Teen idol Miley Cyrus has been voted the year's worst celebrity influence - not by parents but by almost 45,000 visitors to AOL's teens and tweens website JSYK.com. As unlikely as it may seem, Miley Cyrus beat out Britney Spears and MTV awards mic-jacker Kanye West. She also bested Vanessa Hudgens and Shia LeBeouf - proof that parents weren't voting. The two-hour audio-visual bombardment that constitutes Transformers II makes him the obvious choice for those whose children coerced them to sit through it.
As it is, Shia LeBeouf was nominated for a drink-driving charge, Vanessa Hudgens for the appearance of some unfortunate photos on too many websites to ignore, and the inclusion of Britney Spears and Kanye West doesn't require further explication. JSYK.com explains Miley's overwhelming win as being due to her suggestive dance routine at the Teen Choice Awards. But was Miley's ice-cream wagon pole dance really that bad? Most parents would probably far prefer that their children inhabit Hannah Montana's moral universe than plumb the egomaniacal depths of Kanye West's public persona, but the kids clearly think otherwise. It would be fascinating to know why Miley Cyrus gets up so many teenage noses when the other candidates' public conduct is patently worse. In the meantime though, the survey result begs the question: what are the qualities that make for a good celebrity influence on children and teenagers?
The same JSYK.com survey named sweet-looking actress/singer Selena Gomez as Best Celebrity Influence. She's yet another Disney Channel dynamo with a sideline in the same generic, a-melodic music that's seen Miley Cyrus banned from many a household sound system. Aside from her vertically integrated Disney career, Selena Gomez is also known for her involvement in a range of philanthropic endeavours. She's a UNICEF spokesperson, an animal welfare proponent, African poverty awareness-raiser, safe driving campaigner and, as one of Disney's Friends For Change, an environmental activist. She's a professed Christian who wears a "purity ring" and, other than an alleged feud with Miley Cyrus, there's not a whiff of scandal about her. What's more she's huge. A Hollywood Gossip entry on her, which says almost nothing, somehow attracted 308 comments. So far, so good. But her astonishing array of interests and activities seems somewhat manufactured. So much energetic activism in one place is near-impossible for an average kid to emulate.
For a star to have any real impact as a role model, some individuality and depth of character should be in evidence. Selena Gomez trumped Nick Jonas, hip-pop wunderkind Justin Beiber and Emma Watson but only narrowly beat out Taylor Swift for the most influential gong. Pity. Whatever one may think of Taylor Swift's music, at least her lyrics are a little bit thoughtful while expressing a range of human experience. A trifle mordant perhaps but reflective of a universal reality. And her manner of dealing with Kanye West's unprecedented awards-hosting hostility showed considerable grace under pressure.
Equally impressive is Emma Watson. A bona fide star since the age of nine thanks to her ongoing role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series, she exhibits a refreshing frankness and maturity in interviews while valiantly resisting the urge to bait the paparazzi. Despite being set for life income-wise, she nonetheless applied herself to her studies, graduated from high school with top marks and is enrolled at an Ivy League university. She purportedly chose to take a degree in order to maintain some normalcy in her life. The Daily Mail quotes her saying that she'd rather be known at uni as "Emma Watson, the student from the UK than Emma Watson who starred in those Harry Potter films". What's not to love?
To be fair, all the nominees for Best Celebrity Influence are admirable characters. They're talented, hard-working teenagers/young adults who've kept their heads in the midst of immense wealth and identity-crushing fame. They all have a philanthropic interest or 16 and undoubtedly inspire their junior fans to pursue their own dreams. There's a lot to respect and little to fault in this cohort - even if it is a little creepy watching the childlike Justin Beiber flirting with a distinctly womanly love interest in One Time.
Who would you nominate as the best celebrity influence on the youth market?