISSN   0095-280X. JSTOR   42573611.
  6. Fries, Laura (2001-05-08). "Living Dolls: The Making of a Child Beauty Queen". Variety. Retrieved 2021-12-10.