Teens vote Miley “Worst Teen Role Model”
Recently AOL’s Pop-Culture affiliate JSYK.com conducted a pole to find out who in fact was the worst role model for teenagers nowadays. With recent outbursts during award shows (cough, cough… Kanye West), stints in rehab and random shaving of ladies heads (sorry, Britney), it’s almost hard to pinpoint who would exactly take the cake on this negative label; however, according to teens, the answer was pretty obvious.
Miley Cyrus was voted the “Worst Teen Role Model” by an overwhelming 42% beating out Britney Spears, Kanye West and fellow Disney-star Vanessa Hudgens, who has had two naked photos surface in the last few years. So the question arises… why Miley?
Well perhaps the teenagers (who were the only ones allowed to vote), see the pole for what it really is. Young teens, “or tweens”, are more likely to be influenced and pay attention to the negative-choices made by Cyrus than any of the other celebrities that were listed. She is currently in the prime of her career with a hit television show, movies, a guest-spot on the Sex and the City sequel, and numerous hit CDs! She is the Mary-Kate & Ashley of the 2000s.
Where exactly did Miley go wrong? Obviously, it is tough growing up in the spotlight! But, as of 2006 Cyrus had the most-watched television show for children ages 6 to 14. All young girls didn’t just want to watch Hannah Montana, they wanted to be Hanna Montana and many of them (being so young in age) may have forgotten that there was a difference between Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus off the set. No matter what… all eyes were always on Cyrus 24/7!
As Miley’s fame continued to skyrocket, she was about to enter a major transition from child-star to teenager, trade her dolls in for boyfriends and update her wardrobe to semi-provocative.
Her biggest scandal surfaced just weeks after self-taken photos of Cyrus posing in her bra hit the internet, Miley did her very first photoshoot with famed Vanity Fair photographer Annie Leibovitz where she posed both alone, bare-backed and covered by just a sheet, and also in a rather suggestive position next to her father.
When it came time for damage control Cyrus told PEOPLE magazine, “For Vanity Fair, I was so honored and thrilled to work with Annie Leibovitz. I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be ‘artistic’ and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed.”
After the photo-scandal, Cyrus continued her desire to grow up fast by partaking in a relationship with a much-older model. Miley was first seen out with Justin Gaston, 20, after the two met when Gaston appeared as a contestant on Nashville Star, hosted by Billy Ray, who called their relationship “a good thing.” In June 2009, Cyrus announces her split from Gaston on her Twitter page, where she writes, “Tears are words the heart can’t express.”
With a handful of questionable photos and her relationship with five-year-older Gaston under her belt, Cyrus has the opportunity to go either way with her reputation at this point. She has since reconnected and casually dated former-flame Nick Jonas, as well as her co-star in “The Last Song” Liam Hemsworth, 19. She is still only 16-years-old and has the world at her feet. Hopefully Cyrus has realized how damaging her decisions can be and makes wiser ones in the future!
For parents with young teens there is no need to worry, because there are plenty of level-headed enviable role models for the current generation to look up to. Teens like Selena Gomez, Dakota Fanning, Emma Watson and Taylor Swift are four bright, successful young ladies who have managed to steer clear of the tabloids and keep their work and private lives completely separate.
Selena Gomez grew up in Grand Prarie, Texas, where she was raised by her single-mother Mandy who was only 16-years-old when she gave birth to her. They may have lived paycheck to paycheck, but Mandy still managed to give Gomez a wonderful, well-grounded childhood and allowed her to pursue her dream of becoming a child-actor by supporting her and taking her to numerous auditions. Selena snatched the role of Gianna on the popular show “Barney & Friends” in 2001 and continued working alongside the big purple dinosaur for the following two years. Her time on Barney allowed Selena to truly discover her talent and passion for acting and helped her realize that this was indeed what she wanted to do.
Gomez followed with small guest-spots in both Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over and the made for TV movie “Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire”. After being chosen at a nationwide casting call for Disney Selena conducted guest-roles on “Hannah Montana” and “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody”. It wasn’t until 2007 that Gomez landed her dream role as the lead character on “Wizards of Waverly Place”!
Just one year later, she made her first appearance in an animated movie “Horton Hears a Who” and later starred in “Another Cinderella Story” opposite fellow-Disney star Andrew Seeley.
Her streak of good luck continued in the summer of 2009 when both of her Disney-made movies “Princess Protection Program” and “Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie” received positive feedback doing nothing but help launch Gomez’s already secure fame and notability in the right direction!
Selena is a gorgeous girl and always looks both classy and elegant when making public or red carpet appearances. At just 17-years-old, Gomez has a hit television show, successful movies, an album and soon-to-be a fashion line on the way! There is no stopping this teen-queen. Fans know her more for her angelic smile and signature converse sneakers rather than scandalous relationships or bad press.
Another up and coming Hollywood heroine hands down is Dakota Fanning. Ever since she made her initial big screen appearances in both “I Am Sam” opposite Sean Penn and Michelle Pfeiffer and “Trapped” alongside other A-listers Charlize Theron, Courtney Love, Kevin Bacon and Stuart Townsend, Fanning won the hearts of fans all over the world. She has continued to prove that acting was not just a joke or childhood hobby for her; rather, it was a refined-craft and that is exactly how she has continued to secure nothing, but elite roles opposite Hollywood’s best actors including: Robert de Niro, Denzel Washington, Tom Cruise, Reese Witherspoon and Julia Roberts.
When she’s not on location acting in the next huge blockbuster, Fanning attends high school like the regular 15-year-old high school student she truly is and even is part of the cheerleading squad!
Fanning recently became part of the Twilight phenomenon where she was cast as Jane. She also just wrapped up filming for “The Runaways” as wild-child Cherie Currie and she even recorded a few tracks for the soundtrack!
Dakota insists she gets all of her rebellion out through movies because she enjoys having a normal life off-screen.
According to her cover for December’s issue of Teen Vogue, Fanning completely avoided the “awkward teenage stage” and instead glided smoothly right from compelling child-actress into edgy glamour icon and top Hollywood actress!
