How Teens Are Influenced By Celebrities
A fifteen-year-old girl, Kelly looks herself in the mirror, trying to compare herself with some celebrity that appears on the screen. She examines her facial expressions and her figure closely trying to resemble that Hollywood actress who is quite famous. She shops for that kind of similar dresses and also successfully gets a hair cut done like the celebrity.
But have we ever wondered why she is comparing or wanting to become a celebrity? The answer is simple because Celebrities influence teens. Needless to mention, many teenagers look up to these popular beauties as their role models and aspire to become one. The glamorous world is attractive not only to teens but also to the youth. .Most of them step into the world through the social media sites - Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and follows them. Teenagers watch these celebrities be Bold and Beautiful, wealthy and ambitious, career orientated and highly successful. And what attracts the most is easy money. So they too wish to enjoy such glamorous life as they are much fascinated by the kind of lifestyle these celebrities live. They see them everywhere from televisions to silver screens, on social media sites, news and also on posters and in various advertisements.
Teenagers often engage with abstract thinking rather than having a rational mind as they are easily attracted to the things which are alluring, glittering and charming to them. After the age of twelve, teens mind and body go through a dramatic change. Their height increases, experiences slight curves in their bodies, change their facial features and become aware of their sexuality. Maturity comes in the later age of development, their field of interest changes and so is driven by their curiosity after the glamour world. Teens undergo peer pressure and stress in schools and at homes, so the only most appealing activity is watching movies, televisions and being on social media sites where they spend most of their time. They easily slip into the world of glamour where celebrity and their lives are showcased in a most extravagant ways and thus are driven by the celebrity culture to imitate them. Teens often feel dissatisfied with their own way of life and aspire for a comfortable live as a life of the celebrity.
Teens often pay more attention to celebrities than their parents because to American teens celebrities have a perfect life and are very entertaining. For instance, teens follow the fashion and attitude of many celebrities assuming that the celebrities are always right. They listen to the celebrities advertisements and also buy products recommended by them. Moreover, there are certainly some role models for the teens among the celebrities, but there are also who put negative influence on them.
As a successful man says, 'People envy me for seeing me reach this great height, but nobody sees the bruises on my feet to scale this height'. In other words, every celebrity is first a successful person. Be it a baseball star, Hollywood star, or soccer. To be in the elite club of few of those who catches the eyeballs of rest of the world, one has to beat the others in the race. Teens aspire from the difficulties of that path which leads to the top. It brings a positive aspect or outlook - If Tiger Woods practices his shots 10 hours a day, so I to be like Tiger Woods will follow the same. Hence a sense of hard works follows in Tiger Woods's fan followings.
But fan following has a negative impact. What the celebs do on the silver screen like verbal abuse, acts of violence, drinking, smoking, etc., the receptive minds of young teens catch them and try to portray them in real life. Most of the Americans are working couples. They follow less what their kids do at home with full access to internet, magazines and television. Hence there are maximum tendency to ape the wrong, makes our teens vulnerable. Also, any celebs get involves into any controversies such as abusing the media, drugs, sex, etc. brings them into the spotlight and more attention. Teens think this as success and try to ape the same in their social circle or discuss the glam around it.
Peer social pressure is immense on American kids. With technological advancements, the Internet is like an ocean of knowledge. Anybody at any time can Google out the brands their adoring idols wear. No matter how costly it is parents are pressurised to bear the cost of the same brand so that they can show themselves off in his social circle. This has a cascading effect. His friends will to try to match the same and pursue their parents to buy one the same for them. Hence the theory of branding is exercised among the general public.
It is a responsibility of celebs to show the role model to the society. But everybody is driven by their facts and compulsions. It is none of the somebody's business if the director signs a protagonist to play some negative roles such as drinking, smoking or womanising. Then it becomes his job. At the same time, it is none of the somebody's business if some Tennis superstar divorces his wife and marries another lady. Parenting should come to strong that teaches the child how to chaff the good from the bad practices. Such parenting will make American teens more intelligent and help them to take correct decisions ahead in life.