The good mother: neutralization techniques used by pageant mothers

This study examines Sykes and Matza's (1957) techniques of neutralization through accounts by 43 mothers whose children participated in six national beauty pageants between September 1996 and May 1997. Respondents used "condemnation of condemners" most often followed by "denial of injury" with equal numbers using "denial of responsibility" and "appeal to higher loyalties." The "denial of victim" technique was not used by any respondents. The respondents were critical of the media's role in creating the "temporary deviant label."