Image of Miley Cyrus's controversial Teen Choice Awards performance courtesy of Stylefrizz.com
I get a kick out of my younger cousin. She’s got a sassy, spitfire attitude and a flair for the dramatic. She’s confessed to me before that she’s going to be a star. Her favorite performers are the Jonas Brothers, the High School Musical crew and, of course, Miley “Hannah Montana” Cyrus. Today however, young Disney stars like Vanessa Hudgens and Cyrus seem to have grown up so fast and left their young fans in the dust. The “Disney machine” has created some tween sensations who may not be the best influences on the young audiences they were initially molded for.
I don’t have a problem with young stars in general. I, like my cousin, was a Disney buff growing up. Back in my day, the tween sensation was Hilary Duff and her show, Lizzie McGuire, was one of my favorites. A group of my friends and I even asked our parents to exempt us to leave school early one day so we could go see her movie.
Now the similarities between the beginning careers of Hilary Duff and Miley Cyrus may seem close. But I don’t remember Hilary Duff posting risqué pictures of herself online, posing nearly nude for Vanity Fair, shacking up with older boyfriends and grinding on a pole at the Teen Choice Awards. If you hadn’t guessed, these are all things Cyrus has done within the past few years while still starring on her Disney show. Even Hudgens, Zac Efron’s on-screen and real-life girlfriend, has had pictures of her posing naked leaked to the press — twice!
I always worry that young girls, like my cousin, are seeing the not-so-great aspects of these girls who live in what I would dub a fantasy-land (Hollywood isn’t exactly the real world). Young girls seem to be more advanced than I was at their age. For example, I wasn’t allowed to have a real boyfriend until I was in high school.
In a 2007 article in Newsweek, a first-grade teacher who was interviewed said she notices a difference in her students citing, “girls using words like ‘sexy,’ singing pop songs with suggestive lyrics and flirting with boys.” In an age where kids spend a large amount of their time with some form of media, it’s not hard to see why they may begin to be influenced by what they see.
However strong the media and celebrity influence may be though, it seems parents can counteract these and are doing so in response to the heightened influence of pop culture. Family members, teachers and good friends have a more immediate impact on kids than, say, Cyrus and her pole-dancing ways. If these people instill a foundation of values for kids, they’re likely to follow them.
This may be true, even for the Disney-loving set. Surprisingly, Cyrus was rated as the Worst Celebrity Influence of 2009 by tweens and teens on an online poll. It seems that our nation’s Disney kids prefer Hannah Montana to sexy Cyrus.
13
Mar
Celeb Crushes: Harmless or Harmful?
by Ashley Thill
0 Comments | Posted by thatgirl in Living Life, Making Waves
Growing up, I loved ‘N Sync (sorry Backstreet Boys’ fans). My favorite was Justin Timberlake with his blonde, Brillo-pad hair. My daydream involved him singing me a rendition of “Want You Back” and running away with him, but I secretly knew it probably wouldn’t happen. I see parallels today with Zac Efron, the Twilight gang, and the Jonas Brothers.
Image courtesy of Hollywoodgrind.com
I viewed a video on YouTube recently, however, that shook my idea of supposedly innocent celeb crushes. In the video, a 3-year-old girl named Cody cries hysterically for nearly five minutes over her love for another Justin, 16-year-old pop star Justin Bieber. The video ends on a funny note when the phone rings, and she runs off, believing Justin is calling her. The video now has nearly three million views.
Could we take this video as a possible sign about how far our celebrity obsessions have gone since my boy band childhood?
According to an article in Psychology Today, we are hardwired to reach out to celebrities and actually connect with them as people. So, we sympathize with Carrie’s dating woes on Sex and the City, gossip about Tiger Woods’ extramarital affairs, and root for Team Jacob or Team Edward.
By now, I’m sure we’ve all heard about the negative effects the media can have on body image, especially for young girls. Images of frighteningly thin and airbrushed models distort ideas about what defines beauty. We hear about eating disorders and plastic surgery that are female tactics to achieve this “beauty.”
What about Cody and Justin Bieber though? He doesn’t seem to be harming her body image, but could he possibly affect how she handles relationships in the future?
Two British researchers, David C. Giles and John Maltby, have studied the effects of celebrity obsession in adolescents. They divide teenagers into two categories; one group who follows celebrities merely for entertainment and another group that builds intense feelings for celebs. These feelings can often be detrimental. From their study of 191 preteens and teens in the United Kingdom, Giles and Maltby estimate about 1 in every 10 adolescents falls into the second category. They connect these unhealthy obsessions with relationships, especially romantic ones. If a character a teen is fixated upon looks like Jake Gyllenhaal or Megan Fox, the teen may search for a partner who resembles them. But, the effects can be far more dangerous. If a fantasy character has an abusive streak, an adolescent may take this as normal behavior in a relationship and even seek it out.
While I don’t think we need to rid ourselves of the Justin Biebers or Edward Cullens of the world, I do believe in the importance of guiding teens into developing healthy relationships with others. We should not just focus on celebrity couples but focus on everyday couples who have nurturing, strong connections with one another. Real-life love is way better than the made-up stuff.