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My Ex-Teen Icon MAG
The other day I was walking down the aisle of my neighborhood Super Walmart, desperately scanning the shelves for Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds. To my dismay and shock, there were none. I turned to leave when suddenly I came face to face with my mortal enemy: Hannah Montana. There she was, staring into space as though a crisp hundred dollar bill was dangling from a fishing pole before her.
“Hannah Montana cereal,” I muttered, cursing Disney. But I suppose I should have known better. Did I honestly expect Disney not to cash in on every opportunity to plaster Miley Cyrus's face onto products? It was as if Disney had been shipping off Hannah Montana stickers to every manufacturer with the note, “Use these at your discretion; they'll make anything sell.” Because why wouldn't I want to buy a product if a chick in a wig is telling me to?
I was a sixth grader when the Hannah Montana phenomenon landed on our planet. My friends and I became obsessed with the show, to the point that we made our own music videos and memorized the title of every episode. When I was in seventh grade, this success grabbed the attention of those out of range of Disney Channel's hypnotron, and Miley Cyrus slowly but surely approached the teen audience, eager and cautious.
It was fine, it was all fine. No one expected her to stay young forever, she had a career to worry about and pressure to be cool among her own peers. But as the reports of tasteless photos appeared, I stopped staring with a blind eye. Who was this girl I looked up to? I was the same age this “role model” was when she started running off the track, and I had never done anything remotely like that.
So now, whenever I walk into a store, I feel betrayed by my ex-teen icon. Her very image screams “Look at me! I may act trashy and dim, but as long as I'm not caught pulling a Winona Ryder, Disney will continue paying me a gazillion bucks!” I wish I could say to her, “Be a role model or stop putting on that wig to reap all the benefits.”
I'm not as cynical as I seem though. I hope Miley takes the right path. I hope she doesn't become the next Britney. Or Lindsay. Or Jamie Lynn. But everyone grows up, and odds are that if they come from Disney, they end up in Vegas. And I don't appreciate Miley trying to persuade me to buy her bicycle.
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This article has 208 comments.
I love the last line :)
I can relate to this, although i was too old to be captured by Hanah Montana, my phase was lizzie mcguire. I was obsessed lol.
Something people should know about the disney channel is that it is made to help kids achieve careers in singing and acting. So when hanah turns into Miley and the show ends, or lizzie, or raven, or whoever, Disney is succeeding. That is the point. My dad explained it to me after the lizzie show ended and I was furious lol.
Anyways. Good work!
You did a great job with this! I happen to agree completely. I used to like Hannah/Miley as well.
Keep on writing! You've definitly got something :)
Selena never got into an argument with Demi. She hasn't even spoken to her since she went on tour. And she hasn't spoken to her at rehab because she's requested isolation from everyone but her family.
And Demi shouldn't be given grief. This is something she's been dealing with for years. It's not like she's on drugs or drinking or anything. She's bulemic and has been fighting it since jr. high. The fact that she chose to go into rehab shows that she understands that she has a problem and wants to be a good role model by getting it taken care of.
I hope she gets better soon! I'll die without SWAC! lol
The work I have pasted here is simply my own thoughts after having come across a cereal box endorsed by Hannah Montana.
Enjoy!