As children grow up, they pick up habits and cues from their parents. Marcela Delgado of Merciad Mercyhurst University said that “Girls are 'sponges'; they are at an age where they absorb everything around them, so it is not right for them to absorb a materialistic mentality.” Money spent on pageants teaches children to value material objects and the idea that it is important to spend whatever money is necessary on appearance. The average amount spent on a single contest is $1,500 and could cost up to $3,500 (Sandberg). Many pageant girls pay for multiple outfits, professional hair and makeup, acrylic nails, and spray tans. According to the Pageant News Bureau in 2002, pageantry makes $5 billion as an industry (Fleishman). Children should be taught to value education and have good morals, but instead, by spending so much money on these contests, parents are teaching their children that money can be used in place of these things. In addition to the cost of the pageants themselves, according to a study verified by Women's News, 72% of girls who participate in pageants hire coaches ("Child Beauty Pageant Statistics"). These pageant coaches instruct girls on how to walk, talk, smile and even wave. Girls hire coaches so they can be molded into the perfect girl who is most likely to win in a competition based on looks and manners. Shows