I fail to understand the popularity of the "glitz" pageants over that of the natural ones that allows girls to look more like themselves. The former are the ones where kids are dressed up to resemble "little dolls," as TheMaddestHatter referred to it. I am not certain why they have so much appeal besides the fact that they tend to offer bigger awards and more prestige due to the greater difficulty and pressure to capture the proper look with all that additional make-up and accoutrements. I personally dislike those "glitz" contests.

I think the fact that the difficulty of those glitz pageants adds to the tension and drama that we saw in shows like Toddlers and Tiaras increase the chances for the type of drama that both reality show producers and documentarians are seeking. You will note that many of the performers on that show were revealed to be used to doing natural but were doing their first glitz pageant for that particular show. Hence, the producers were well aware that the kids may be uncomfortable and fidgety. You will also note that the performers noted as being regular participants in the glitz pageants were often much more chill, and tended to be picked for the entertainment value of their wry senses of humor, their way with words, or the fact they were tutored by colorful figures like drag queens rather than because of diva-like attitudes or abusive but "entertaining" parents from hell.