Lights, Camera,Poor Decisions
http://www.michronicleonline.com/articlelive/articles/2663/1/Lights-CameraPoor-Decisions/Page1.html
Leslie J Griffin
By Leslie J Griffin
Published on 05/7/2008
In a world where young girls and women are often used for demeaning purposes of instant sexual gratification, and where present-day misogynistic lyrics of women are more profitable than a neurological surgeon’s salary, society must re-examine its value system. Just mention the name Hanna Montana and you’ll get a quick glimpse of “kids and teens gone wild.”
In a world where young girls and women are often used for demeaning purposes of instant sexual gratification, and where present-day misogynistic lyrics of women are more profitable than a neurological surgeon’s salary, society must re-examine its value system. Just mention the name Hanna Montana and you’ll get a quick glimpse of “kids and teens gone wild.”
But what price do young stars and teens pay for growing up in Hollywood? And what examples do they set for their idolizing fans? Do they leave legacies of court dates, custody battles, jail time, rehabilitation stints, teen pregnancy and drunken driving offenses?
Lastly, what can parents do to ensure their children have long-term positive role models? For a while I was hoping Miley Cyrus, better known as Hanna Montana, could answer this question. But now I have a different view; possibly along with millions who recently caught controversial views of the 15 year-old G-rated teen sensation posing and exposing her semi-naked-blanket-covering-the-top-only body in Vanity Fair magazine. I thought to myself, it must be a Hollywood prerequisite that everyone omit clothing.
Does anyone just respectfully entertain? I know the answers to some of the questions but I’ll keep them to myself.
What’s more is that Cyrus apologizes only after the images were leaked to the public via the Internet. Vanity Fair magazine defends the racy images and photo shoot by adding that her parents and management supervised the shoot for the entire day. Additional claims even suggest the images were given the green light and approved by the star and her parents. Cyrus originally thought the shoot was an opportunity to showcase her artistic side. However, various interpretations suggest the photos resemble a little more than art, especially for a 15-year-old with millions of fans ranging from toddlers and upward.
This is where I lost it. If her parents sanctioned the shoot, how could they? And why would they allow images of their 15-year-old daughter to travel the globe and become the driving force of Internet traffic. Vanity Fair received over four million hits from people desiring to view the photos; a desire which caused the site to temporarily crash. Not only are the photos controversial, they send clear and negative messages of false hopes and aspirations.
As a society, we must elevate our young women’s hopes and aspirations beyond becoming video girls. We must give them reasons to demand self-respect. There is no reason for a four-year old to pop-lock-and-drop anything. But when society and magazines bombard them with teen sensations, degrading and filthy lyrics with fancy beats, promote contests to win concert tickets or charge 1/3 of a reasonable mortgage for the ticket, it’s no wonder some of our children are out of control. Hollywood can do a job on our young people.
The glitz, glamour, parties, enticing attention, red-carpet galas, media, paparazzi and Internet can deaden their developing consciences.
This is why as parents, we must do an even better job of being parents. As best we can, we must guard what enters their minds and spirits. This dire task is impossible if we are driving them to racy photo shoots and purchasing provocative clothing that brings attention to bottoms and tops, or purchasing music containing explicit lyrics. With prom season right around the corner, my heart cries out as I’ve personally witnessed teen girls try on sultry clothing.
My heart actually bled because parents had digital cameras in the fitting rooms snapping shots of their ample daughters walking in dresses that only covered the floor. What is wrong with this picture? I heard conversations between parent and child of going to Victoria’s Secret and reserving hotel rooms. I even heard girls vowing to work overtime so they could afford the limousine and dinner for their dates. This behavior is out of order.
Maybe I’m old-fashioned but as my grandmother said, “Certain things just ain’t supposed to happen.” I implore our teens, young girls and young men to do the right thing. Make good choices. It may be hard to be different in a positive way but the consequences are much easier to digest. When you do the right thing, you truly get “The Best of Both Worlds.”
