This paper was written for a college "Writing About Pop Culture" class, where I recieved on the of the highest grades -- & I really enjoyed writing it.
“Child Stars - Where Are They Now?” is not an uncommon headline to see online. American culture is obsessed with celebrities and they’re even more obsessed with their child stars. But unfortunately, childhood stardom has an extremely dark side. Former child stars are picked apart by their ‘fans’ online and in tabloids for acting out - after years of praise. This strange transition isn’t unique to today, where social media is popular. Child stars from every era have been bombarded regardless. Judy Garland, who was a child star back in the 1930’s, is one sad example. Garland had been addicted to drugs since she was 15 and died of an overdose at age 47. However, it wasn’t her peers that introduced her to drugs - it was her mother and the studio she worked for that forced her to take drugs to stay slim. Garland was also no stranger to being groped at work and was married a total of five times before her death (Bertrum, Keroski). Things haven’t gotten better with time for child stars, with more recent examples such as Lindsey Lohan, Drew Barrymore, and Britney Spears. While celebrity status is something that many hope to achieve, fame, the social pressure to be perfect that comes with it, as well as the exposure to dangerous situations because of it, has negative effects on the mental health of adolescent girls. Many struggle to develop into healthy adults. However, strong parental support and systematic changes can help increase the chance that they develop normally and are able to navigate the struggles that fame brings.
You could argue that famous adolescent girls aren’t the only ones who struggle with these issues - and that they aren’t any different from regular girls. Unfortunately, it is true that girls (and boys) at any social status are at risk of being exposed to harmful substances, sex, and and turning to negative coping mechanisms. The famous line from Ariana Grande’s song, ‘7 Rings,’ emulates how many fans feel about celebrities: “Whoever said money can't solve your problems / Must not have had enough money to solve 'em” (Ariana Grande). Other people feel that while celebrities may have problems, they are easily fixable because they are wealthy and so their situation isn’t as bad as it’s made out to be. Comments on social media show how the general population feels about the social elite, with one post saying “This faux humbleness and artificial self-awareness is truly vomit-inducing, isn’t it… It’s all me-me-me I-I-I.” (@philipkiszely). The comments section of this post was filled with other people agreeing. For child stars, money can’t solve the substance abuse, the rampant sexual assault, or the constant scrutiny from the media that plagues them. These problems are not unique to children in lower classes like many would like to believe. In fact, a lot of these child stars don’t have all the money they earn because many of their parents use it for themselves or it is put away in accounts that will only be unlocked once the child is an adult. There are ways to protect child stars and prevent these issues from continuing to happen but only if action is taken.
Being famous puts young girls in a position where they are more likely to be exposed to sex at a young age. Sex, and references to it, are not uncommon in movies and shows today - even if there’s children involved. Many former child actresses have also reported being sexually exploited. Demi Levato was raped when she was 15 years old while working for Disney and nothing was done about this horrible event (Bloodworth). Mara Wilson found herself on a foot fetish site while googling herself when she was in seventh grade (Wilson). Before Natalie Portman turned 18, a radio station had a countdown until Portman was ‘legal’ (Nestel). Children in the public eye aren’t safe from being on porn sites and they’re not always safe from the people they work for. A survey found that “one in four girls … will be sexually abused before they turn 18 years old” and another survey found that “rape is the most under-reported crime. Only 12% of child sexual abuse is reported to the authorities” (“Statistics About Sexual Violence”). Based on my research, I don’t think there’s any reason to separate child actresses from that statistic. Drew Barrymore was taken to Studio 54 (a club known for its rampant drug use and sexual activity) when she was nine years old and was ‘encouraged to dance with young men’ by her mother (Barrymore). As a toddler, Shirley Temple was in a show that sexualized her and the rest of the toddler cast. She later spoke on this, calling it, “a cynical exploitation of our childish innocence” (qtd. in Kuroski). As children, these girls don’t have control over what they’re exposed to or what situations they’re put in. They haven’t yet developed enough to process what's happening. People who are sexually abused face physical and mental health challenges such as PTSD, which can cause them to act appear ‘crazy’ to outsiders (Basile et al.). I argue that unhealthy introduction to sex at a young age, whether it’s violent or casual, negatively affects the mental health of child stars, causing them to act out when they don’t know how process what they’ve experienced. I urge leaders of the entertainment industry to set up systems and regulations to prevent this from happening.
