A recent Psychology Today survey showed that 31 percent of American teens believe they’ll be famous one day. When Hollis, now eighteen, was a freshman entering New York City’s LaGuardia School of Performing Arts, she envisioned being famous by the end of senior year. “I wanted to be a superstar!” she says.
According to psychologist Karen Zager, Ph.D., coauthor of The Inside Story on Teen Girls (American Psychological Association), spotlight seeking is nothing new; it’s the accessibility that’s changed. “Years ago, girls worshipped stars from afar. Today, they have more intimate access to the celebrity experience through tabloids, the Internet, and T.V. Celebrities’ lives feel much closer to their own.”
And with the explosion of the reality genre, it isn’t as hard to get airtime as it used to be. In many cases, talent-based reality shows end up catapulting undeniably gifted contestants, like singing sensation Carrie Underwood, to insta-stardom.
But what about stars that become famous on documentary, style reality shows, like My Super Sweet 16′s Sophie (she of the over the top Moulin Rouge soiree)? Sophie says she’s regularly mobbed in the mall and admits that her friends tell her, “Omigod, youre a celebrity now!”
In Hollis’s opinion, “You don’t need talent to be famous anymore. The Laguna Beach kids were just living their lives, and now they’re stars. Role models, even.” In fact Lauren Conrad became such a breakout star on Laguna that she landed her own spin-off series, The Hills.
So why do so many girls endeavor to live their lives in front of a lens? “Teens look up to famous people and say, “If she can do it, so can I,” says Zager. In fact, a survey of 653 middle school students by writer Jake Halpern, author of Fame Junkies (Houghton Mifflin), showed that those who watch celebrity, oriented TV are more likely to believe they’ll be stars one day, too.
But what does it take to be famous these days? For many girls, it’s all about online presence. Singing sensation Cassie hit it big after putting her music on MySpace; YouTube’s fictional video blog, Lonelygirl15, landed unknown actress Jessica Rose a spot in a Lindsay Lohan film.
The Internet allows potential superstars to broadcast their talents online to an audience of millions, and these days, the best casting agents, talent scouts, and record company execs are paying attention.
Giselle agrees that these sites “get tons of people talking about you. If youre a performer, you can network with industry people. It’s how people get discovered now.”
The Internet works not only as a launching pad for those with dreams of performing careers, but for regular teens, too, some of who have found fame simply by being themselves. Nineteen-year-old Casey Lewis, a magazine journalism major at University of Missouri, was profiled in Newsweek thanks to the popularity of her fashion-savvy blog, TeenFashionista.
“It’s such a rush knowing that someone across the World could be reading what you write,” says nineteen-year-old Mikael, from New York City, who posts regularly on her own MySpace blog.
In some cases, teens have become cyber-celebrities by uploading videos of them-selves participating in illegal or dangerous acts, like doing drugs or beating up classmates. The problem is, misbehaving online could possibly lead to criminal prosecution (as well as creating a record of bad judgment that future employers can easily find.)
But achieving lasting fame is a lot more complicated than landing a reality show or boasting a million MySpace friends. Victoria Asness, a casting director who has worked with MTV’s Made. Says, “At the end of the day, very few people have the special quality it takes to hold an audience’s attention. Maybe one person out of 400.”
Fourteen-year-old Virginia born Broadway actress Brynn Williams agrees that showbiz is cutthroat. “I may seem really successful for my age, but people are always shocked at how many roles I haven’t gotten.”
If you’re truly obsessed with becoming a household name, industry experts like Asness agree that it pays to stay focused on your aspirations, but with perspective: “Cultivate your talent, take lessons, practice. But most of all, do well in school and live your life. Nothing’s more important.” -Tia Williams
Tollie Schmidt lived his life as the fat kid. His weight reached over 500 pounds. Losing over 300 pounds of fat, Tollie struggled with bulimia and became a personal trainer. Today, Tollie’s a highly sought after International Speaker, Author, Producer and Dreamer. Today our Youth have a voice for change. (Empowering Greatness for a Dream-Infused Life).
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