Rubbing my hands together for warmth as I walked through the masses on the sidewalk, I saw them. A long line, perhaps twenty or so people, huddled against the side of the building and shivering in the cool air of the changing seasons. As I got closer, I noticed something else. Each cluster of people had children with them – some accompanied by huge caravan-like strollers as if they were a part of some mass exodus from New Jersey. Now maybe it was because I was a little piece of Texas on the sidewalk of New York City, but I was surprised to see people standing outside with their kids in the uncomfortably chilly shadows of a GAP building. Some of those kids couldn’t even walk and were nestled in blankets, pacifiers in mouth. My eyes swept past them to the head of the line, and then I understood.
Behind the glass doors of GAP Kids was a huge sign that read, “Casting Call for GAP and Disney Channel”. In smaller print was something about your kid could be the next big thing…”Of course.
My immediate impulse was to go up to those “parents” and shake them. They were standing in the cold, waiting in line for the minute chance that their kid could be the next big thing and bring in all the benefits of child stardom. The appeal of subjecting your kid to be critiqued still remains a mystery to me, but I’m sure it’s worth risking a kid’s well-being. I resisted my urge to challenge them, however, and merely muttered “stage parents” to my friend as we crossed the street.
The next big thing? It seems to me that everywhere I turn I run into the newest child actor-singer-model who just can’t wait to come out with a clothing line and fragrance – anyone else seen Miley Cyrus’s clothing line gracing the aisles of Walmart? Even more recently, there’s the plague of parents using their children as spotlight-magnets by any means necessary, whether it be from shoving them into a closet or pasting false eyelashes on miniature beauty queens. Lovely.
What happened to children (and their parents, for that matter) having the aspirations of exploring space or becoming president or a doctor? I know my generation came to Career Day dressed as something other than a pop star. Have the children lost the sense of achievement through actual talent? As my two younger siblings go through grade school, they are often asked what they want to be when they grow up. The immediate answer used to be archeologist for my ten-year-old sister and writer for my nine-year-old brother. Now the answer ranges from Disney Channel star to becoming a famous something.
Do kids really want to become famous? Or is it the oversaturation of celebrity culture that has them chomping at the bit to jump in front of a camera? Kirsten Scharnberg, in her article for the Chicago Tribune, compares celebrity worship today to that of the David Cassidy days in the 1970s. According to her article, Cassidy was the big heartthrob that the kids of that by-gone generation idolized. What makes tweens drooling over Cassidy so different from those salivating over Zac Efron? For one, Cassidy’s show was on once a week. Zac Efron’s face might as well replace Mickey Mouse’s when it comes to recognition.
Kids today not only see these young stars constantly, but they also see them being rewarded for simply being famous. As Darrel M. West says in Celebrity Culture in America, celebrities are sought out more often than professionals to get their opinion on issues. Indeed, even politics has elbowed its way into the limelight, with some people – sometimes celebrities themselves - being elected for their entertainment value rather than actual substance (sorry, Governator – love your movies though). How are kids supposed to grow up with the sense of what real achievement means if they are constantly bombarded with images of slick, smiling reality television stars?
Although kids themselves bear some of the blame for an unmotivated, attention-hungry generation, we should not turn a blind eye to the culprits often lurking behind the scenes, telling them that they are celebrities-in-training: the parents. These parents – so many undeserving of the title – are sitting in the background, prodding their offspring into the attic or filling their womb with enough potential meal tickets in order to live the new American dream: getting money for doing close to nothing. They not only thrust their children into the rough world of the entertainment industry, but they make it seem like the most desirable and worthwhile occupation (ahem, Dina Lohan). The parents themselves believe in it enough that they are even willing to risk the well-being of their children to hitch a ride on the fame wagon themselves.
Take Nadya Suleman (Octomom to the rest of the world). The single mother already had six children and was having to live with her parents in a modest three bedroom house. She was also living off of a settlement from a back injury from her previous job. Why a woman would want to bring any more children into such a strained situation, I’ll never know. Although she claimed she only wanted one more girl, she had her shady doctor plant as many embryos as possible and sat back to watch her belly and pseudo-fame swell to gigantic proportions. In my opinion, she can have her “I just love children” bit on re-loop for as many talk shows as she can fit in between diaper changes – all I see is someone who created a meal ticket farm. In fact,New York Daily Newsreported that she was offered a reality TV show in May 2009.
And the situation gets worse. The latest rumor, according to the Chicago Tribune, is that Suleman and Jon Gosselin from the other absurd reality show, Jon and Kate Plus 8, are set to date on a show of their own. Where does the madness end? Suddenly I’m supposed to care if two irresponsible reality show “stars” are dating? These people aren’t talented. They’re just really good at having kids. This idea of exploiting kids isn’t old, but it is catching on quickly and sailing past the point of ridiculous in a silver balloon.
I cringe when I think of all the news time that could have been dedicated to stories of substance rather than chasing down a little boy whose parents put him up to hiding “for the show.” I also shudder when I think how the Heene family thought it was perfectly acceptable to lead the public on a wild goose chase in the hopes of landing a TV deal and a show about their “special” family. Though I suppose I shouldn’t be too surprised given the rate at which the networks are handing out deals to what sells. The biggest trend seems to be bad parenting and a camera crew, following in the footsteps of the Gosselin family. Now, more than ever, there are ample chances for fame-hungry breeders to sign themselves and their kids up on such websites as TLC.com. As if it weren’t bad enough that the parents are actively seeking the limelight; networks gladly provide them the outlet they want so desperately.
In fact, TLC’s biggest hit of late involves the ultimate exploitation of little darlings.
Picture this: Fake bakes on a five year old. Gluing false eyelashes onto toddlers. Mothers jamming “flippers” – perfect, straight, fake teeth – into their children’s mouths to cover the awkward gaps in their smiles (getting the theme here?). This is what awaits viewers who tune into Toddlers & Tiaras. The competition is already based on glory-hog mothers toting their little doll-like children across the stage in order to win recognition for how much glitter they can throw at a kid and have it stick. Do those young girls really, really want to be paraded around like that? I argue that they wouldn’t if they were given the choice. Especially with some of the comments the mothers make in the interview sessions.
“If they’re not talking about you then you’re nobody,” one mother explained to the cameras after a segment on her daughter’s excessive smiling and peppiness. I guess one young contestant accomplished that as soon as she started to dance around in her pleather cop suit and do the splits with her bedazzled gun in hand.
“First of all you have to decide – are you gonna play this game?” said another mom on the topic of fake tans for her daughter. “And if you are, you got to be willing to do the things that need to be done.”
Even though it comes from the mouth of a crazy, I think she has a point. We, as viewers, need to decide if we are going to play this bizarre game of capture the fame with the entertainment culture that pervades our airwaves and invades our homes. Everyone wants a chance to play, and often don’t realize what they are bringing upon themselves. Are we going to continue feeding the fire and support semi-celebrities? Are we going to continue making the foundation of a society that will do anything to get in front a camera, even if it means throwing children to the wolves?
If we’re not going to stand for it, then we need to do whatever it takes to stop parents from churning out more children who think that the only real value lies in how many cameras are on you in a given moment.