These girls are also expected to work as much as adults in Hollywood. Child labor laws do exist and are able to protect a lot of children, but unfortunately these laws have loopholes when it comes to acting and other forms of entertainment. Alyson Stoner brought to light the fact that 17 states don’t even have rules in place for child entertainers. She believes it is a broken system that will keep yielding the same results if not changed and urges more regulations to be put into place(“The Toddler-to-Trainwreck Industrial Complex”). I agree with Stoner that the stress of overworking them has negative mental effects on child entertainers and want to emphasize that they deserve protection just as any other child laborer does. Child stars also tend to fall behind in school in order to keep up with the work schedules required to produce shows, movies, and commercials. Mara Wilson and Hilary Duff both reported being pulled out of school by their parents and homeschooled so that they could keep up academically (Wilson, Duff). School is where a lot of children learn how to socialize and by taking many child stars out of school changes the ways they’re able to interact with others their own age. A fellow actress and friend of Shirley Temple, Marily Granas, said “I do feel sorry for Shirley because her childhood was so unnatural. She didn’t get to go to public school. She didn’t have a lot of friends or get to do kid things, like ride bikes. On the set, it was exclusively the two of us. We never played with other kids.” (qtd. in Kuroski). Child stars don’t have the opportunity to be normal kids and they don’t get chances to rest. The stress of long working days is unique to child stars and limited social interactions isn’t an issue that other American children have to deal with. Child stars are forced to grow up quicker and doing so causes stress and increases their chances of mental disorders (LeMoult et al., 202). This stress and increased chance of mental disorders can be avoided by limiting the hours they are required to work and by also improving the working conditions. Without these changes being made, child stars are being set up for failure by simply being involved in the industry.
Child stars are also exposed to harmful substances such as drugs and alcohol at a young age, often by their parents or other adults. Drew Barrymore comes from a long line of alcoholics and her mother took her to clubs before she was even 10. Her father was a “violent alcoholic” and her grandfather even “drank himself to death” (Barrymore). On set, the aforementioned Judy Garland and her co-star Mickey Rooney were forced to take harmful drugs that would keep them awake for days so they could film longer. After taking these drugs, the two stars had a difficult time sleeping - so they were given different drugs to help them sleep. While it was the studio they were contracted to that made these teenagers take the drugs, Judy was originally given the drugs by her own mother (Bertrum). These examples have one thing in common - they were exposed to harmful substances by their parents and other adults that they were taught to trust to have their best interest at heart, not their peers like the media often portrays. This breach of trust and abuse of power is inexcusable, and can be prevented. Exposure to drugs and alcohol is a pitiful event that happens to young celebrities that can be avoided and help make these children’s lives more stable.
Unfortunately, this early exposure to drugs and alcohol when they are in their most vulnerable ages can lead many child actresses to turn to substance abuse. They handle the pressure of fame the only way they’ve been taught. Drew Barrymore was “smoking cigarettes [at] age 9, drinking at 11 and smoking marijuana at 12. She began snorting cocaine at 13, and she has attributed this behavior to her sharp rise to fame” (Bloodworth). Instead of receiving help for these problems right away, the attention from their substance abuse is rewarded - which positively reinforces the behavior, even though it can have deadly effects. Barrymore didn’t know any other way to ease the pressure she was feeling from her rise in fame from starring in the movie E.T. and did what her mother had taught her - smoke away her pain. Lindsey Lohan is another example of a child actress who’s introduction to harmful substances spiraled into a life-long addiction. In 2007, her addiction was posted all over the tabloids when Lohan received two DUI’s and was found in possession of cocaine both times. All of this happened when she was 21, barely a legal adult. (“Lindsey Lohan Biography,” Smith et al., 256). I believe that driving under the influence, especially when it harms others (as such in Lohan’s case), should have consequences and that Lohan should be held accountable for her actions. However, I would argue that Lohan turned to alcohol and cocaine because of the pressure from the media, attention she received as a celebrity, and bad parenting. Around the time that Lohan was having problems with the law, her father was busy with his own scandals (“Lindsey Lohan Biography”). This goes back to my point that these young girls haven’t been taught healthy coping mechanisms and cannot be entirely blamed. Other examples of former teen stars that went downhill are Amanda Bynes and Britney Spears, who were both put under conservatorship after struggling with mental health and drug use (Bloodworth). If these girls had been taught healthier coping mechanisms and received more help before the problems grew larger, I believe their stories would be very different and more positive. Studies show that harmful substances such as drugs and alcohol stunt growth and development (Gray and Squeglia). After being exposed to these harmful substances in such formative years, physically altering their brains, it is no surprise that these girls have gone on to behave even more erratically. Their brains haven’t been able to develop healthily. Child stars need to be protected from early exposure in the first place so that they can avoid making life-changing alterations before they can fully comprehend what they’re doing.
