Influential individuals such as celebrities can sway opinions in both positive and negative ways, especially for impressionable teens. This raises the question: do celebrities impact teens more positively than negatively, and if so, in what ways?
Celebrities are core role models for younger individuals, allowing them to feel connected to certain lifestyles, personalities, and experiences. This can shape the vital growth and health of teens.
“Personally, I believe that it depends on the teenager and which celebrities are most impactful or inspirational to them specifically,” said sophomore Kailey Ou. “This can steer them to make good or bad decisions in their lives, but to me, certain TikTokers, mostly around my age, I find relatable and entertaining, since that’s what’s most relevant in my life. A specific celebrity I would say is beabadoobee because she posts frequently on social media, and I really like her genres. I feel like I relate to her songs the most and how her music reflects her vibe and style.”
Furthermore, Ou showcased how some icons, such as content creators and artists like beabadoobee, influence her lifestyle. For Ou, beabadoobee helps her grow, as her music allows Ou to feel more seen and connect with shared experiences. This suggests that she is not just influenced by superstar fame, but rather shared interests, making that connection more impactful. She shared how she thinks that some celebrities can impact teens, depending on which ones they’re following and whether or not said celebrities popularize harmful lifestyles.
These can include dangerous beauty standards, certain dietary restrictions, substance use, overconsumption, and more. Some celebrities are encouraged to adhere to specific diets, meet a weight requirement, or conform to particular beauty standards. However, the younger audience may glorify this and, in some cases, may even follow suit with dangerous habits, obsessions, or restrictions that may be damaging to their mental and physical health. When celebrities promote substance use, alcohol, or foul language, adolescents may deem these behaviors as socially acceptable for them to imitate.
Adding on, freshman Maddux Dejvejprasit shares his experience with a specific celebrity and his influence on his personal life.
“I look up to Ryan Gosling because he’s super relatable and funny. He’s handsome and overall awesome, so I think he’s the best,” said Dejvejprasit, “but I do think other celebrities can affect the public both positively and negatively, because they can help others with their money and fame, but they can also hurt others’ self-images and such concepts.”
Dejvejprasit is an example of how acting stars like Ryan Gosling can be admired for their acting skills and musical abilities, while also having influence beyond those talents. Such celebrities are admired for their personal success and social behavior, which may result in teens having unrealistic expectations for themselves that can push them to sculpt themselves into the “ideal” image they have in their minds. Nevertheless, Dejvejprasit stressed how a star’s fame and wealth may bring others close to their status when associated with them, or how a public figure’s humor and motivation can bring people closer to their goals.
“I believe that because people glamorize celebrities too much. I think they really try to be them because they look stunning and put together, but they don’t realize that they get certain things in life that regular people don’t get,” said sophomore Alyssa Wang.
Wang mentioned how celebrities are often idealized and shaped into a near–unachieveable image in our heads. This may lead to people overlooking advantages and privileges that are presented to people of a higher class, making their lifestyles very different from those of the general public.
“A certain person I look up to, however, is McKenna Grace since she’s such a good actress that I grew up watching, as well as Ariana Greenblatt,” said Wang. “I think their content feels so nostalgic to me, and it’s great to see their rising careers. Some artists, such as Gracie Abrams or Tate McRae, portray a lot of confidence in their performances, how they recover well, and express themselves through beautiful stories told through music.”
Ultimately, celebrities have both positive and negative impacts on teens, depending on which star the teen chooses as their role model. As seen through the teens’ perspective, icons can inspire, motivate, and provide a constant in someone’s life. Depending on what a celebrity promotes, this assists the public in leaning towards certain lifestyles and behaviors. At the same time, comparisons to unrealistic expectations can lead to teens criticizing themselves, harming their self-image. In the end, while celebrities can play empowering and meaningful roles in a teen’s life, it may lead to self-deprecating habits, being ruinous to their lives.
