Are Teen Stars Selling Themselves Short?
Feature Editors:
Nathalie Sanon, 17 (left)
Jessica Welch, 17 (right)
Massachusetts
Nathalie and Jessica think teen stars are being exploited b-cuz…
When Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera burst onto the music scene as young teens, they had a sexy and playful image. No longer teens, they both have gone through quite a metamorphosis into adult entertainers. But look around and you will see a whole new crop of teen artists who are being sold with oversexualized images on their CD covers and videos—artists like Ciara, Brooke Hogan, and Lindsay Lohan.
 Every time you open a magazine or purchase a CD, the half-naked images and raw, sexual poses are inescapable. We think that women should be comfortable with their sexuality and should be free to express themselves, but this is different because these stars aren't even adults—they're teens.
All these teen stars are beautiful, but what messages are these artists sending young females about what they should look like and how they should portray their own sexuality? Some of these images are basically teen porn. Idolized by millions of female fans, why do they feel they have to sell their sexuality to sell their music?
Who's listening to the music?
 Remember the cover for Ciara's first CD, Goodies, when she was 18-years-old? The R&B singer appeared wearing a jacket that barely covered her breasts. Her stomach was completely exposed and her hands were placed on her crotch. Although she sings about not letting anyone touch her "goodies," they sure do seem to be on display on her CD cover.
Lindsay Lohan is 20 now, but she was only 17 when she posed half-naked for the cover of Entertainment Weekly. Wearing only sheer, black stockings she sat so that her crossed legs would hide her nude top. The caption read: "Lindsay Lohan opens up on fame, family and those nasty rumors," but the only thing she appeared to be opening up about in this photo was her teenage body. She's gone from the innocent, lovable, girl-next-door to a sex kitten wearing next to nothing.
 Brooke Hogan is only 18 but you wouldn't know it by the outfit she's wearing on her debut CD, Undiscovered. With short shorts and a halter top, Brooke stands on her stiletto heals thrusting her chest forward and arching her back. If she was so proud of her talent, would she have to use her body to catch your attention?
Sex doesn't always sell: it's all about the music for these artists!
Joss Stone, 19; JoJo, 16; and Paula DeAnda, 17 are examples of successful teens that don't use their sexuality to sell their CDs. They choose not to overexpose themselves on their CD covers and in their videos. The focus is on their musical talent, not their bodies. R&B singer JoJo probably put it best when she said, "If you show a lot of skin when you're 13, when you're older, when you're 16 or 21, what do you have left to show?"
Though Raven Symone is now 21, she's been in the TV and music business since she was very young; but amazingly her clothing has stayed on. Raven's fans are young kids and teens who watch her show on the Disney Channel, kids who look up to her as a role model. Raven proves that you can be a beautiful and talented teen without being half-naked.
Did You Know?
- A 1996 study found that teen girls who spend more time watching soaps, movies, and music videos are unhappier with their bodies and have a greater desire to be thin, compared to teens who watch less television and movies.
- After either being shown a Britney Spears music video or a clip from the TV show Friends, a group of 10-year-old girls and boys reported feeling dissatisfied with their own bodies.
- Just a few years after televisions started appearing in households in Fiji, a country in the South Pacific, the number of eating disorders among Fijian girls jumped. In 1995, when televisions were first introduced, 3 percent of girls reported throwing up on purpose to control their weight. Fifteen percent of girls admitted to doing this in 1998. Some of the most popular American shows in Fiji are Melrose Place, Beverly Hills 90210, and Xena, Warrior Princess.
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