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.


We-R-3 BRONZE said...
on Jun. 16 2010 at 10:29 pm
We-R-3 BRONZE, Orlando, Florida
1 article 0 photos 344 comments

Favorite Quote:
A picture is worth a thousand words, however it takes a real artist to turn words into pictures.

Have you heard about the new Lebron Iphone, you have to set it on vibrate because it doesn't have any rings

Everybody makes mistakes everybody has those days, blah blah blah, nobodies perfect. Why is it that these mistakes have to be so big, I mean I make mistakes but I am not doing anything that would be "scandelous" even if I were famous (not yet). I mean it shouldn't just be about the sixth graders that saw her through her entire career, but think about the little five six year olds all wanting to be like hannah, I remember watching an episode were this little girl knew everything about her, well there are little kids like that and they shouldn't have to grow up with a role model involved in stupid scandles.

on Jun. 16 2010 at 6:10 pm
GzusFreak10 GOLD, Staten Island, New York
17 articles 0 photos 102 comments
OMGOSH! I loved it! Especially the last line: "And i don't appreciate Miley trying to persuade me to buy her bicycle." Hannah Montana really is everywhere! KEEP WRITING! This is terrific!

love2run GOLD said...
on Jun. 16 2010 at 5:44 pm
love2run GOLD, Star Valley, Wyoming
12 articles 4 photos 64 comments

Favorite Quote:
"I failed my way to success." Thomas Edison
"What kind of crazy nut would spend two or three hours a day just running?" Pre
"A ship in harbor is safe, but that's not what ships are built for." John Shedd

I totally know what you guys mean. I used to love her show and music and EVERYTHING. But recently (or not so recently) the way she acts now has pretty much repelled me, now I don't like anything about her. Her show back then was good though, I'll give her that much.

on Jun. 10 2010 at 3:54 pm
forgottenpenname GOLD, Troy, Michigan
12 articles 0 photos 147 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Carpe diem."

I've had basically the same reaction with Milez. I was in the sixth grade, also, when Hannah Montana premiered, and I was completely obsessed with her up until a little while ago... she was my idol. I wanted to be just like her.

Every time she made a mistake, I just kind of ignored it and said the same ol' "everybody makes mistakes" (*cough* everybody has those days *cough) thing... and then Miley stopped apologizing for what she was doing. She started critisizing people for critiquing her, and that's when I lost faith in her.

At this point, I'm so sick of her that I couldn't be gladder if she lost her career... at least then she would have a chance at a normal life and seeing all the wrongs she's committed, right?


on May. 29 2010 at 9:59 pm
patrickj96 BRONZE, Westminster, Maryland
3 articles 0 photos 21 comments
wow... that is really strange!

Mmbusch BRONZE said...
on May. 29 2010 at 6:31 pm
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."

This gets stranger...the guy who took the photo lives in my grandparents' neighborhood, according to the tag. ???

Eilatan GOLD said...
on May. 25 2010 at 5:33 pm
Eilatan GOLD, Old Greenwich, Connecticut
11 articles 1 photo 307 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Nobody is normal. Everybody in the world is a weirdo freak. Except you, which makes you a weirdo freak."

this is really good. you'll make a great journalist.

on May. 16 2010 at 6:33 pm
Kenzie Quinn BRONZE, Grandville, Michigan
2 articles 0 photos 1 comment
I completely agree. You can't be a role model for a hopeful third grader and then go grind a 45 year old man. There's absolutely no excuse or reason for it.

on May. 14 2010 at 10:47 pm
patrickj96 BRONZE, Westminster, Maryland
3 articles 0 photos 21 comments
Huh! Weird...

Mmbusch BRONZE said...
on May. 14 2010 at 6:14 pm
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."

Oh gosh, I have no idea! I didn't even know who that guy was until now. When I first submitted the article I was asked to choose a picture/photo from the Teen Ink archive, and I selected a chick with a guitar. But when they chose my article for the print mag, my work was edited and a new photo chosen. 

 


KenzieKenzie said...
on May. 14 2010 at 4:31 pm
KenzieKenzie, Kent, Washington
0 articles 0 photos 4 comments
I personally don't think that there is anything "wrong" with miley/hannah she's not a bad role model or innapropriate but i do agree that companies abuse the power of celebrities for their own benefit :P

mem15 said...
on May. 10 2010 at 12:32 pm
mem15, Dexter, Michigan
0 articles 0 photos 10 comments
Great article! I hate Miley. at first she was just annoying and now shes just innaprpriate for the young fans

on May. 3 2010 at 8:41 pm
patrickj96 BRONZE, Westminster, Maryland
3 articles 0 photos 21 comments
I really liked your story. It is very true! But why do you have a picture of Adam Young?

on May. 3 2010 at 7:21 pm
FlyingNewt BRONZE, Bloomington, Indiana
1 article 4 photos 64 comments
I agree with you, never liked her but still find her creepy

on May. 3 2010 at 7:14 pm
decembersun14 PLATINUM, Winchester, Massachusetts
24 articles 0 photos 24 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Life sucks. A lot. But you just have to keep on going. No matter what happens. You can never ever give up. You just have to roll with the punches, go with the flow, and always try your best to keep on going <3"

nice one! i totally agree with you. miley cyrus is not a good role model. very good article. keep writing!

on May. 3 2010 at 10:06 am
chartothalatte GOLD, Cleveland Heights, Ohio
10 articles 1 photo 62 comments
great article! i was never a real miley fan, but she bugs me. ha. well written! go on with your dream of becoming a journalist! you're well on your way!

on May. 3 2010 at 6:23 am
Jenna4Jesus BRONZE, New Brunswick, North Carolina
4 articles 0 photos 65 comments
LOLL. I just added this to my favorites. Seems we share a mortal enemy. Actually, I'm starting not to care much as long as her ..blessed face stops popping all over the place. ICKK.

on Apr. 27 2010 at 8:04 pm
torilynn400 GOLD, Poughkeepsie, New York
10 articles 1 photo 41 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself."
-President Franklin Delano Roosevelt

I still kind of like her Miley songs, but i agree. Enough is enough already, and she has little girls watching her and looking up to her. She needs to knock of the crap that she's doing, and realize that she needs to be the RIGHT kind of role model for people.

on Apr. 26 2010 at 9:38 pm
MuSic.EqUaLs.LoVe BRONZE, Dundas, Minnesota
1 article 0 photos 2 comments
OMG thank you SO much!! I used to be the same way, obsessed with her show, listening to her songs non-stop, and just plain wanting to be her. But then she turned into some...I don't know...Miley? Now I want to punch anything that shows me her face. I don't see why guys think she is so hot/pretty. In my mind, she is fake. Look at her 1st season of "Hannah Montana" and look at her now. Everything about her screams fake. Thank you so much, and believe me, I feel your pain.

NatalieB. GOLD said...
on Apr. 22 2010 at 3:57 pm
NatalieB. GOLD, Loudon, Virginia
12 articles 0 photos 61 comments

Favorite Quote:
Make your own lines, and color outside of them.

I liked this article, not only becuase it was anti Mahnnah (Miley/Hannah) but becuase you weren't afraid to admit you were once a brain-washed fanatic, no better than the followers there are now. I'm glad you had the guts to admit that and I like your writing style, too.