Inside $5bn Industry Of Child Beauty Pageants

They have been criticised for sexualising children as young as two, but America's child beauty pageants are as strong as ever.

It is an industry worth $5bn (£3.37bn) a year, attracting tens of thousands of competitors.

Mahayle Elliott, eight, is one of them. A blonde-haired, blue-eyed ball of energy, she's been taking part in pageants since she was two years old.

She shows us a picture of what she will look like in a few hours when hair and make-up is complete.

In her airbrushed "showgirl" photo, she could pass for a teenager. She been "glitzed", she says.

I ask her if she likes being glitzed. "Yes. But also no," she says. "Sometimes it hurts."

The first step to being glitzed is a spray tan. Then big hair and lots of make-up.

Some girls whose teeth haven't fully formed yet wear what's called a "flipper" - false teeth to cover the gaps that can cause pageant points to be lost.

Mahayle isn't keen though - when she wore one it made her gag.

Her mother, Shari, loves the pageant world and insists her daughter loves it too.

While Mahayle's "artist" does her hair, Shari goes through some moves and tells Mahayle to practice her "quarter smile".

Shari believes competing gives her daughter confidence.

"I'm a perfectionist," she says as she meticulously applies her little girl's mascara before telling Mahayle to stop talking so she can coat each and every lash.

It's estimated that 250,000 children compete in more than 5,000 pageants in the US each year.

Annette Hill, director of the Universal Royalty pageant, insists appearance isn't everything.

She explains: "You have competition in every aspect of life - pageants, gymnastics, cheerleading, dance."

I ask if all that doesn't just come down to looks, and she replies: "Not necessarily. We have the talent category, we have outfit of choice."

But critics argue this simply isn't healthy for young girls.

Professor Hilary Levey Friedman, a sociologist and pageant expert, said: "You need to consider the long-term impact of what this means psychologically for the kids - the over-reliance on how you look in the teen years.

"This might turn into an eating disorder or body dysmorphia, and so that's big concern.

"If you think being Miley Cyrus or Britney Spears or someone like that is a goal and that's your way to a better life, then this is a great training ground."

It's showtime. In a giddy gaggle of primped and preened princesses, Mahayle struts her stuff on stage as her mum yells encouragement from the audience.

Things don't go as well as she'd hoped when her cowgirl hat falls off mid-routine.

Later, she does get a trophy - but not for first place and she's pretty upset.

I ask Shari if she worries that Mahayle is up there solely being judged on her looks.

She replies: "Yes, because I think that I brought perfectness with hair and make-up and dress, and then when you don't win, you have to wonder 'what did I do wrong?'"

The celebrity culture of appearance over substance is fuelling the dreams of fame in this world of miniature ball gowns and false lashes.

The quest for perfection continues as each little girl tries to find her place in the spotlight.