First Lindsay Lohan, Then Miley Cyrus, Now Amanda Bynes
COMMENTARY | Childhood stars in contemporary television shows haven’t fared well lately. Former Disney starlet Lindsay Lohan of “The Parent Trap” and “Herbie Fully Loaded” fame recently had a video of her photos mashed together showing how much she’s seemingly aged in just a decade. Entertainment Weekly posted the viral video to its website April 5.
Less than 24 hours after that, the Los Angeles Times reported former Nickelodeon actress/singer Amanda Bynes had been arrested on suspicion of a DUI in West Hollywood. Her problem was that she hit a squad car as the star of “What a Girl Wants” tried to pass it.
Added to mix was Miley Cyrus’ assertion in November that she smokes “way too much…weed” when her friends gave her a Bob Marley cake as a 19th birthday present. The Los Angeles Times states Cyrus was going on about the health effects of smoking pot at the same time.
Once these girls turned 18, the inhibitions placed upon them at Disney apparently were flung aside. Thank goodness there are other role models to aspire to from the ranks of grown up stars. Hilary Duff recently became a mom with her retired hockey star husband Mike Comrie. Christie Carlson Romano ended her run on Disney with “Even Stevens” and “Kim Possible” by going to Broadway for a slate of musical performances.
What’s up with childhood stars who turn to drugs and alcohol? Is the pressure too much? I’m trying to figure out why these girls haven’t read their history. Do the names Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley and more recently Michael Jackson and Heath Ledger mean anything to these people?
Hollywood simply spits out these people with no remorse. In the happy-go-lucky world of the Mouse Ears, the hidden danger is that actresses will end up like Lohan or Cyrus. The pressure to hold onto high-profile roles has split up families, destroyed lives and even killed some of the brightest talent long before their times.
What’s even worse is that these people are sacrificing their lives on the altar of an act. Jackson’s the King of Pop was all an act set up by record labels and executives. Lady Gaga is the same way–the woman behind the image surely doesn’t wear meat dresses everyday. The irony of Lady Gaga’s gig is that she says you can be whatever you want, except in her case she’s hiding behind an act that hides her own true self.
One last consideration is the culture in which we live. Americans love to cling to successful actors, actresses and athletes as heroes. My reasoning is that it’s because our own everyday heroes abandon us. When mom and dad place kids in front of the television instead of becoming heroes to their own children, the Hollywood high life perpetuates itself when our society willingly pays money for music and movies that star our favorite role models.
All we need are everyday heroes. We don’t need to put young women like Bynes on a pedestal only to see them ruin their lives.
