While looking at the New York Times, I could have gone to the front page and created a discussion on the ramifications of the Attorney General retiring, or an even more heated debate on the war in Iraq, but as a journalism student emphasizing in Public Relations, that is not what first catches my eye.
I aspire to get involved with the entertainment industry as a PR professional or publicist. I am interested in the influence celebrities have on this nation and how their lives are becoming more watched than the political concerns of the country. Many “serious journalists” find this fact appalling and will try to fight this with national news. Though I congratulate them in their effort, I find myself being pulled into the ever-growing entertainment industry as a Christian influence in the area that has undeniably become a huge part of the American culture.
My biggest concern in Hollywood is the influence that these select few have on young America: the still impressionable future of the country. This is why my mind is immediately attracted to the story about Hilary Duff “Amid All The Cheers, A Few Signs of Change,” written by Kelefa Sanneh for the Arts section.
So, why choose to comment on a music review? It is not an article, it is opinion, but it does not merely examine what songs she sings well, or doesn’t, Sanneh is looking at Duff’s fans and changing influence.
Sanneh is very correct in saying that “Ms. Duff’s music is much better than it might be, and much better than it needs to be… earning trebly screams that probably would have been just as loud if she had been reciting her life story, putting on a fashion show or doing jumping jacks.” Her fans are not concerned with her singing voice being exemplary; they are merely excited to be in the same room with her.
As Daniel Boorstin said in his 1992 book, “The Image”, a celebrity is simply someone who is “known for his well-knowness.” That is certainly true here. Young preteens and teens, like much of America, are amazed by the pure sight of a celebrity. With so much excitement and attention to these people, the influence in young peoples’ lives must be immense. Everything they do, whether admirable or not, will be taken in.
Senneh worries about Duff’s influence as she is “onstage in shinny short-shorts and high heels, singing songs that sounded kind of like sexy robot music or something,” while some are just happy that she has not turned out like Lindsay Lohan. Ross Raihala of the Pioneer (Minn.) Press titled a recent piece “Hilary Duff proves to be the anit-Lindsay Lohan.
No article on Duff can ignore the fact that she is loosing popularity as the next generation of Disney Channel Stars takes the spotlight. As Senneh puts it, Duff “must know that her empire is under siege from newer tween juggernauts such as Hannah Montana and “High School Musical.” These are the celebrities that are really having the influence. Though Duff’s appearances have a good following, many of the dates in Miley Cyrus’ Hannah Montana/Meet Miley Cyrus Tour sold out in minutes (Cooper, Peter, “’Hannah Montana’ breaks hearts with less than 15-minute sellout”, Tennessean), and “High School Musical 2” broke records with it’s 17.2 premiere viewers (“High School Musical 2’ Already A Mega Hit”, CBS).
This new set of Disney Channel stars seems to be the cleanest of them all. The cast of “High School Musical,” with a median age of 21, is the same age of Lindsay Lohan, and yet you do not see them on the cover of tabloids for excessive partying and DUIs. Ramin Setoodeh makes this comparison in the Newsweek article titled “Growing Pains.”
The Disney Channel is producing celebrities for the younger generation to grow up with, creating role models with better standards. Just a few years ago, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake were the idols of the preteens; their scantily clad bodies and sexed up dance moves and lyrics are far from the squeaky clean presence of Miley Cyrus, Ashley Tisdale and Zac Efron.
Though no one can say they will not change for the worst, for now, preteens are doing pretty well.
5 comments:
The Disney Channel stars do seem to be teenage perfection, but so are the characters they play. I am sure that Disney works very hard to choose actors that will keep their noses clean and portray this tidy image.
The portrayal of an idyllic life is not a negative thing in any respect, but where is reality in all of this? Aren't their harder issues to deal with than a fight with your best friend, or an annoying younger sibling? Perhaps we can learn more from someone who is dealing with a broken home, failed marriages and addiction than we can from the sweet perfection of the Disney channel life.
In light of celebrities becoming popular, it seems to me that as the audience interest spirals down, so do the clothes and moral value (and lyrics, for that matter). In the case of Hillary Duff, I believe that we can applause her for not taking part in the downward slope of abandoning Disney's clean approach to appearance and lyrics. At the same time, it's dissappointing to think that both Justin Timberlake and Britney Speares started their founding career in the "Mickey Mouse Club"--a direct organization of Disney--and both have moved out of the Disney bubble and onto "bringing sexy back" and shaving off all of their hair. Do Justin and Britney have a better career due to pure talent? I believe that is up to the general public.
I DO have a hard time applausing for Hillary Duff when there are other, more talented artists on the rise. But in light of this article, giving credit where credit is due is necessary-Hillary Duff has not joined the darkside of our media--yet.
I have to admit it, but I like the Disney channel, and watch it sometimes. It's definitely a fictional world, as brooke anderson (above) mentioned, but it's at least it's giving kids an alternative to MTV or desperate housewives. The shows may be clean, but I'm not too sure about the other stuff. Once, after a show, they played a video from one of Ashley Tisdale's concerts. She came out wearing tiny shorts and I forgot what else (or wasn't wearing), dancing like she was in a Beyonce video with some of her male backup dancers. My first thought was to look out into the audience; little girls were rushing forward to get a glimpse of their teen idol. Their lyrics might not be harmful, but it's their actions and choice of clothing that girls end up imitating. That's where the Disney channel should be a little bit more careful about.
But yeah, good job Hilary!
The affect that celebrities have on this nation and young America itself is amazing. As a celebrity it would seem to me that your one duty was to be a good role model because of the constant surveylance the public eye has on their life. I am in a way proud of Hillary Duff for holding her ground for so long and maintaining a positive influence it is refreshing when tabloids are constantly talking about Britney and K-Fed, or Lindsey Lohan's DUI's. She deserves credit for her role but like all celebrities they have their time but then it fades out. I hope that Hillary Duff accepts this change and doesn't try any extra things to recieve attention so that the public knows she still exists. As for the Disney Channel, I am a fan of what they support, which is a positive family home. I think that even though it may not be realistic it sets a good example for kids and teens. It would be nice if they had more real life episodes like Brooke said, but for now I think Disney is one of the positive sources of media that we have in this world.
I agree that entertainment is a really important part of our culture, especially tween stars like Hillary Duff who have gads of young fans from the Disney channel. I do like that Disney seems to be trying to give clean cut role models (at least in comparison to lindsay lohan and britney spears like you pointed out), although it seems like Hillary might go down that road soon if she loses her younger audience. The amount that celebrities influence us is insane, but could be used for good if more people would step up. I am excited about the newer "clean cut" highschool musical crew, but don't want to trust the nice image too much-I feel like I've had that expectation broken before.
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