The reported suicide of 16-year-old “Toddlers and Tiaras” star Kailia Posey might renew longstanding questions about the culture of child and teen beauty pageants, which are known to be fiercely competitive and potentially mentally harmful.
In the more immediate term, Kailia’s death has devastated her hometown of Lynden, Washington, near the Canadian border. There, Kailia was known as a Lynden High School freshman who just made her school’s cheerleading squad and attended the prom on Saturday night.
Long after Kailia, who was 5 years old when she first appeared on “Toddlers and Tiaras,” a TLC show that explored the cutthroat world of child pageants, she seemed to pursue the life of a regular teenager while continuing to compete in pageants. In her most recent competition, she represented her hometown as Miss Teen Lynden in the Miss Teen Washington contest.
Kailia’s mother, Marcy Posey Gatterman, confirmed her daughter’s death Monday in a Facebook post, with a photo of her in the sparkly gown she wore to the prom.
“I don’t have words or any thoughts,” she wrote. “A beautiful baby girl is gone. Please give us privacy as we mourn the loss of Kailia. My baby forever.”
While authorities released no official cause of death, Kailia’s family issued a statement to TMZ Tuesday, which said she “made the rash decision to end her earthly life,” even though “she was an accomplished teenager with a bright future ahead of her.”
Kailia Posey’s family told TMZ she died by suicide:
“Although she was an accomplished teenager with a bright future ahead of her, unfortunately in one impetuous moment, she made the rash decision to end her earthly life."https://t.co/tHplNKd4wl
— philip lewis (@Phil_Lewis_) May 4, 2022
Kailia’s body was found Monday in Birch Bay State Park, north of Bellingham, Washington, west of Lynden, the Cascadia Daily News reported. Several law enforcement agencies in Whatcom County are currently investigating, People added.
In an email to Lynden High School families, Principal Ian Freeman referred to Kailia’s “unexpected death,” the Cascadia Daily News said.
“This loss will raise many emotions, concerns, and questions for our entire school, especially our students,” Principal Ian Freeman wrote in the email. “We have put together a team of grief counseling staff from across the county trained to help during difficult times such as this.”
The Lynden Chamber of Commerce also offered support to the community in a Facebook Post.
“One of those things one never ever wants to happen happened in Lynden yesterday,” the organization posted on Facebook. “One of our younger community members took their own life yesterday, and we, as are many, many others, are feeling pretty melancholy, to use one of the ‘big words.’”
The Chamber of Commerce reminded the community that “suicide is a tragedy, regardless of age,” and encouraged those experiencing depression or thoughts of suicide to reach out to friends, family, trusted community members and trained professionals for help.”
Many on the Chamber post sent love and prayers to Kailia’s family, friends and classmates. One Lynden resident wrote: “As a mother who lost a child to suicide, I’d like to say thank you for posting this. It’s also a lonely place for the parent, because people are afraid to talk about it. Don’t be afraid of saying the wrong thing, because this road is foreign to us too. So please keep sharing. Please keep talking.”
Kailia first gained notice outside her circle of family and friends when she briefly appeared on “Toddlers & Tiaras,” which originally aired from 2009 to 2013, People reported. The high schooler appeared in one episode at age 5, when she compete in the California Tropic Arizona pageant. She became one of the series’ most recognizable faces after her reaction in an interview became a popular gif.
Kailia Posey, who became a popular GIF from her appearance on the reality TV show "Toddlers & Tiaras," has died unexpectedly at age 16, her mom says pic.twitter.com/BVtBmUrQob
— BNO News (@BNONews) May 3, 2022
Posey continued to compete in pageants the rest of her life, winning “countless crowns and trophies,” her family said. She also developed a talent as a contortionist, which led to professional gigs and helped her win a spot on her high school cheerleading squad, her family added.
Given the controversial nature of child pageants, it’s possible that fans and others will scrutinize the lifetime Kailia spent in that “high-glitz” world. It’s not known if or how she was personally affected, but child pageants, popularized by “Toddlers and Tiaras” and its spin-off “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo,” have long been the subject of news reports and academic studies, particularly after the 1996 murder of 5-year-old contestant JonBenét Patricia Ramsey.
Images of Ramsey at pageants showed how even young girls are expected to parade around in heavy, adult make-up and ornate outfits, and are sometimes presented in a sexualized way. Psychologists and psychiatrists have said that pageants can reinforce a false doll-like image of girls and women and promote negative body images.
A 2012 study, published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, reported that child pageants often have little to do with the children and much more to do with satisfying the needs of their parents. The study, authored by Martina M. Cartwright, a registered dietitian and an adjunct professor at the University of Arizona, also suggested that participation in such pageants can be harmful to children’s health and self-esteem.
“I think it’s fun if they want to play dress up for a little while, but to insist on making that a career or that they’re going to be a model or a Hollywood star, the chances are very slim,” Cartwright said at the time. “Parents have to know their child’s limitations and not press them beyond that because later on that knocks their self-esteem.”
If you or someone you know is considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.