What is the influence of celebrities on teens of today?
For many teens, adolescence is a frustrating and disillusioning time in which
they look for role models, both positive and negative, to guide them through
inescapable barriers and life changing decisions. Celebrity role models, often
unaware, have a major influence on teens and so, how exactly do they influence?
According to ‘Ideal to Real’ body image survey1, which is conducted by
collaboration of The Today Show and aol.com, 80 % of girls contrast themselves
with pictures they see of famous people. In addition, among those young women,
practically half said that superstar pictures make them feel disappointed with the
manner in which they look. It shows , that romanticized and over-sexualized
pictures of style models and famous names impact the manner in which teenagers
dress. Thusly, this can be a wellspring of stress or anxiety for young people who
don't have the cash to buy the garments they think they need so as to look great and
fit in. Of course, this negatively affects the fragile minds of young people, who are
forming their sense of self.
Body dissatisfaction is linked to mental health challenges, which leads to
eating disorders. Firstly, it is anorexia. In a national survey of girls age 13 to 17 by
the Girl Scouts Research Institute (2010), nearly half (48%) wished they were as
skinny as the models they saw in fashion magazines. Secondly, it is forming of
unhealthy eating habits. The author of article says that "Celebrities are
encouraging teens to eat food that doesn’t support their physical or mental
development". Author supports his words by research done by department of
population health at New York University School of Medicine.2 According to it,
71% of the promoted drinks by celebrities nominated to KCA3 were sugarsweetened drinks. Also, 81% of the supported nourishments were low in healthy
nutrients.
As a result, we can understand that celebrities influence every aspect of
modern teen starting from what they eat and ending with what they wear. As I said
before, it can have both positive and negative consequences.
1
Brynn Mannino, "TODAY/AOL 'Ideal to Real' Body Image Survey Results," AOL.com, July 15, 2016, , accessed
February 18, 2019, https://www.aol.com/article/2014/02/24/loveyourselfie/20836450/.
2
M. A. Bragg et al., "Popular Music Celebrity Endorsements in Food and Nonalcoholic Beverage
Marketing.," Current Neurology and Neuroscience Reports., July 2016, , accessed February 24, 2019,
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27273712.
3
"Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards," Wikipedia, February 21, 2019, , accessed February 25, 2019,
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickelodeon_Kids'_Choice_Awards.