Kendall
I remember being 10 years old and plopping down on the couch on a Saturday night to make an evening out of surfing the channels. I was fascinated by the things I could learn about the world outside my suburban elementary school bubble. “This is it!” I thought, “This is my chance to discover everything I want to know but never see.” But there was always someone around to foil my plans. “Why don’t you see what’s on ABC Family or Disney Channel” was always the suggestion. I longed for the days when my mom would let me watch Friends and MTV. I never imagined that 7 years later I would be pining for it to be acceptable again to watch TV shows even some preteens are too mature for. Unfortunately, my unconditional love for Disney teen stars is solid as a rock so in order to preserve my integrity, I’ve developed a strategy: I turn on the TV and flip through channels, maybe pausing at shows like Law and Order or Grey’s Anatomy to fake interest in something I should probably be watching anyway. When I finally settle on something that is both believable and age appropriate, I turn to the Disney Channel. The key to the game then becomes awareness and agility—how fast can you hit the “channel return” button after your older brother enters the room. I know that this is both ridiculously embarrassing and a waste of time, so why do I do it? Good question.
The truth is I will spend 75% of a Hannah Montana episode rolling my eyes or laughing at Miley Cyrus when the script becomes particularly preachy. I may be wrapped in a Jonas Brothers blanket at this very moment, but I mock the band’s winey vocals more than I praise their attractive persona. I keep watching the hokey and somewhat trashy children’s television shows because I’m fascinated. I’m fascinated by Disney’s messages that they craft ever so carefully for their widespread audience that drinks them like water. I’m fascinated by how poorly the shows are written in order for Disney to be appropriate and avoid criticism. And, most of all, I’m fascinated by the power that can reside in the hands of a 17 year old who, besides the fame, is just like me. Disney Channel stars have immensely valuable influence over the sea of young children who are so vulnerable to the corruption of all things pink, plastic, and shiny. But has it always been this way?
My mom credits most of my good morals and behavior to my childhood addiction to Full House. I would rush home from my 3:15 release from school to catch the last 10 minutes of the 3:00 episode and the full one from 3:30 to 4:00. I grew up with Full House, with Lizzy McGuire, with That’s So Raven. This also meant that I grew up wanting my own landline (from the episode of Full House when DJ gets the phone that looks like lips) and flowers in my hair (from the hippy and good-girl stylings of Lizzy and Raven). Now little girls are walking around with pink strands in their hair and singing songs about love, talking on their cell phones at the same age they’re having play dates. Although most people insist that Hannah Montana is simply the updated version of Lizzie McGuire, I would debate that it was Hannah Montana that pushed the trends forwards, rather than the show meeting to fit the times. But things do change over time; technology changes, the schools change, the new generation of parents change, and with whether it is the media that changes the times are the times that changes the media, kids start to be exposed to shocking new things. For example, Raven and Lizzie were no Shirley Temple and their families were not the Brady Bunch, but the lessons those once-revered celebrities would have taught me would not be applicable to the world I was growing up in. As a young kid or pre-teen you need your role model to live a life similar to your own so that the lessons they teach you are believable. It’s easy to count the ways pre-teen idol Miley Cyrus has failed to set a good example for the children that worship at her feet. From the risqué photos at a shoot with Vanity Fair to her controversial performance at the Teen Choice awards, she has proven that even with a religious background and strong family support, Disney stars can’t hide the fact that they are real teenagers aside from their roles on their shows.
I remember being 10 years old and plopping down on the couch on a Saturday night to make an evening out of surfing the channels. I was fascinated by the things I could learn about the world outside my suburban elementary school bubble. “This is it!” I thought, “This is my chance to discover everything I want to know but never see.” But there was always someone around to foil my plans. “Why don’t you see what’s on ABC Family or Disney Channel” was always the suggestion. I longed for the days when my mom would let me watch Friends and MTV. I never imagined that 7 years later I would be pining for it to be acceptable again to watch TV shows even some preteens are too mature for. Unfortunately, my unconditional love for Disney teen stars is solid as a rock so in order to preserve my integrity, I’ve developed a strategy: I turn on the TV and flip through channels, maybe pausing at shows like Law and Order or Grey’s Anatomy to fake interest in something I should probably be watching anyway. When I finally settle on something that is both believable and age appropriate, I turn to the Disney Channel. The key to the game then becomes awareness and agility—how fast can you hit the “channel return” button after your older brother enters the room. I know that this is both ridiculously embarrassing and a waste of time, so why do I do it? Good question.
The truth is I will spend 75% of a Hannah Montana episode rolling my eyes or laughing at Miley Cyrus when the script becomes particularly preachy. I may be wrapped in a Jonas Brothers blanket at this very moment, but I mock the band’s winey vocals more than I praise their attractive persona. I keep watching the hokey and somewhat trashy children’s television shows because I’m fascinated. I’m fascinated by Disney’s messages that they craft ever so carefully for their widespread audience that drinks them like water. I’m fascinated by how poorly the shows are written in order for Disney to be appropriate and avoid criticism. And, most of all, I’m fascinated by the power that can reside in the hands of a 17 year old who, besides the fame, is just like me. Disney Channel stars have immensely valuable influence over the sea of young children who are so vulnerable to the corruption of all things pink, plastic, and shiny. But has it always been this way?
