My Ex-Teen Icon | Teen Ink

My Ex-Teen Icon MAG

July 21, 2009
By Mmbusch BRONZE, Fox River Grove, Illinois
Mmbusch BRONZE, Fox River Grove, Illinois
1 article 0 photos 31 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not pity the dead. Pity the living. And above all pity those who live without love."


The other day I was walking down the aisle of my neighborhood Super Walmart, desperately scanning the shelves for Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds. To my dismay and shock, there were none. I turned to leave when suddenly I came face to face with my mortal enemy: Hannah Montana. There she was, staring into space as though a crisp hundred dollar bill was dangling from a fishing pole before her.

“Hannah Montana cereal,” I muttered, cursing Disney. But I suppose I should have known better. Did I honestly expect Disney not to cash in on every opportunity to plaster Miley Cyrus's face onto products? It was as if Disney had been shipping off Hannah Montana stickers to every manufacturer with the note, “Use these at your discretion; they'll make anything sell.” Because why wouldn't I want to buy a product if a chick in a wig is telling me to?

I was a sixth grader when the Hannah Montana phenomenon landed on our planet. My friends and I became obsessed with the show, to the point that we made our own music videos and memorized the title of every episode. When I was in seventh grade, this success grabbed the attention of those out of range of Disney Channel's hypnotron, and Miley Cyrus slowly but surely approached the teen audience, eager and cautious.

It was fine, it was all fine. No one expected her to stay young forever, she had a career to worry about and pressure to be cool among her own peers. But as the reports of tasteless photos appeared, I stopped staring with a blind eye. Who was this girl I looked up to? I was the same age this “role model” was when she started running off the track, and I had never done anything remotely like that.

So now, whenever I walk into a store, I feel betrayed by my ex-teen icon. Her very image screams “Look at me! I may act trashy and dim, but as long as I'm not caught pulling a Winona Ryder, Disney will continue paying me a gazillion bucks!” I wish I could say to her, “Be a role model or stop putting on that wig to reap all the benefits.”

I'm not as cynical as I seem though. I hope Miley takes the right path. I hope she doesn't become the next Britney. Or Lindsay. Or Jamie Lynn. But everyone grows up, and odds are that if they come from Disney, they end up in Vegas. And I don't appreciate Miley trying to persuade me to buy her bicycle.


The author's comments:
Hey, my name is Margaret. I'm 15 and considering becoming a journalist. When I mentioned this to my dad, he encouraged me to practice writing, as I have obviously done so. My work is nothing great, but I hope you like it. I know it has too much teenage attitude to be published as news, but your site sounds very open to all types of writing, so I hope you'll appreciate my work for its own personality. However, if not, I completely understand. I'll just keep practicing.
The work I have pasted here is simply my own thoughts after having come across a cereal box endorsed by Hannah Montana.
Enjoy!

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This article has 208 comments.


Mmbusch BRONZE said...
on Jan. 1 2010 at 6:00 pm
Mmbusch BRONZE, Fox River Grove, Illinois
1 article 0 photos 31 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not pity the dead. Pity the living. And above all pity those who live without love."

No, not at all! It's nice to hear different opinions and you didn't make me cry so that's good! Haha that's what I was most afraid of when I submitted this article.

Good opinions!

Mmbusch BRONZE said...
on Jan. 1 2010 at 5:54 pm
Mmbusch BRONZE, Fox River Grove, Illinois
1 article 0 photos 31 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not pity the dead. Pity the living. And above all pity those who live without love."

Thankyou, and yes--Miley Cyrus was recently named worst celebrity influence among a teenage poll.

(sorry I don't know the source)

Mmbusch BRONZE said...
on Jan. 1 2010 at 5:53 pm
Mmbusch BRONZE, Fox River Grove, Illinois
1 article 0 photos 31 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not pity the dead. Pity the living. And above all pity those who live without love."

I look up to Anne Hathaway because she overcame depression as a teenager without medication.

I look up to Audrey Hepburn because she survived WWII while living in Europe and helped children in need till her dying day.

