America’s Goldilocks Syndrome for Teen Pop Stars: When Is It Just Right?
Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez – these names are breathed by millions of teenage fans across the country, and perhaps the world. Teens and tweens use them as role models, figures to aspire to be, but some view them as overly provocative, inappropriate, boring, or disappointments.
It is now clear that America has a double standard in the American music industry, especially aimed at teenage pop stars. No one is good enough for children to look up to. No is ever just right. It is argued that some of these stars act too young or bland for their age, while others behave too old or provocatively. Is there a happy medium? Not to sound cliché, but in the late Aaliyah’s words, “Age ain’t nothing but a number”, an album she released that went on to sell three million copies in the US alone when she was only 14 years old.
Getting back to the stars of today, Taylor Swift has sold millions of records and won numerous Grammy awards in the short amount of time she’s been in the music scene. She writes her own songs, plays her own guitar, and tells emotional tales of personal heartache that can be related to by listeners of all ages. She chronicles her passage of wanting to find Prince Charming, a Romeo to her Juliet, having a crush, a first date, and being in love. Instead of focusing on the accomplishments of this only 21 year old, people focus on her being “too old” to still believe in fairy tales, for being too wrapped up in heartbreak, for being too emotional, for always playing the victim. These are her songs and her experiences, let her sing in what she believes. That’s what makes her songs honest. As much as people grumble at the fact that Taylor Swift has released yet another heartbreak song, most know they’ve gone through similar events in their life and can relate to the lyrics.
On the other end of the spectrum is seventeen year old Miley Cyrus, who gained immense popularity by starring in Disney Channel's hit series and franchise Hannah Montana. With a father in the music business and a godmother by the name of Dolly Parton, it was inevitable that Miley would become a mainstream artist. Starting off on the Disney Channel, Miley was branded with a clean-cut innocent persona, with the likes of six year old girls sporting Hannah Montana t-shirts and blond wigs. Parents saw Hannah Montana as a great role model for their children to idolize. What parents may not understand is that Hannah Montana is only a character, not a real person.
The real person is Miley Cyrus, a girl trying to do her best to make a name for herself without carrying the Hannah Montana fame. By no means is she purposely distancing herself from the character that turned her into a star, but she is only trying to be her own person and set her own standards. Turning eighteen years old next month, Miley is turning into an adult, responsible for her own choices, and for her own mistakes. She has some racy lyrics and some provocative dance moves, especially noted in her latest music video “Who Owns My Heart”. She wears some questionable clothing, but truth be told, she is only trying to find her place in the music scene by doing what she is comfortable doing. She is often chastised by the media for growing up too fast and for being too sexy, but how is it they want her to act instead? Do they want her to be Hannah Montana forever, a character developed by a for-profit corporation to boost ratings and sales?
The music scene also has Disney star Selena Gomez, who plays Alex Russo in Wizards of Waverly Place. Selena Gomez is often labeled as boring and bland in interviews because the media focuses too heavily on appearances. Like Miley Cyrus, Selena falls into the same age group, having turned 18 this past July. Unlike Miley, Selena prefers to keep her outfits clean cut. Yet, her outfits are deemed to be too “grandma” and intended for an older woman. Ironic, isn’t it? If she wore outfits that resembled those of Miley Cyrus however, she would be labeled as dressing too sexually. She keeps herself well-spoken in interviews and remains respectful. She is the youngest ambassador for UNICEF and her good-natured personality radiates in her interviews. Instead of looking at her accomplishments, she is automatically labeled as boring and uninteresting because of her appearance and how she presents herself, which society deems as unusual for someone her age.
As I write this and pause to do compulsive Facebook checks, I see a sponsored ad on the right hand side with the title “Is Miley Cyrus too sexy?” In the early 2000s, the pop scene was abundantly filled with upcoming teen stars, including Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, both Disney child stars. Both wore inappropriate clothing to award shows, radio interviews, music videos, and other appearances, yet their age was never brought into question, nor was their Disney background. They were not labeled as too overly sexual for their age, whom at the time, were the same age as Miley Cyrus today.
It is intriguing to note how on the one hand, the world has Taylor Swift, chastised for acting too young for her age, for being too emotional and childish when it comes to relationships, for not being a stronger person. The world also has Miley Cyrus, chastised for acting too old for her age, for being too provocative. On some mysterious third hand, we also have Selena Gomez, chastised for being too boring for her age. None are portrayed as positive influences. Who is the media and the parents, or anyone for that matter, to judge as to what and how people should behave? Not every 21 year old will be in the bars every night partying, and not every 17 year old will be wearing their Sunday best every day, and even the ones that are, are questioned as being overly sophisticated. Those in fact are stereotypes, and when you have artists like Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus, and Selena Gomez not fitting into the molds this society has created for specific age groups, we automatically deem them in a negative light.
Why not embrace celebrities for their accomplishments and for putting themselves out there in the public light? They may be celebrities, but that’s just their job. In reality, they are just people living life for the first time, making their own mistakes, learning from the past, and trying to find themselves. Some artists will act “too old”, some will act “too young”, but at the end, will anyone ever be “just right” for this society?
(All pictures taken from Google Images)
