A Little Girl's Dangerous Dream | Teen Ink

A Little Girl's Dangerous Dream

February 14, 2010
By Hollywog. PLATINUM, Mole Creek, Other
Hollywog. PLATINUM, Mole Creek, Other
21 articles 23 photos 65 comments

Favorite Quote:
It&#039;s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all..<br /> <br /> An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind - Ghandi


You and I are at an age where we can tell right from wrong, good from bad, classy from trashy. We are at an age when we know to love the things we have. But even we, more than once, have compared ourselves to a certain celebrity, wanting to be as thin/rich/attractive/talented as him or her. And the celebrities we look to for our daily dose of envy are, nine times out of ten, the wrong people to be comparing ourselves to.
You know who I’m talking about - the Paris Hiltons of this world. Lindsay Lohan, Nicole Richie, Britney Spears, Pamela Anderson. They’re all gorgeous, rich, skinny... what’s not to be jealous of?
For one thing, they have a tragic social status - Exhibit a: Britney Spears’, and Paris Hilton’s knicker-less jaunt. Exhibit b: Kate Moss’s cocaine photos. And Exhibit c: raunchy celebrity sex tapes.
They are also stick thin - on the outside that might look mighty desirable, but they are way too skinny. They have personal trainers with them 24/7, and stick to a very strict diet - imagine not being able to eat chocolate! The girls we usually look up to are thin in the extreme. Un-Photoshopped photos of them reveal sunken cheeks, jutting elbows and visible ribs. These are not the sorts of things you find attractive, are they?
The songs they sing are catchy, but dirty - If You Seek Amy? Try singing that, and listen to what it really sounds like. Not the sort of thing you’d want to be caught singing in front of your parents.
The short and short of this is that these girls are not role models.
But the people really at risk are the younger age group - toddler to about ten years old. They are too young to understand what’s right and what’s not when it comes to role models - and is it any surprise? They’re surrounded by dolls in promiscuous clothing and with perfect curves and big breasts. Bratz, Barbies: they’re all targeted at that age group, but think about what these girls are learning from dressing that doll up in that skimpy bikini, and that one in that miniskirt and belly-button-showing singlet.
Even Dora the Explorer - y’know, that cute little chubby girl with skew-whiff hair and casual clothes, not afraid to get her hands dirty, always having fun and making the most of everything? Hands up if you’ve seen the ‘new and improved’ Dora. Skinny, tan, long flowing perfectly brushed hair... to be honest, this is pathetic. The one cartoon promoting how little girls should be (fun; happy; not worried about hair, clothes and makeup; slightly mischievous), has now been made into a Bratz doll lookalike ‘to keep up with the changing times’. Changing times is not going to make little girls looking like teenagers okay.
Also, when these girls watch MTV, or some other music show, what do they see? Eighty percent of girls on these shows are dancing suggestively in bikinis, draping themselves on men, all perfectly toned and attractive.
I tell you what. These girls are going to have a pretty twisted view of what they’re supposed to act and look like.
I guess my point here is that we are the ones in control over what our little brothers, sisters, cousins, friends, whatever, are seeing and learning. We need to set a realistic example and teach them to be little kids instead of little adults.
We are also in charge of ourselves. We are all beautiful, no matter how cliche that sounds. It’s time we really remembered and realised that. It’s fine to wish you looked like your favourite celebrity once in a while, but remember to set realistic goals as well.
There are actually some beautiful celebrities out there promoting a positive attitude and a realistic body image. These celebrities include Jordin Sparks, Kelly Clarkson, Beyonce, Hayley Williams, Jessica Mauboy and Pink. These girls are awesome role models for girls - they’re confident, curvy and have killer personalities.
To sum it all up, believe in yourself, love yourself and make sure the little kids you know stay like little kids for as long as possible. It’s the way it should be.



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This article has 8 comments.


gaga-fan28 said...
on Dec. 29 2010 at 8:26 pm
Right, so if you want to waste your time criticizing the moral actions of people you don't know, go ahead, but if they do something wrong, that's what the law is for. Ta-da, problem solved. Now if they do something that you think is morally wrong, disgusting, unethical, bad example, etc etc, put down People magazine and move on.

on Dec. 27 2010 at 6:08 pm
maggierebekah BRONZE, Woodstock, Illinois
3 articles 1 photo 21 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;i think there is no world without theatre.&quot;

"I'm kind of tired of all of these article about how celebrtities aren't sticking to a certain moral code. They're celebrities: who would exprect them to in the first place?"

uhm, i would. being a celebrity does not, under any circumstances, give you the right or excuses you to act however you want. celebrities deserve and need to be held accountable to their actions, just like everyone else.


gaga-fan28 said...
on Dec. 25 2010 at 11:57 pm
It's called expressing an opposing opinion, blackalsored. It's the risk someone runs when they post an article.

on Dec. 23 2010 at 9:09 am
UNKNOWN........, Coon Rapids, Minnesota
0 articles 0 photos 20 comments

Favorite Quote:
the only thing we have to fear is fear itself... and spiders

If your so tired of articles like this, (youleftmespeechless), then why are you reading it and posting comments on it? I thought it was right to the point!

on Sep. 26 2010 at 1:13 am
I appreciate this article and that you're writing about something you feel passionate about, but in all honestly, I'm kind of tired of all of these article about how celebrtities aren't sticking to a certain moral code. They're celebrities: who would exprect them to in the first place? It also bothered me when you talked about their weight. Yes, many celebrities have gone through eating disorders, but just saying that they're "way too skinny" and "stick to a strict diet" is too generalized. You can look skinny and still be healthy, and that doesn't make you any less of a great person than someone who's curvy. I hate that a "realistic body image" can't include size 2 celebrities. I know plenty of size 2's, what's so unrealistic about them? Are they not as smart or compassionate? Isn't the point to not judge based on body image? If we pick and choose good celebrities by their size, isn't that sending a message to these gullible little kids that certain body weights are okay while others are not, when in reality body weight has nothing to do with making good choices in life?

on Jun. 8 2010 at 5:48 pm
magic-esi PLATINUM, Hyde Park, New York
27 articles 0 photos 231 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.&quot; <br /> &quot;Happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, if only one remembers to turn on the light.&quot;

The writing was a little repetitive at the beginning, but other than that the writing was great. And besides that, the more important part- the point you were trying to make- was important and excellently explained. I didn't even know about Dora! That's really horrible! This is a really true article and it's sad that most people don't share this opinion.

on Feb. 18 2010 at 9:10 pm
wixchick BRONZE, Marion, Indiana
2 articles 0 photos 11 comments
i looked up the new Dora doll immediately and was outraged. The little girl I babysit loves Dora and would do anything to be just like her, this bobble-head looking version is not helping anything. In fact I thought Dora was supposed to help teach Spanish, not sell sex .

Tay-tay said...
on Feb. 16 2010 at 4:54 pm
Wow holly its awsome even if it was just your (short) opion i loved it, But then again i love everything you write your really good at it and if you don't become an actor writting will shine through x ily girl wish you all the best.(= xx