Ah, to be young. It’s such an enchanted time of life. Wrinkle-free, staying up past 10 p.m., still unjaded and carefree. As many people say, “these are the best times in life.” Really, how could things get any better?
Well, add endless amounts of money, free time and the public’s attention to the picture, and you’ve got a whole new equation for fun – or recklessness and substance abuse. This seems to be the case when concerning the graduates of fame out at Hollywood High.
Some people say kids grow up too fast these days. Hell, Drew Barrymore was doing blow in discos when she was hitting puberty. But in reality, “grown up” problems just seem to be the curse of being a part of the famed “young Hollywood” group.
The past decade seems to have proved this. Whether it’s Nicole Ritchie making her “simple life” complicated by playfully driving under the influence of marijuana and Vicodin into oncoming traffic, Colin Farrell proving his Irish Heritage, or any number of young starlets weighing less than most fifth-graders, it’s clear these kids have problems.
And our society just can’t get enough. The subject is past debate; we’ve become obsessed with celebrities and the ugly side of fame.
So it doesn’t even sound horrifying anymore when headlines like “Hilton Sex Tape” and “Britney has Breakdown” hit the papers. In fact, desperate celebrities almost seem to love all of the tabloid fodder and fingers pointed at their real-life problems. Hey, if they aren’t in the new movie with Ashton Kutcher or topping the charts, at least their face is on the front page.
But is it really their fault? Temptation is almost as much of a drug as the prescription bottles in the limo. You’re young and beautiful, and you’ve got money and access to anything you want. Wow, life really is unfair!
But there are some young celebrities who many people seem to forget since they don’t have three different pharmacists and aren’t flashing skin for paparazzi. And that’s really a shame. Why punish the whole lot for a few kids making truly stupid decisions?
So congratulations to people like Leonardo Dicaprio and Gwen Stefani, who do their part to not fit the stereotypes. But what really separates them from the rest of the dysfunctional family? Maybe it’s the fact they’re just more adjusted, or they’ve realized that there’s more to life than the 24-hour party. Or maybe they just have better publicists.
In any case, we’re tired of seeing the same old story every day. Sex tapes, drug abuse, alcoholism and weight issues might all seem cute, but in reality it’s just pathetic. And furthermore, it’s setting a horrible example for any one of the millions of children with a favorite star. Really, just grow up. Because that would be “hot.”