Barbie Girl - Aqua
There is a disturbing trend popping up on YouTube recently. Whether it is attention-seeking behaviour or just someone who needs some assurance because of a low self esteem, doesn't really have any bearing. The reality is that primarily pre-pubescent girls are posting videos for the world to see and respond to their query "Am I Ugly?" Some of these videos are garnering millions of hits and hundreds of comments - not all of them positive. It is a lot easier for people to say mean and hurtful things to an anonymous picture on the internet when they don't have to consider the ramifications.
To each his/her own, we are entitled to our own opinion. What I find appealing to look at may not be the same as your choices. So when you question the masses as a whole it only stands to reason that you are going to get both positive and negative responses. The problem here is that these people feel a need to validate themselves in this way. And what would happen if the negative comments out-weighed the positive? What then? Yeah, yeah...I know, I am one to talk...but really the only thing that should really matter is what we think of ourselves. The trick is in finding that one person who likes you for who you are despite the flaws you see in yourself. For the flaws are really just individual traits that make us unique, and the one who loves you for the person inside will truly not see the external characteristics. Outer beauty not only can fade but can disappear in an instant. We must ask, would we still be loved if we lost a leg? a breast to cancer? our eyesight to age? True love must be able to overlook the out packaging that can change so dramatically. And true love does.
I can also promise you without a word of a lie that as beautiful as you are at 12 or 13, you will be equally as beautiful (although perhaps outwardly different) at 30, 50 and 70 years of age. At least to yourself if not a life partner.
Someone needs to tell these young people seeking affirmation on their physical appearance that anything can be created with the right tools.
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The beauty pageants of the JonBenet Ramseys' of the world may have gone the way of the dinosaur in some cases. Gone are the road trips from pageant to pageant, endless competitions, constant auditions, the thousands and thousands of dollars spent on wardrobes, hair, makeup and photos for the portfolio. Keep the money in your pocket and don't bother with the cattle casting calls and agents full of promises and hot air.
All you really need is a bit of an imagination and a cheap video recorder - even your cellphone will do the trick. Set the stage in your own home or yard, get your kid to do something goofy or say something scripted and download it to YouTube. Then sit back and wait. For reasons I cannot comprehend, some of this stupidity is collecting hundreds of thousands of views. Word of mouth and human curiosity perhaps? But along with all the watching, people are even taking the time to comment and not always positively. The authenticity of some of these mini-movies are being questioned and scrutinized with the eye of a Hollywood director. Frame by frame, second by second. If you are gonna do it, take care to do it up right.
While the parents may have a thicker skin to accept this criticism, it can still be difficult to see people question your parenting abilities or the attractiveness of your children. But what of the children themselves, if they happen to become one of these on-line sensations? They may not have the emotional or intellectual maturity to process not only the mean and sadistic comments but also the positive ones may swell their fragile egos. If you have fabricated the scene, you may have inadvertently taught your offspring that lying and manipulation is okay as a means to reach an end. Stardom. However fleeting it may be before the next sensation comes along to grab the fickle public attention.
There was a time when all these faux-pas and silly antics where dutifully sent to "America's Funniest Home Videos", but how many clips did we see on there that we thought were scripted? The same has become true of the YouTube downloads. While the parents of the tiny "wanna-be" superstars are watching the numbers roll up on the views and comments. Wait, who are the wanna-be superstars again? The parents or the kids? With the television airing, all you got was a chance at some cash, on the internet you get potentially even more media exposure. An invitation to a morning talk show or the local news, maybe a real Hollywood big-wig will see you and turn your kid into the next Lindsay Lohan. Hold it...Do you really want that?
Not everyone has the strength of character and stamina to withstand millions of people criticizing and watching every move you make. Not everyone understands that what we see in the pages of our magazines and on the screens of our TV's is not necessary real. People are airbrushed and made-up to be what we expect them to be, not necessarily what they are.
On a more serious note, I hope that parents are seriously considering all the different types of people that might be watching the videos of their children. I doubt they would intentionally expose their babes to the pedophiles and sexual predators that may live in their community, don't make free for view porn for them either.
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