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Celebrity 101: Don't Try This At Home

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 25, 2008

The recent hullabaloo following the news of 16-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears' pregnancy brings the level of a celebrity's influence into question.

Discussions spurred by a hodgepodge of vigilantes, with qualifications ranging from loyal sixth-grade "Zoey 101" zealots to directors of institutes specializing in media and culture, all seem to recoil in trepidation at the consequences that might echo amongst today's youth. And parents are forbidding their children from viewing shows.

While some feel that celebrities are obligated to act as responsible role models, what does that reflect upon society? Are we a "monkey-see, monkey-do" culture? Or a "Jamie Lynn Spears is a mommy ... and I can be one too" one?

While this certainly isn't a Pat-the-Bunny type of issue, why is it that no baby boom is feared following the pregnancy of your average 16-year-old who now works a full-time job and was forced to drop out of school?

Is it truly because we are oblivious to the luxuries of a pampered celebrity's life and cannot differentiate our lives from theirs? Or perhaps this is the "responsive" culture, yet another side effect to be deemed as lurking under the umbrella of reality TV?

Could it be the Internet? Or is it simply that we're hypersensitive to the resonating effects of events in celebrity-dom?

Money, fame and glory aside, what separates "us" from "them"? Other than talents in different areas and the ability to pretend that life is picture perfect (which some non-celebrities have quite a knack of doing as well), absolutely nothing.

While sheltering and isolating ourselves from the world of celebrity hoopla will probably prove to be quite futile, it may be a good idea to reevaluate the influence of celebrities on our daily choices in all aspects of our lives.

Perhaps the "do not try this at home" warning needs to extend past Bill Nye the Science Guy and accompany every appearance of any celebrity.

Divya Kumar, who lives in Tampa, is a sophomore at King High School.

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