Popular Celebrity Icons and Teen Role Models

Introduction
The impact celebrities have on youth mentality, behaviors, and thus culture is undeniable. The youth look up to their favorite celebrities as role models – routinely imitating their modes of dressing and lifestyles. However, one thing is certain: the impact that celebrities have on our youth today is both positive and negative. While there are good-natured celebrities out there who influence the youth positively, there are others whose behaviors are largely uncouth and could thus be considered bad influencers. This text concerns itself with popular celebrity icons and the influence they have on teens. In so doing, it will mostly focus on Justin Bieber - one of the youthful modern celebrities who happen to have massive following among the youth.
Discussion
It is important to note that for a certain celebrity to be deemed influential, he ought to have a powerful impact on his or her follower’s perspective of life. Thus, his utterances, behavior, as well as disposition must affect the behavior and attitudes of his or her followers as well. As it has been pointed out in the introductory section, the influence that celebrities have on the youth is undeniable. This we can tell from the fact that it is not uncommon to encounter a young person clad in clothing similar to that of their favorite celebrity or another having their room covered with posters of their celebrity idol. It is also common for the youth to compare their own self to the image portrayed by their celebrity of choice.
A real life example of celebrity influence on teens could be seen in the realm of teen body image. For instance, Granatino and Haytko point out that many young women today embrace the thin idea portrayed by celebrities in the popular media (47). Indeed, “a study of 124 young teens between the ages of 15 and 16 found that many teens were influenced by celebrities and fashion models and expressed a desire to look like them…” (Granatino and Haytko 47). In this case, teens have been known to go to great lengths to match the skinny looks of their favorite icon – especially those celebrities considered to be fashion icons. However, on this end, there are celebrities who have in the past attempted to positively shape the attitudes and behaviors of the youth. Examples of the said celebrities will be highlighted later on in this text.
Some of the celebrities who have a huge following of youngsters on social media include, but they are not limited to, Miley Cyrus, Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Kim Kardishan, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Dwayne Johnson, Kanye West, and Tom Cruise. This list is drawn from celebrities in music, sports entertainment, and film/TV. These celebrities shape not only fashion and trends but also perspectives on life. For instance, when it comes to Miley Cyrus, her impact on young girls over time has been quite significant, with the said young girls out there trying to adopt her fashion sense as well as her spunky and playful look.
In seeking to assess the negative influence that some celebrities have on the youth, it is important to note, from the onset, that when a celebrity posts pictures or videos of himself smoking cigarettes/cigars and drinking alcohol online, he effectively normalizes that kind of behavior. This is a concern supported by various research studies conducted in the past. For instance, in their study on how tobacco use among the youth is influenced by the media, McCool, Freeman, and Tanielu found out that there was general consensus that images of celebrities smoking “could influence very young children to smoke” (67). To teens that idolize such a celebrity, this kind of behavior becomes cool and acceptable – and is thus likely to be copied.
In the past, Justin Bieber has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. From ugly and violent encounters with paparazzi to accusations of battery by a neighbor, to cursing on camera, Bieber has done it all. This is despite the fact that this Canadian superstar has a huge fanatical following of young persons that refer to themselves as ‘beliebers’ in reference to their belief in their Bieber. This huge army of fans follows everything Bieber does online and tends to style and condition their lifestyles to that of their favorite idol. It would, therefore, not be far-fetched to claim that Bieber’s uncouth behavior definitely rubs off on some of his fans. For instance, when Bieber is seen cursing and swearing at paparazzi, this kind of behavior becomes normalized and some youngster at some place in the world is likely to adopt this rude behavior. When Bieber is photographed raving at a club with marijuana and cough syrup that is codeine-spiked, beliebers will likely follow suit as that kind of behavior is now seen as being cool and trendy.
It is important to note that one issue that has not been highlighted well enough in the past is the impact celebrities have on the self-esteem of young people. In a study undertaken by Maltby, McCutcheon, Ashe and Houran (as cited in North, Sheridan, Maltby, and Gillett) it was found that “intense celebrity worship was associated with depression and anxiety” (292). When young people associate with a celebrity’s seemingly flawless body and want to look exactly like their favorite celebrity but are unable to do so, self-esteem issues could emerge – leading to stress and depression. As a matter of fact, there are documented instances of young people developing eating disorders in an attempt to attain that slim figure that is often projected as the ideal body by numerous celebrities as well as fashion and glamour magazines.
