Did Pop Idols Destroy Us?

Kathleen Joyce

I was lucky, or unlucky, enough to grow up in a time where female pop stars ruled the world, in fact  pop music ruled the world. Between Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Jessica Simpson, and the Spice Girls, there were so many to choose from. I was more of a Britney Spears fan overall, but was she really the best role model to a young pre-teen girl about to experience puberty?

Pop culture saved me, but killed me at the same time. My mother was all for buying me all the new CDs that came out and having posters of the scantily clad pop stars in my room. I admired the music and I wanted to be just as beautiful as they were.  I knew deep down I would never look like Britney or be as thin as her, but I could imagine it and I did. What if I was that thin and people all over the world adored me and men wanted to date me? Well, I knew I certainly couldn’t dress the way they did since my parents would murder me and I wore a uniform to school everyday. It didn’t stop other girls from showing that they were trying to be sexy. I didn’t have that appeal or the confidence to even give the hint that I had it. I was a wallflower for a long time until I mustered up some confidence and courage. I decided to lose weight and I did lose a lot of it. And you know what, it didn’t make people notice me any more, in fact, I became more invisible because I was thinner.

I gave up on the sexy thing; I didn’t get my “groove” until my twenties. It didn’t take some pop idol to help me with that, it was all on my own. I had to accept myself as a person, decide who I wanted to be and who I really was. Yes, I could be sexy in my own way by not showing any skin, but by body language. I must say I think I’m doing an okay job. However, it doesn’t always work for all women. Many of my friends have slept with more men than I would rather say. But is that because of these pop stars we grew up with as our role models? Not that these girls came from shabby families, but television and pop culture definitely played a part. These depictions showed that girls who opened their legs could get whatever they wanted. The attention is what they wanted, but how long does that last until another girl comes along who is maybe “prettier” or has a “hotter body?”

This culture showed the world that women can be whatever people want us to be. Britney and Christina were young when they started and they were basically whored out by the media. Whatever you wanted from them, you got. Girls liked that these girls basically got popular for being beautiful and wearing scandalous clothing. Sure music was part of it, but not all their songs were hits. Sorry, but they weren’t. Surprisingly, the media has seemed to take hint of this. Pop acts such as Selena Gomez and Victoria Justice have become popular recently and I must say they are much better role models than the ones I had growing up. So to the future parents out there, watch out for who’s going to be popular next.