I look up to Hayden Panettiere because she fights for a good cause and is one of the few child actors that is down to Earth.

Mostly I look up to people that embody class. I look up to people I know, too.

I can't admire Miley Cyrus.

Maybe you can think of celebrities you respect, and encourage your daughter to look up to him/her?

Mmbusch BRONZE said...
on Jan. 1 2010 at 5:44 pm
Mmbusch BRONZE, Fox River Grove, Illinois
1 article 0 photos 31 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not pity the dead. Pity the living. And above all pity those who live without love."

Yea, I definitely should not have used 'raunchy' in my article. I realized that after submitting it and I'm actually relieved someone else noticed it was a poor word choice.

Mmbusch BRONZE said...
on Jan. 1 2010 at 5:40 pm
Mmbusch BRONZE, Fox River Grove, Illinois
1 article 0 photos 31 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not pity the dead. Pity the living. And above all pity those who live without love."

This is so sweet. Thank you so much because so many times I feel like I can't write and it's comments like this that keep me on my game. I will definitely check out your article.

Mmbusch BRONZE said...
on Jan. 1 2010 at 5:39 pm
Mmbusch BRONZE, Fox River Grove, Illinois
1 article 0 photos 31 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not pity the dead. Pity the living. And above all pity those who live without love."

I know, right? Yea, the tattoo kind of surprised me...

Mmbusch BRONZE said...
on Jan. 1 2010 at 5:37 pm
Mmbusch BRONZE, Fox River Grove, Illinois
1 article 0 photos 31 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Do not pity the dead. Pity the living. And above all pity those who live without love."

Aww thanks!

Totty123 said...
on Dec. 23 2009 at 11:13 pm
I do agree with her. well not completely though. i do think she needs to be more of a role model but i think her music as miley cyrus is better than hannah montana. her show has gotten better but she did a stupid photo shoot without clothes, then she got a tatoo. i know it is for someone she met in a hospital but there are other ways to expres how you feel about that person.

on Dec. 22 2009 at 8:50 pm
blanking_out GOLD, Bonita Springs, Florida
13 articles 2 photos 37 comments

Favorite Quote:
Follow the leader, but not too close, just in case they fall.

I loved your article about Hannah. I am not too fond of her myself, to tell you the truth. Oh and if you want to be a journalist... by all means go for it. i want to be one too and I am looking forward to learning about different styles of writing. To keep things interesting, of course. Good Luck & God Bless :)

on Dec. 22 2009 at 4:41 pm
family_includes_I GOLD, Sciliy, Other
14 articles 12 photos 20 comments

Favorite Quote:
"You can only be young once, but you can always be immature"

oh my god ur sooo right hannah montana is like a stalker or something because anywhere and evrywhere i go there she is, plastered on whatever companys product that can afford to use her face i mean...seriously?

on Dec. 22 2009 at 3:11 pm
I love this! I too fell into the Hannah Montana phenomenon when I was in 5th grade. Miley is giving up on becoming the little role model Disney is wanting her to be, and yes, people grow up, but Disney needs to lay off. There are so many talented kids that could also work for the mouse.

P.S. Adam Young is the best!

mimisunshine said...
on Dec. 16 2009 at 1:39 pm
Im getting TIRED of MILEY CYRUS cuz every where u go its miley miley shes such a brat no wonder her parents marrige is in the ditch cuz of her conceded self thinking she should be in the middle of attention. SHES GETTING OLD and her show hannah montana need to be UPDATED its basically the same thing over and over

on Dec. 13 2009 at 9:43 pm
Jessica330 SILVER, Phoenix, Arizona
5 articles 1 photo 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Sing as if no one was listening. Dance as if no one was watching. And live each day as if it were your last." -Author Unknown

"A girl should be so lost in God that a guy must seek Him to find her." -Author Unknown

I read this in the Teen Ink magazine and couldn't help but feeling the same way. In fact this piece actually helped inspire my most recent piece that I submitted to Teen Ink. The name of the piece is What has happened? in case you wanted to check it out. I love this piece and I think you have a talent of capturing the reader and making them relate to you. Keep writing for the wolds sake if not for yours.