It should, however, be noted that as it has been pointed out elsewhere in this text, there are celebrities who have in the past attempted to positively influence the behaviors of the youth by calling out negative trends. Such celebrities are inclusive of Melissa McCarthy, Beyoncé, and Rihanna. In essence, Rihanna has been quoted cautioning the youth against blindly following celebrity trends and behaviors. In one such instance, and in reference to the tendency of young people to embrace the so called ‘thin culture’ the singer is quoted as having said that the young people should not allow themselves to be pressured into the fashion industry’s thin culture. According to Rihanna, the fashion industry was interested in were persons to serve as human mannequins. She further observed that young people ought to be alive to the fact that it is both unhealthy and impossible to maintain some of the body figures portrayed by celebrities in the popular media. Thus, while other celebrities project the wrong body image to teens, celebrities like Rihanna and Mellissa McCarthy advance the agenda that nobody should be ashamed of their bodies. Therefore, while it is good to be lean and healthy, being overweight too is okay and nobody should be stressed out of the fact that they look chubby. These celebrities effectively demonstrate that there is no such thing as a perfect body.
There are also celebrities who show that it is possible to be happy living an ordinary life. Indeed, some like Jennifer Garner are popular for living ‘normal’ people lifestyles and for engaging in ordinary activities. For instance, despite her fame and wealth, Garner has been known to visit mass-market stores to make purchases without the retinue of bodyguards and hangers-on who often accompany celebrities like Justin Bieber. Garner’s lifestyle, and that of her fellow celebrities such as Russell Crowell, sends a positive message to the youth that it is okay to be ordinary and engage in normal-life undertakings. This effectively helps dilute the contrasting message that the likes of Bieber portray – i.e. that you cannot be happy unless your life is full of glamor and glitz.
In the end, it would be wrong to be dismissive of Justin Bieber’s talent and abilities in music. To be fair, Bieber is a talented musician who has demonstrated consistent hard work in the industry. However, this does little to cover his flaws and negative influence to millions of his fans from across the world.
Today, the main/primary purveyor of celebrity influence is the social media. People like Bieber have a huge following on various social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Their utterances and deeds are thus broadcast instantaneously to their fans across the world. The popular media helps in this regard. However, the image often projected on social media is not authentic. As a matter of fact, as Hou observes, “social media celebrity is characterized by staged authenticity, managed connectedness with audience, and the cultural preoccupation with self-sufficient uniqueness” (11). Further, technology has made it possible for information to be stored and retrieved easily. For this reason, simply ‘Googling’ Justin Bieber is likely to bring fourth all kinds of information about this particular celebrity. Unlike at any other point in the past, youngsters today have unlimited access to social media. They are, thus, likely to keep tabs on their favorite celebrities on a regular basis – and be influenced by them.
Conclusion
The relevance of ensuring that the youth have the necessary knowhow on how to properly interpret the influence of celebrities cannot be overstated. This way, the negative impact celebrities like Justin Bieber have on the youth can be diluted. Further, level-headed celebrities should be roped into the campaign to positively influence the youth and nurture their behavior. For instance, celebrities who have struggled with drug abuse could be called upon to document their struggle and demonstrate that it is not ‘cool’ to abuse drugs. The role of the government and its various agencies cannot also be overstated on this front. This is more so the case when it comes to not only censoring offensive material on popular media, but also ensuring that there are effective regulations in place meant to curb celebrity misbehavior.
Works Cited
Granatino, Rachel, and Daniela L. Haytko. “Body Image, Confidence, and Media Influence: A Study of Middle School Adolescents.” The Journal of Applied Business Research, vol. 29 no. 1, 2013, pp. 45-50.
Hou, Mingyi. “Social Media Celebrity and the Institutionalization of YouTube.” Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, vol. 20 no. 10, 2018, pp. 11-20.
McCool, Judith, Becky Freeman, and Helen Tanielu. “Perceived Social and Media Influences on Tobacco Use Among Samoan Youth” BMC Public Health, vol. 14, 2014, pp. 67-72.
North, Adrian, Lorraine Sheridan, John Maltby, and Raphael Gillett. “Attributional Style, Self-Esteem, and Celebrity Worship.” Media Psychology, vol. 9, 2007, pp. 291-308.