Friday, April 30, 2010

Young Icon

So apparently in some bogus poll, Miley Cyrus was voted the worse role model of today. Seriously?! In my day our role models consisted of Britney Spears, Lindsey Lohan, and the Olsen Twins. By the time they were Miss Cyrus’s age most of the women we were supposed to look up to had already had sex and their first eating disorder. Now don’t get me wrong, there is plenty to rag upon Miley (like the fact she doesn’t write her own music, her crazy random accent, and the fact that you can’t turn around at Wal-Mart without seeing her advertizing something), but one thing she is not is a bad role model. Granted, she isn’t necessarily a good role model but just because she bared her back in some magazine does not mean she’s a bad role model. It’s definitely not as bad as flashing your cookies while getting out of the car.
Compared to such icons of today as The Jonas Brothers and Tailor Swift, she may seem a bit more risqué but frankly I find that more refreshing. I can’t really identify with these Disney groomed cardboard-standouts. At least Miley kind of has a personality.
While writing this piece I find myself racking my brain for young role models for today’s youth and really there are so few that aren’t connected to Disney. Although a lot of yesteryear’s icons were in Disney’s Playhouse they weren’t as closely guarded as today. I guess Disney learned to keep a tighter leash on their bitches. It seems like if we want to find young people with spark and personality to look up to you must look to the cinema. I personally adore Dakota Fanning, as she’s able to play very adult and varied characters. She’s definitely not playing the stereotyped young person’s role as is how most Disney actors are portrayed. She isn’t a squeaky clean person, groomed to be a good role model, she’s just a good actor.
I guess what I’m trying to get at is that most adults today have it in their mind that young people are a certain way when really they aren’t at all. Young people are becoming more and more mature sooner and sooner. That isn’t to say that there aren’t some really immature teens out there, but there are just as many immature 20, 30, and 40 year old (as well as any generation.) Even if they aren’t mature psychologically speaking, they are getting into more mature subject matter like drugs, sex, alcohol or any other thing that adults disapprove of. I guess parents think that by keeping their children away from any mention of those things that they will not have that kind of influence but really they are doing more harm than good. If you keep your kids so sheltered, they won’t know how to react when faced with these things (as they inevitably will) and might end up in a dangerous situation. Anyway. Getting off the soap box now. I just hope that some better role models come up, people who aren’t setting out to be role models, but people who are just automatically looked up to.

-Willow
Note: This was begun several months ago and just now finished because I'm lazy