My mom credits most of my good morals and behavior to my childhood addiction to Full House. I would rush home from my 3:15 release from school to catch the last 10 minutes of the 3:00 episode and the full one from 3:30 to 4:00. I grew up with Full House, with Lizzy McGuire, with That’s So Raven. This also meant that I grew up wanting my own landline (from the episode of Full House when DJ gets the phone that looks like lips) and flowers in my hair (from the hippy and good-girl stylings of Lizzy and Raven). Now little girls are walking around with pink strands in their hair and singing songs about love, talking on their cell phones at the same age they’re having play dates. Although most people insist that Hannah Montana is simply the updated version of Lizzie McGuire, I would debate that it was Hannah Montana that pushed the trends forwards, rather than the show meeting to fit the times. But things do change over time; technology changes, the schools change, the new generation of parents change, and with whether it is the media that changes the times are the times that changes the media, kids start to be exposed to shocking new things. For example, Raven and Lizzie were no Shirley Temple and their families were not the Brady Bunch, but the lessons those once-revered celebrities would have taught me would not be applicable to the world I was growing up in. As a young kid or pre-teen you need your role model to live a life similar to your own so that the lessons they teach you are believable. It’s easy to count the ways pre-teen idol Miley Cyrus has failed to set a good example for the children that worship at her feet. From the risqué photos at a shoot with Vanity Fair to her controversial performance at the Teen Choice awards, she has proven that even with a religious background and strong family support, Disney stars can’t hide the fact that they are real teenagers aside from their roles on their shows.
They may deny it, but everyone secretly wants to be a Disney star. I mean, who wouldn’t turn down the chance for giant pay check, endless perks, and the chance to actually be somebody millions of people would do anything just to be in seeing distance of. You could ensure your lifetime of financial stability in one major motion picture, not to mention the replacement of school with award shows and photo shoots. Maybe in the end it doesn’t really matter whether or not the moment’s “it” celebrity acts like an angelic role model. Maybe all kids really need is somebody happy and successful to look up to. To millions of young girls, the Disney Channel stars represent hope. For all the wall flowers, the wanna-be stars, and the misunderstood, Disney Channel stars are there to aid you as you fight through adolescence. They are that kid in school you always wanted to be friends with, but when they’re on TV you can be just as close to them as anyone else. They act as your friend and as your dreams. Underneath it all, that is where my attraction to the Disney Channel lies—watching those shows is like watching my own dreams, as unrealistic as they are. Plus, there’s nothing more freeing than driving down the freeway with Miley Cyrus’s “Party in the U.S.A.” on full blast.
Lots of ideas here! Kendell writes, "I’m fascinated by how poorly the shows are written in order for Disney to be appropriate and avoid criticism. " Above all else, it strikes me that these shows are predictable. If you give something valuable to a friend, you will definitely be rewarded for your generosity. If you say something nasty, you will definitely apologize by the end of the show. And if you break a major rule, like drinking or staying out after curfew... you're getting grounded and you will prolly cry. I think sometimes we crave the moral simplicity these shows offer. Like you harp on, its literally childish... but maybe that is not such a bad thing!
ReplyDeleteI also think of the Disney Channel as a kind of guilty pleasure. I'm wondering to what extent you disapprove of current Disney icons. I feel like you have accepted that times have changed and that the characters have been pushed to be more "modern", but do you think it would be better if they returned to a more wholesome persona? I'm not even sure this is possible with children now craving the trendiness of Miley and the Jonas Brothers. Is Full House the best way to teach morals, or can Hannah Montana do just as well underneath her more trendy platform? Do you feel at all disappointed in the Disney Channel, or does your enjoyment of the shows overshadow it?
ReplyDeleteKendall, I am deeply enthralled by your obsession with Disney Channel. Reading your reasons for watching the show it made me wonder why teenagers have such a distaste for the channel because with your reasoing I can see how the show may be cheesy but there's a deeper message hidden behind the preachy monologues of Miley Cryus. The lives of the Disney Channel stars can be very attractive. After reading your blog I'm still left wondering though if your dream is to be one of the stars, to live the "good life" or if you like being able to relate to their fictional character. You begin the blog saying how you used to watch Full House then Lizzy Mcguire then argue how the stars influence on young children. Do you agree with how the shows effect children these days or would America be better off growing up on thier own?
ReplyDeleteHEY KENDALL!
ReplyDeleteSo I remember those days of my life very well when I respected the Disney channel because the shows I watched were not only entertaining but a good source of direction in my fragile life. You did a good job of conveying this message through specific examples and clear explanations. You show the joy that can be obtained through the Disney channel, and although I personally haven't pondered revisiting it, you do explore the interesting dilemma of facing something that is considered unacceptable in society for kids our age.