My Ex-Teen Icon | Teen Ink

My Ex-Teen Icon MAG

July 21, 2009
By Mmbusch BRONZE, Fox River Grove, Illinois
Mmbusch BRONZE, Fox River Grove, Illinois
1 article 0 photos 31 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not pity the dead. Pity the living. And above all pity those who live without love."


The other day I was walking down the aisle of my neighborhood Super Walmart, desperately scanning the shelves for Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds. To my dismay and shock, there were none. I turned to leave when suddenly I came face to face with my mortal enemy: Hannah Montana. There she was, staring into space as though a crisp hundred dollar bill was dangling from a fishing pole before her.

“Hannah Montana cereal,” I muttered, cursing Disney. But I suppose I should have known better. Did I honestly expect Disney not to cash in on every opportunity to plaster Miley Cyrus's face onto products? It was as if Disney had been shipping off Hannah Montana stickers to every manufacturer with the note, “Use these at your discretion; they'll make anything sell.” Because why wouldn't I want to buy a product if a chick in a wig is telling me to?

I was a sixth grader when the Hannah Montana phenomenon landed on our planet. My friends and I became obsessed with the show, to the point that we made our own music videos and memorized the title of every episode. When I was in seventh grade, this success grabbed the attention of those out of range of Disney Channel's hypnotron, and Miley Cyrus slowly but surely approached the teen audience, eager and cautious.

It was fine, it was all fine. No one expected her to stay young forever, she had a career to worry about and pressure to be cool among her own peers. But as the reports of tasteless photos appeared, I stopped staring with a blind eye. Who was this girl I looked up to? I was the same age this “role model” was when she started running off the track, and I had never done anything remotely like that.

So now, whenever I walk into a store, I feel betrayed by my ex-teen icon. Her very image screams “Look at me! I may act trashy and dim, but as long as I'm not caught pulling a Winona Ryder, Disney will continue paying me a gazillion bucks!” I wish I could say to her, “Be a role model or stop putting on that wig to reap all the benefits.”

I'm not as cynical as I seem though. I hope Miley takes the right path. I hope she doesn't become the next Britney. Or Lindsay. Or Jamie Lynn. But everyone grows up, and odds are that if they come from Disney, they end up in Vegas. And I don't appreciate Miley trying to persuade me to buy her bicycle.


The author's comments:
Hey, my name is Margaret. I'm 15 and considering becoming a journalist. When I mentioned this to my dad, he encouraged me to practice writing, as I have obviously done so. My work is nothing great, but I hope you like it. I know it has too much teenage attitude to be published as news, but your site sounds very open to all types of writing, so I hope you'll appreciate my work for its own personality. However, if not, I completely understand. I'll just keep practicing.
The work I have pasted here is simply my own thoughts after having come across a cereal box endorsed by Hannah Montana.
Enjoy!

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This article has 208 comments.


WiseChild GOLD said...
on Dec. 14 2010 at 6:01 am
WiseChild GOLD, Kampala, North Carolina
14 articles 0 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
i can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

It hardly seems as if she is thinking at all. cause if she was, she would learn from her mistakes.

KellyR GOLD said...
on Dec. 11 2010 at 9:34 am
KellyR GOLD, Richmond, Virginia
14 articles 0 photos 258 comments

Favorite Quote:
We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.

Exactly, my point is that it is her parents job to guide her through this "celebrity world". It is an adult industry is has entered into and many of the "choices" she has made has not been hers. Do you think she choosesx to have her face on the cereal box? No, her manager, the cereal company, and her parents decide. Also, you say that since she she is a teenager she should begin to think for herself, well that is what teenagers do. They BEGIN to think for themselves. I mean just because you tunr into a teenager doesn't mean you should go live by yourself , get a real job, and function on your own. Most teenagers I know work at Mcdonalds. Being a teenager is a learning expierence and that is exactly what she is doing.

WiseChild GOLD said...
on Dec. 11 2010 at 6:37 am
WiseChild GOLD, Kampala, North Carolina
14 articles 0 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
i can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

you have missed ny point entirely. 'she still depends on adults entirley'???? why? the teenage years are the times when you stop depending on your parents and begin to think for yourself, which she clearly isn't doing. and i have known younger children who act more mature than she does. anyway, according to your logic, if she does live with her parents and depend on them then what are they doing all this time?????? shouldn't they be dooing they're job and advising her or plain saying no??? tell me why, now.

on Dec. 9 2010 at 11:07 pm
SickImage SILVER, Klamath Falls, Oregon
9 articles 1 photo 74 comments

Favorite Quote:
The room was very quiet. I walked over to the TV set and turned it onto a dead channel-white noise at maximum decibels, a fine sound for sleeping, a powerful continuous hiss to drown out everything strange."

