'Toddlers & Tiaras' Mom Fights Back Over Controversial Costumes

Earlier this summer, Eden Wood (or rather her mother and manager, Mickie Wood) announced that she was retiring from beauty pageants to focus on her singing career. But that isn’t stopping the controversial duo from TLC's "Toddlers & Tiaras" from fighting back against the recent controversy after a little girl dressed up as Dolly Parton, along with padding, and the prostitute Julia Roberts played in "Pretty Woman" during an aired pageant.

“I know them personally. They are wonderful people ... As a mother we see it as cute and adorable and we see it in the confines of our home and our own world.” Mickie Wood told "New York Live" host Jane Hanson and me. “I know in my heart we were doing nothing wrong.”

Wood says she does understand why so many people are getting upset but doesn’t personally see what the big deal is.

“It’s just as natural as can be for us,” Wood says. “I have been a drama teacher, a show choir teacher for over 25 years. Even when I was pregnant with [Eden] we were choreographing 'Grease' when she was in the womb. You are who you are. We cannot say enough about what a positive experience it has been for us.”

Eden herself once dressed up as a showgirl on the reality show long before Dolly Parton or Julie Roberts costumes appeared, but Wood insists she didn’t for one second think about the sexual connotations that went along with that choice.

“I totally get it. And you are not going to please all the people all the time. We are confident and happy in who we are. You know, it’s no different than competitive cheer. We just opened the doors and let everyone come in and see. It’s shocking I guess to some people.”

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Comments

[YakittyGirl]

05:24 PM on 09/19/2011

“I know in my heart we were doing nothing wrong.”

In my guts, I know they are nuts.

[cgdevasconcellos]

05:28 PM on 09/19/2011

Hasn't the "mother" being arrested for child abuse yet????

[hyaofcr]

06:42 PM on 09/19/2011

Child abuse? Really? That's a bit extreme.

[PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS]

05:04 PM on 09/19/2011

I watched all of one of these episodes and can sum these whole just plain creepy events as follows............These "pagents" are nothing more than vehicles for overweight unattractive parents to live out their sick fantasies thru their young children..........These events are held in cheap hotel conference rooms and you never see more than a couple dozen people in the audience who are usually family and others who I am very ascared to think of their reasons for being there..........The parents pay fees to enter, secure cheap trophies and claim "victory"................

[InnaGaddaDaVida]

04:50 PM on 09/19/2011

When I first saw the picture, I thought it was one of those "What they looked like when they were young" stories. My guess was Tammy Fae Baker, in no way, shape, or form does she look like Dolly Parton.

[ttaz4dqm]

04:17 PM on 09/19/2011

'Toddlers And Tiaras' is disgusting. Anyone who views that show as anything other than a criminal trainwreck needs their head examined.

[ttaz4dqm]

04:08 PM on 09/29/2011

Anyone who views that show as anything other than a criminal trainwreck needs their head examined.”

[almchrl13]

03:59 PM on 09/19/2011

Is that Mary Kaye who founded the face paint company in that photo.

[Willie Montgomery]

03:56 PM on 09/19/2011

I heard one story about a mother was so upset her daughter kept losing pageants she got up,got into her car and drove off leaving her child all alone back at the arena where the pageant was held.I watched a mother on Dr Phil who plunked thousands in her child's beauty pageant entries.,even holding yard sales,taking mortgages out on her house and borrowing money from friends and family,even using some of the money her daughter won in the previous pageants.Listen and listen closely.The pageants are rigged.They are luring the moms in for the money,even having the winners posted in the newspapers to get more moms to get their child in pageants.

[roajewels]

03:25 PM on 09/19/2011

Ever notice how a very large percentage of these mothers and grandmothers are really fat and poorly groomed- shabby clothes, bad hair etc...?

[YakittyGirl]

05:27 PM on 09/19/2011

Yes, as a matter of fact, I have. These woman are obviously reliving what they once were or experiencing what they never had through their daughters, who should be out playing.

[JazzNtexas]

03:15 PM on 09/19/2011

NOT MY CHILD NOT EVER.

[YakittyGirl]

05:29 PM on 09/19/2011

Mine are grown now but I would have said the same thing you did and so would my Texan husband.

[Drew2U]

03:15 PM on 09/19/2011

I watched this show once, and it actually upset my stomach. The children look miserable, there is nobody in the audience except for the parents, and they spend hundreds and often thousands of dollars just to win a cheap rhinestone tiara and sash. I think it is healthy for kids to be competitive and to aspire to something, but even these poor little girls realize what a sham it is. Nobody is watching and nobody seems to care, except for the shock value of it on television. This is just like the old carnival side shows--only with children.

[Beaches50]

03:10 PM on 09/19/2011

These mom's are crazy - I feel really bad for the young girls. Lord knows they are going to grow up with all kind of issues. What kind of mom would do that? I'll never understand.

[caroleann926]

01:41 PM on 09/19/2011

Teasing a toddler's hair, putting false eyelashes and makeup on her and subjecting her to hours of rehearsals is nothing short of child abuse. It's just a Mom's way of living vicariously through her daughter for her own failed life. Ever see the live audience - Just parents of the contestants and loser judges who don't live in an adult world.

[InnaGaddaDaVida]

04:51 PM on 09/19/2011

and then they wonder why the child turned out all screwed up as an adult!

[Leslie Wert]

01:32 PM on 09/19/2011

she's right about the competitive cheer comment though. they need to let people into that world and see how bad it is. i coached it for 10 years and its sad. i quit this year because it has gotten so disgusting. there are no background checks on coaches and the kids are exploited on stage. you have people coaching kids that have drug problems or are repeat sexual offenders where the parents wont press charges because they want their kids to be in the front of everything. it is truly awful.

[nonyabusinessinpa]

12:32 PM on 09/19/2011

the mother of this child, IF that's what you want to call her, should be brought up on CHILD ABUSE CHARGES!!!! in my eyes this is a form of child abuse!!

[Halsey]

12:15 PM on 09/19/2011

TLC is the Learning how to be a messed up teen channel. Another poster, below, wrote that these pageants are a pedofile's dream and I sadly agree. Why worry about getting arrested by using the web when all a freak has to do is watch TLC?

I am no prude and don't even have children. I am still made ill by these exploited little girls.

[nonyabusinessinpa]

12:35 PM on 09/19/2011

i know right!! i feel the same way and see this as a form of child abuse and the parents should be brought up on charges!! TLC was the LEARNING channel at one time, NOW all it teaches is NOTHING!!

[lexigram]

03:00 PM on 09/19/2011

Some of these things allow adults to compete against the little kids. The weird thing is that the adults DO compete against them, and when a 20 year old beats a bunch of preschoolers, she thinks she's really accomplished something. How about the mom that lets her kid drink a six pack of Red Bull to "perk her up" before she goes on stage. And then there's the "flipper", for when their front teeth are missing, which is natural for kids that age. Pop in the fakes, and they look even stranger. It is quite an "industry", with all the expensive costumes, the dance lessons, the "coaches", the travel-I don't know how people can afford it.

[johnsmith9875]

11:49 AM on 09/19/2011

The only thing creeper than these child fashion shows is "Daddy Daughter Dances".

Google it.

[nonyabusinessinpa]

12:35 PM on 09/19/2011

well incest is RAMPANT in the US!!

[nonyabusinessinpa]

12:36 PM on 09/19/2011

go on AOL and look at the chat room listing created by AOL members..... You want to talk about a FREAK SHOW!!! lol