oceansblue17 said...
on Dec. 10 2009 at 10:40 pm
yea i totally agree. i rele hope she doesn't end up like britney or lindsay or jamie lynn, but rele the truth is, she's a disney kid and the chances are she will turn. its sadd i used 2 look up 2 her.

on Dec. 10 2009 at 3:20 pm
I so agree, And your gonna make a heck of a columnist. I loved Hannah when she was new. I could never relate to her, except for the dream all of us go through, the dream to be a popstar... Then I saw how the girl treated everyone in real life off the Hannah Montana set. And then came the pictures. It disgusted me. And It bothers me still that Disney sucks profits off the brat while other girls, better, nicer, more mature girls wanted this role, and others actually deserve it. Something else that bothers me was that in the '17' magazine they say she's the hardest working teen her age or some baloney like that, When she doesn't even write her songs. When I look at her I see a person who could have had a major break through, and done so much good for teens and young girls. Now she's Miley Cyrus the worst role model besides Britney Spears.

Lizzy33 said...
on Dec. 10 2009 at 10:02 am
I like this peice and what i am going to say is my OPINION you can have yours and i can have mine so don't say i am wrong. Yes half of our country is sluty but that's because our ROLE Modles are sluty so miley may have had a good run but dancing on a stripper pole or wearing practicly nothing is saying it's ok to dress like this kids to six year olds . YES her MUSIC is ok but her show is the same thing over and over agian yes it's supposed to be funny but it'r really just stupid and i am glad she is quiting

on Dec. 8 2009 at 12:23 pm
peace_love_beauty PLATINUM, Florien, Louisiana
22 articles 35 photos 121 comments

Favorite Quote:
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Psalms 23:4

So true! And this goes for all celebs who are role models for young children and know it. They need to portray the right message for them and not go become a porn star or flash everyone on live tv. What is that saying to her fans? Especially the young ones who want to follow in her foosteps? The young generation can't afford any more corruption.

MrsLovett said...
on Nov. 30 2009 at 9:48 pm
MrsLovett, Benson, North Carolina
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments
No Amber, what's gross is Hannah Montanna bras. But I've made my rant.

MrsLovett said...
on Nov. 30 2009 at 9:47 pm
MrsLovett, Benson, North Carolina
0 articles 0 photos 2 comments
Wow this article is so true. I'm 14 and you're probably guessing that I too was once obsessed with Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montanna. But no. By the time MC was the 'it girl' I was already the whole teen idol image. When I was a teeny bopper, the teen idols were good. Hilary was a little bit of a rebel, but other than that she was better than MC. I could look up to her and say 'Wow, I want to be just like her when I grow up.' Can a person say that for Miley? Yes and no. Yes because little four year olds love the whole teen image and look up to people easily but my mom would freak if I said that MC was my idol. I also agree on the Winona Ryder thing. Sad but true. Although as long as she's still on four year old's butts, Disney wouldn't care what she did. Unless she did something that made parents burn all of their kids MC/HM stuff. You catch my drift. Well nice article. Hope you didn't mind my rant. :)

on Nov. 2 2009 at 6:35 pm
reginalove SILVER, Lorain, Ohio
7 articles 0 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal."

I so agree with you! I only sometimes like miley cyrus because a lot of things she does is somewhat inappriate for the role model of millions of little girls. The photos were racy for "Hannah Montana". They were inappropriate and anyone that tries to tell me otherwise is just as tasteless as she is. Miley should look at the example she is setting for these little girls. The pictures, her outfits nowadays are beyond inappropriate, and her dating that 20 something year old doesn't help. Look at her sister! She's dressing just as imapropriately as Miley!Miley is a teenager but she can tell right from wrong. Especially for her being on Disney, she should make wiser choices. It seems as though she is ungrateful for what Disney has given her and throwing it back in their faces. All I'm saying is that Miley should consider the fact that she is supposed to be a role model and millions of girls look up to her. Your writing was really good, though. I love your lead and the way you made it sound intelligent but still understandable. You'll make a great journalist!