‘Tan is a tad too dark:’ Pageant judge leaves critique on biracial girl

LAKE CITY, Ark. (KAIT) - A Craighead County woman is speaking up after she said her biracial child was criticized for her complexion.

Four-year-old Charleigh Bullock of Caraway has been competing in pageants since she was 6 months old. Her mom, Amber Fletcher, said she loves dressing up and getting her makeup done.

But Fletcher said a judge at her most recent pageant made an unnecessary comment about Charleigh’s complexion that was later shared on social media.

“She could be the whitest kid. She could be the darkest kid. It doesn’t matter,” said Fletcher. “Everybody should be treated equally and fairly.”

The comment came during the 2022-2023 Miss Riverside Pageant Tiny Tots Division event. The judge reportedly wrote, “Tan a tad too dark for her age, but everything else is beautiful.”

“She is the only biracial child in her class for sure and against the girls that she competed with. So, for them to have said that about her in her division...I feel like it was just unnecessary,” Fletcher said.

The comment prompted her to reach out to the pageant coordinators and even the judge who made the comment.

“The director of the pageant, of course, apologized. She said she was sorry that she didn’t read the score sheet. She didn’t know what was said,” Fletcher said. “The judge who made the comment, she also apologized. She was like, she wasn’t aware of her ethnicity, which shouldn’t have been even a question.”

Fletcher says tanning is not new in pageantry and that many of the young ladies do get them; however, not Charleigh. She believes comments like this for biracial girls and women can truly do damage to their self-esteem.

Charleigh has received a lot of support from people in the pageantry world, including Miss Arkansas.

But others say she shouldn’t be competing at all, saying she is too young.

However, Fletcher says she will continue. It is simply something she’s passionate about.

“I’m not going to take that away from her. If she wants to do them, I’m all for her doing that. We are aware that it is a beauty pageant, and she will be judged on certain things but things that she cannot change as far as her ethnicity. It shouldn’t be considered,” Fletcher said. “She should be able to do whatever she wants to do if she enjoys that.”

We have reached out to the Riverside Pageant director but have yet to hear back.

Fletcher says she just wants this to be a message to little girls of color that they are beautiful in their skin.

Riverside School District released the following statement regarding the judge’s comment:

“On September 3rd and 4th, the Riverside School District held its 2022 Miss Riverside Pageant. The school staff worked hard to make the pageant a success and hired experienced judges. One judge in particular wrote a comment on the score sheet of a contestant in the Tiny Tot division, “Tan is a tad too dark for her age, but everything else is beautiful.” The student had not used a tan supplement. Whether or not a supplement was used, the judge should not have made such a comment. The Riverside School District finds the comment by the judge unacceptable and inappropriate. This judge will not be invited back for any future pageants. Any pageant held at the school district is intended to support and encourage the participants. Riverside regrets that this comment was made by the judge. The comment does not reflect the beliefs of the Riverside School District or its principles of respect and encouragement of all its students.”

Copyright 2022 KAIT. All rights reserved.