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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Angry at papers baby competition

53 replies

pyjamasinbananas · 07/10/2011 11:01

Local paper runs a baby of the year comp and I entered DD and DS. DS is in but has been put in the wrong age group and DD hasn't been put in at all! Whilst I didn't expect them to win it or anything I quite liked seeing them in it last year and kept the pull out to show them when they're older. AIBU to feel completely shit that for some reason DDs been completely excluded or is this my punishment for refusing to pay £140 for 6 photos?

OP posts:
Original poster
pyjamasinbananas · 07/10/2011 13:27

Chipsycheese- ours has so many variations of Jayden, kayden, aleesha it's unreal! But my personal favourite has got to be Ry-Lee!!

OP posts:
ScaredBear · 07/10/2011 13:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ChooChooWowWow · 07/10/2011 13:40

Chipsycheese laughing at the chav names on baby comps is one of my favourite pastimes. The scary thing is you often see several rows of babies all with the same chav name, god knows how teachers will cope in a few years. And I speak as someone who has a dd whose looks would wipe the floor with the competition, but also due to her being adopted has the most chavtastic name ever. Grin

op take this a a warning never to enter your poor dc in these awful competitions. As someone else said they will spend the rest of their lives being judged on their looks. Why start now?.

LaWeasel · 07/10/2011 13:51

I loved looking at these when I was PG with DD - the babies MUST have had 'show' names because I have yet to meet "Princess Poppy Petal" at the park!

Original poster
pyjamasinbananas · 07/10/2011 13:52

Ry-Lee is beautiful, classic in it's own way, innit Stealth? I'm like proper sorry for slating it yeah, u get me?
Holy fuck I sound like dbro's girlfriend!!

And I have actually giggled and mocked DS's photo before. He is obviously gorgeous now but until he was 6 months he unfortunately resembled a gremlin
< hides head in shame at admitting on MN of all places that DS was funny looking>

OP posts:
Original poster
pyjamasinbananas · 07/10/2011 13:55

Scared. Not stealth. Apologies Grin

OP posts:
ChooChooWowWow · 07/10/2011 13:58

It's ok pyjamasinbananas my first born is now 24 and in those days putting babies on their front to sleep was the done thing. I still admit to refusing to take my newborn dd out of her cot to show visitors. The reason for this was that she was so bloody ugly, but she had the most amazing long thick black hair so I preferred people to focus on the back of her head Grin.
She was beautiful by 9 months though.

Original poster
pyjamasinbananas · 07/10/2011 13:59

DS was like Benjamin button the early (old man) years bless him. He was scrawny with little chicken legs and huge feet. Old ladies would peer in the buggy and walk off Sad poor little chicken boy

OP posts:
BelleEnd · 07/10/2011 14:03

These competitions are truly horrible. Would you do it when they're teenagers? Have them send in their best photos, competing with their contemperaries on nothing other than looks?

CalamityKate · 07/10/2011 14:03

Chipsycheese oh LOL LOL @ potatoes with chavvy names! Grin

If our local paper had run an "Ugliest Baby" competition both of mine would have been runaway winners and I'd have definitely entered. In fact, thinking about it, if I actually took the local paper and they'd had a beautiful baby comp, I'd have entered them anyway just for a laugh. I'm sniggering now imagining row upon row of "cute" babies, with my two gargoyles plonked among them Grin

Original poster
pyjamasinbananas · 07/10/2011 14:05

Actually bellend (sp?) i would if they wanted to. DS enjoyed having his pic done so much he didn't want DD to have a go

OP posts:
KatAndKit · 07/10/2011 14:05

Baby "competitions" are totally unreasonable in the first place.
As if our society didn't place enough excessive value on appearance already. Must the judging start at birth?
Or can I send my scan pic for a cutest baby contest too now?

All babies are gorgeous. Fact. No need to be judging them against each other.

CalamityKate · 07/10/2011 14:08

All babies are gorgeous. Fact.

Ohhhh, you never saw mine...... Hmm

But I take your point. Yeah, they are, because they're all squidgy and they're brand new humans and all that and I do think beautiful baby comps are hideous as a rule.

sausagesandmarmelade · 07/10/2011 14:09

Agree with AKMD

YABU for putting them in there in the first place. All babies are beautiful....those contests are in such bad taste and totally send the wrong messages.

Original poster
pyjamasinbananas · 07/10/2011 14:10

I don't think newborns are gorgeous. I'm sorry I just dont see it. And I've had two of them! I think they're interesting looking and it's lovely imagining what/who they will grow into but I dont think awwww how gorgeous. I am polite though so I do say it Smile

OP posts:
Crosshair · 07/10/2011 14:14

Chipsycheese - :o

AKMD · 07/10/2011 14:15

Chipsycheese I just snorted Ryvita through my nose; classy Angry

I do the reverse-snobbery thing and have a good giggle at the 'Tarquin St John' announcements in the Telegraph.

Original poster
pyjamasinbananas · 07/10/2011 14:16

There's a tarquin and Sebastian at toddler group. I make DD go by her full name as her nn sounds like I'm saying sexy Blush

OP posts:
zipzap · 07/10/2011 14:20

Bil entered his dd into one of these when she was little as second prize was £100 and he was short of money so trying anything. Long time ago, when paper decided who'd won.

Unfortunately she didn't get second prize - she won. So instead of the cash they had a huge great copy of the pic of their dd that had been blown up and done as a BIG picture with great ugly frame that they then felt obliged to have up on the Walls. Think they all wish they'd got 2nd place, especially the dd when she got older and had friends around Grin

GandTiceandacauldron · 07/10/2011 14:24

Those comps make me laugh. Most of the girls have those fucking hideous hairbands on their heads.
I love hoiking my judgypants with the names as well Wink

KatAndKit · 07/10/2011 14:25

baby gorgeous is about more than being pretty. Yes they are all red and scrunchy sometimes and some babies might look prettier than others. But they are all wonderful and I don't understand how one baby can be judged against another.

These comps are the thin end of a horrible wedge that leads to the monstrous Toddlers and Tiaras. Yuck.

PrincessScrumpy · 07/10/2011 14:28

I used to work at a paper and the layout of these pictures is a nightmare, making sure all go in and names are right, plus it relies on the info being correct in the firstplace and the writing being legible etc - wouldn't have been deliberate.

chill1243 · 07/10/2011 14:32

I thought for non-press baby comps; they gave all entrants a prize...which seems reasonable to me.

Original poster
pyjamasinbananas · 07/10/2011 14:32
OP posts:
pinkgirlythoughts · 07/10/2011 14:47

Ry-Lee? That's nothing, our local rag had a baby named Lee-Lee in it. If he hadn't been dressed head to toe in blue, I would have sworn it was a kreeaytif spelling of Lily!