beauty pagent culture in Venezula

This is probably my most off-topic post and my first delve outside the area of high politics. However, a recent New York Times article, entitled A Bevy of Teeny Beauties, Minds Set on Being Queens, brings up a host of questions on the cultural similarities between Latin America and the United. This article in the Caracas Journal section of the New York Times focuses on the emerging beauty schools for young girls, aged five to ten, in Venezula and comments on the country's obsession with pagents and beauty. My question regards the nature of the cultural transfer. Is this an import from the United States? Is there a western hemisphere cultural element that encourages a focus on appearance? I really don't know and would love to hear with others think.