Another thing child stars do to cope is turn to self-harm. This includes substance abuse, but is also shows up in other ways - such as isolation, eating disorders, cutting, and suicide attempts. Even former child stars who appear to have made it out ‘okay’ have had experiences with this. Hilary Duff mentioned that she had a bad relationship with food when she was playing the role of Lizzie McGuire (Duff). Lindsey Lohan was rumored to have bulimia, which is an eating disorder where one purges food after they eat to stay slim (“Lindsey Lohan Biography”). Drew Barrymore cut herself and attempted suicide, which resulted in her being institutionalized. Alyson Stoner checked herself into rehab for an eating disorder (“The Toddler-to-Trainwreck Industrial Complex”). Demi Levato has been in and out of rehab as well (Bloodworth). These examples are only what has been made public and only show a small sample size. There is surely more that has not been shared. Turning to self harm is extremely destructive and can have life-changing effects. Psychologist, Wanda Bhrens-Horrell, wrote that substance abuse and self-harm are a cry for help and a sign of bigger issues (Bhrens-Horrell). A common theme in the media is to criticize celebrities for going in and out rehab, but this criticism is more harmful than helpful. A lot of child stars start harming themselves because they don’t know what else to do to handle their stress and this negative media attention can cause them to feel even worse, continuing into a deadly spiral. Going to rehab is something that should be encouraged and met with positive feedback. In a society where the trend is to promote mental health, the same support should be offered to females who are in the spotlight, instead of the hate and mockery that they are met with by the public. Another solution that would be to treat the problem at its heart so these young girls don’t have to go to rehab at all. Stoner also suggested that preventative care needs to be put in place instead of relying on after care (“The Toddler to Trainwreck Complex”). This is easier said than done but action needs to be taken instead of waiting for someone else to fix it.
Everyone goes through puberty - however, child stars have to listen to the media picking them apart for all the things they feel insecure about. Imagine you’re an actress and you see a small rack of magazines with articles that have pictures of you. However, they’re photos that you didn’t know were taken and that were photoshopped to make you larger - and they’re pointing out your body size and speculating why you’ve ‘let yourself go’. For child celebrities, things like this can be a common reality. Mara Wilson wrote “Most of you reading this felt pretty disgusting and useless while you were going through puberty. But imagine that people you once relied on and trusted – as well as millions of people you’d never met, who had previously liked you – had told you then, ‘Yeah, it’s true. You are exactly as ugly and worthless as you feel’” (Wilson). Tabloids, online articles, and even Instagram pages report on every detail of celebrities’ lives that they can find. Gossip, rumors, relationship problems, mental issues, fights, all of it is used to sell more magazines, clickbait more online viewers - all at the expense of the celebrity. Mara Wilson recounted the story of a time when she was 7 and an interviewer asked her about a co-star who had been accused of sexual crimes. Wilson’s father tried to talk to the station and tell them that it was inappropriate for them to ask his daughter about that topic, since she was too young to understand it. The station replied that they said they would ask whatever they felt like asking (Wilson). Some people may argue that celebrities are paid to be in the spotlight and free speech allows the general population to gossip and share opinions they have on the stars’ lives. I believe that child celebrities should receive a special kind of protection from the public eye since they are not fully in control of every situation they are put in and that what’s shared of them is more limited until they can fully consent.