Leslie J. Griffin can be reached at igetiwrite@yahoo.com.
In a world where young girls and women are often used for demeaning purposes of instant sexual gratification, and where present-day misogynistic lyrics of women are more profitable than a neurological surgeon’s salary, society must re-examine its value system. Just mention the name Hanna Montana and you’ll get a quick glimpse of “kids and teens gone wild.” “Kids and teens gone wild.”
In a world where young girls and women are often used for demeaning purposes of instant sexual gratification, and where present-day misogynistic lyrics of women are more profitable than a neurological surgeon’s salary, society must re-examine its value system. Just mention the name Hanna Montana and you’ll get a quick glimpse of “kids and teens gone wild.”
But what price do young stars and teens pay for growing up in Hollywood? And what examples do they set for their idolizing fans? Do they leave legacies of court dates, custody battles, jail time, rehabilitation stints, teen pregnancy and drunken driving offenses?
Lastly, what can parents do to ensure their children have long-term positive role models? For a while I was hoping Miley Cyrus, better known as Hanna Montana, could answer this question. But now I have a different view; possibly along with millions who recently caught controversial views of the 15 year-old G-rated teen sensation posing and exposing her semi-naked-blanket-covering-the-top-only body in Vanity Fair magazine. I thought to myself, it must be a Hollywood prerequisite that everyone omit clothing.
Does anyone just respectfully entertain? I know the answers to some of the questions but I’ll keep them to myself.
What’s more is that Cyrus apologizes only after the images were leaked to the public via the Internet. Vanity Fair magazine defends the racy images and photo shoot by adding that her parents and management supervised the shoot for the entire day. Additional claims even suggest the images were given the green light and approved by the star and her parents. Cyrus originally thought the shoot was an opportunity to showcase her artistic side. However, various interpretations suggest the photos resemble a little more than art, especially for a 15-year-old with millions of fans ranging from toddlers and upward.
This is where I lost it. If her parents sanctioned the shoot, how could they? And why would they allow images of their 15-year-old daughter to travel the globe and become the driving force of Internet traffic. Vanity Fair received over four million hits from people desiring to view the photos; a desire which caused the site to temporarily crash. Not only are the photos controversial, they send clear and negative messages of false hopes and aspirations.
As a society, we must elevate our young women’s hopes and aspirations beyond becoming video girls. We must give them reasons to demand self-respect. There is no reason for a four-year old to pop-lock-and-drop anything. But when society and magazines bombard them with teen sensations, degrading and filthy lyrics with fancy beats, promote contests to win concert tickets or charge 1/3 of a reasonable mortgage for the ticket, it’s no wonder some of our children are out of control. Hollywood can do a job on our young people.
The glitz, glamour, parties, enticing attention, red-carpet galas, media, paparazzi and Internet can deaden their developing consciences.
This is why as parents, we must do an even better job of being parents. As best we can, we must guard what enters their minds and spirits. This dire task is impossible if we are driving them to racy photo shoots and purchasing provocative clothing that brings attention to bottoms and tops, or purchasing music containing explicit lyrics. With prom season right around the corner, my heart cries out as I’ve personally witnessed teen girls try on sultry clothing.
My heart actually bled because parents had digital cameras in the fitting rooms snapping shots of their ample daughters walking in dresses that only covered the floor. What is wrong with this picture? I heard conversations between parent and child of going to Victoria’s Secret and reserving hotel rooms. I even heard girls vowing to work overtime so they could afford the limousine and dinner for their dates. This behavior is out of order.
Maybe I’m old-fashioned but as my grandmother said, “Certain things just ain’t supposed to happen.” I implore our teens, young girls and young men to do the right thing. Make good choices. It may be hard to be different in a positive way but the consequences are much easier to digest. When you do the right thing, you truly get “The Best of Both Worlds.”
Leslie J. Griffin can be reached at igetiwrite@yahoo.com.