I love the last line :)

I can relate to this, although i was too old to be captured by Hanah Montana, my phase was lizzie mcguire. I was obsessed lol.

Something people should know about the disney channel is that it is made to help kids achieve careers in singing and acting. So when hanah turns into Miley and the show ends, or lizzie, or raven, or whoever, Disney is succeeding. That is the point. My dad explained it to me after the lizzie show ended and I was furious lol.

Anyways. Good work!


KellyR GOLD said...
on Dec. 9 2010 at 7:10 pm
KellyR GOLD, Richmond, Virginia
14 articles 0 photos 258 comments

Favorite Quote:
We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for.

She is still a kid! She still lives with her parents, she still depends on adults to function. Also, even if she was an adult, no one is perfect. It is 100% impossible to not make mistakes, and if you think it is possible then you are not at all wise "WiseChild".

Trulie GOLD said...
on Dec. 9 2010 at 6:45 pm
Trulie GOLD, Beltsville, Maryland
10 articles 10 photos 51 comments
You're right. After all, she can't be tamed.

on Dec. 9 2010 at 6:07 pm
SilentlyRising GOLD, Decatur, Georgia
13 articles 0 photos 100 comments

Favorite Quote:
"My pen is the barrel of the gun. Remind me which side you should be on."

I, like many, went through the Hannah/Miley phase.  Almost every 5-11 year-old girl did.  I also really hope she doesn't end up like you said -- like Spears and Lohan -- but we've all gotta admit that she's on her way.  I really liked your article.  Write on!

on Dec. 9 2010 at 3:51 pm
AnonymouslyAnonymous BRONZE, Nassau, Other
1 article 0 photos 22 comments

Favorite Quote:
Can I tell you a secret? Yeah Sure. It is Never a secret if you tell someone.

this is great. I like Miley Cyrus but uts a disgrace for the things she do. Keep on writing

ghost said...
on Dec. 9 2010 at 8:05 am
I agree I never really liked Hanna Montana

WiseChild GOLD said...
on Dec. 9 2010 at 5:33 am
WiseChild GOLD, Kampala, North Carolina
14 articles 0 photos 18 comments

Favorite Quote:
i can do all things through Christ who strengthens me

u r forgetting something. she's not a kid. she is a young adult if not even a legal adult aready. u cant excuse her that way, why does she need to make mistakes? is it impossible to get it right for once????

on Nov. 26 2010 at 1:48 pm
WindDancer GOLD, Lexington, Kentucky
10 articles 3 photos 77 comments

Favorite Quote:
"It's time to start living the life you've imagined"
- Henry James

"I read to escape, I write to confront."

You did a great job with this! I happen to agree completely. I used to like Hannah/Miley as well.

Keep on writing! You've definitly got something :)


on Nov. 23 2010 at 3:47 pm
haha okay... :)

JustWishing said...
on Nov. 23 2010 at 3:45 pm
Lol agreed!!!

on Nov. 23 2010 at 2:27 pm
I never said it mean. Just because I didn't use emoticons doesn't mean I was mad. I was just stating a point.

JustWishing said...
on Nov. 23 2010 at 1:50 pm
But I agree SWAC is a good show!

JustWishing said...
on Nov. 23 2010 at 1:48 pm
I understand that, I wasnt trying to sound mean dude I wrote that too, I am a fan of isney please dont use hard words dude, if you had a problem could have said it a little kinder! thats k :)

on Nov. 23 2010 at 8:18 am

Selena never got into an argument with Demi. She hasn't even spoken to her since she went on tour. And she hasn't spoken to her at rehab because she's requested isolation from everyone but her family.

And Demi shouldn't be given grief. This is something she's been dealing with for years. It's not like she's on drugs or drinking or anything. She's bulemic and has been fighting it since jr. high. The fact that she chose to go into rehab shows that she understands that she has a problem and wants to be a good role model by getting it taken care of.

I hope she gets better soon! I'll die without SWAC! lol


mclean34 said...
on Nov. 18 2010 at 12:50 pm
A lot, a lot, most people think it's one word but it's not.

on Nov. 17 2010 at 6:33 pm
Opinionated GOLD, Brantford, Other
15 articles 0 photos 48 comments

Favorite Quote:
~Change what you can and accept what you cannot change.~
~If you love someone, let them free. If they come back, it's meant to be.~
~Cease refusing to believe that in what you have created.~

I completely agree, but I don't think it's about Disney choosing better people but more or so, the corruption that money can bring. :D

JustWishing said...
on Nov. 17 2010 at 9:38 am
I used to love Miley, but now its like whoa why did I ever, peronally I think the only Disney stars that havent flaunted there stuff would be, the boys from Suite Life on Deck, hmm, Wizards of Waverly but Selena got into a mazzive argument with demi who checked her self into a center not that I am hating I am not just think Disney needs to pick better people :)