Price of Fame

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The photo on the left of a former Disney star is highly praised, while the one on the right is scrutinized to the extreme. Calling out sexism is the first step to diminishing it.

            As a culture, we are obsessed with celebrities and famous people. Actors, athletes, reality television stars, and socialites. In retrospect, these people are exactly like us. Celebrity personalities have always been put on a pedestal in every culture around the world. Why do we do this? Seeing someone portray a role on the silver screen or score winning games for your favorite team can have an impact on a person. Non-famous people dream of fame and fortune, but many celebrities do not recommend their lifestyle. However rich or publicized someone is, they too can often fall victim to diseases such as alcoholism or detrimental drug use. They also are subject to scrutiny under the eyes of millions, often billions of people. Celebs such as Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, and Selena Gomez have been overly-criticized, specifically from parents. Coming from Disney Channel fame, these women served as "role-models" for children who watched their shows religiously. Now in their early twenties, these women have shed their Disney-clad skins and developed their own identities. Outraged, parents have called out these former child stars for "corrupting" their children’s' views of them. Can we agree that celebrities are not in charge of raising other people's children to have specific morals and values? These people also ignore male Disney or child stars who have so-called tainted their squeaky-clean reputations, such as the Jonas Brothers. Nick Jonas can pose over half-naked in a magazine spread and is praised for it. But Miley Cyrus does a photoshoot where her back is exposed, and gets criticized and shamed to this day still. We must stop holding celebrities accountable for raising our children and criticizing their personal choices, sexual or not.