Besides being scrutinized by the media for everything that is going wrong, the flip side is that some stars feel that they are trapped in this false, perfect narrative. Hilary Duff felt this pressure while she was playing Lizzie McGuire. She recounts how she was considered the perfect role model for young girls as she was “not as goody-goody or bookish as Rory from Gilmore Girls but more accessible and down-to-earth than Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera.” Duff felt a lot of pressure and hated being photographed all the time and was ready for new Disney shows and stars to take over her spotlight (Duff). This example shows that while some may consider that any publicity is good publicity, child stars seem to have negative results from both positive and negative attention from the media. Too much attention is the problem, not whether it’s good or bad. This publicity also doesn’t end once the child grows up. Britney Spears’ conservatorship recently ended and a recent documentary on her came out. Now 40 years old, Spears “called out the makers as being ‘so hypocritical… They criticize the media and then do the same thing… Why highlight the most negative and traumatizing times in my life from forever ago ????’” (qtd. in Bloodworth). The media won’t give these girls a break and continually dig up dirt and bring up past problems, which is not fair to the stars who want to move on with their lives.
Besides more rules being put in place to protect child entertainers, another solution of great impact is improvement with child-parent relationships. There are two main types of parents that I’ve found in my research. The first is parents that are abusive to some degree; they are unavailable, physically or mentally abusive, or use their children for their own gains. In a study done by Dana L. Haynie, she found that healthy parent-child relationships affect the extent of a girl’s likeliness to be more rebellious, and that parent involvement is crucial in the development of adolescent girls (Haynie, 389). The fame and riches that these families acquire from the child celebrities bring a unique set of challenges and I believe that most parents of child celebrities don’t know how to help their children navigate fame or how to protect them from potential harm that comes with it. The experience of fame, which is new for the child, is often confusing and new for the parent as well. Alyson Stoner told of how her mom didn’t know how to help her with the stress of auditioning and switching between roles and instead didn’t really reach out at all (“The Toddler-to-Trainwreck Industrial Complex”). Lindsey Lohan’s mother was abused by her husband, which she believes was a big factor causing Lindsey 's struggles too. (Bloodworth). Like mentioned before, Drew Barrymore and Judy Garland’s mothers encouraged and even forced drug use (Barrymore, Bertrum). Another example of how bad parenting contributes to a child star’s struggles is Britney Spears and her father. Britney was put under conservatorship while experiencing some mental health issues. She was no longer a teenager, but a young adult, and was dealing with problems that had followed her from adolescence. Her conservatorship was controversial though, and it later came out that during the 13 years that she was under it, her father stole 6 million dollars from her (Da Silva and Dasrath). A father who steals millions of dollars from his daughter does not have her best interest at heart. Parents of child stars who abuse and use their children need to stop, and they need to be held more accountable. I suggest better laws being put in place to protect children from their abusive parents.
When child celebrities turn out ‘ok’ as adults, it is almost always attributed to the parents' involvement, which supports my argument for laws and regulations to be put in place to protect child stars from those who don’t have their best interests at heart.. Hilary Duff talked about how grateful she was for her parents - they worked hard to keep her level headed and put all the money she earned in a savings account (Duff). A lot of other parent’s of child stars steal their money, which was the case with Drew Barrymore (Barrymore). A resource or program to help keep parents of child celebrities accountable would make an enormous impact on these children’s futures. A need for a resource like this is only growing. The celebrities we mentioned thus far became famous when they were younger through outlets such as TV shows or movies. Today, there are more child celebrities than ever, having become famous through platforms like Tik Tok, YouTube, Instagram, and the still ever increasing amount of shows and movies. If changes are not made, in 15 years or so, we will read about the child celebrities of today experiencing the same struggles as Drew Barrymore, Lindsay Lohan, Hillary Duff, Judy Garland, and all of the other women who grew up too fast without essential guidance to traverse the new world of extreme popularity.
Fame is perceived as a very desirable and a sign of success, but unfortunately, those who reached stardom as a child have faced many roadblocks when it comes to developing into healthy adults. Fans may think that fame is equivalent to great wealth and that their problems are irrelevant. However, child actresses and stars don’t always have access to their money, they are working in a broken system, and must face whatever the media throws at them. These patterns, however, don’t need to keep being repeated. With laws and policies put in place to protect these children, they can have safer childhoods without having to get rid of child stars all together. Parents have a big responsibility in protecting their children, whether their kids are famous or not, and need to step up to the responsibility. Hollywood executives and the industry need to be held accountable. Celebrities aren’t anything without their fans and make up for a small percent of the population, but we need to join together to help get laws in place to protect children and get them away from people who are using and abusing them. As fans, we can also choose to respect the privacy of stars and not support platforms that are exploiting female child stars’ problems for views and money.
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