Being a teen in this changing world is not an easy thing. Everywhere you look, you are surrounded by people who show an inordinate amount of involvement in your life - be it advice, teachings, or just mere meddling. Therefore, it is not unusual for teenagers to resort to more unconventional ways of gaining inspiration.
Be it subconsciously or willingly, every teen is influenced by the media around them at some point in their life. It is safe to say that there are more than enough media outlets that transmit all sorts of trendy entertainment from movies, to sitcoms, to articles that have uncanny details about celebrities and their lifestyles. So how does this really affect the mentality, aspirations and lifestyle of teenagers?
Tunes influence dreams
On a fine day, you are listening to your favorite playlist on Spotify, as a form of entertainment. While it may just be playing in the background, every song you listen to impacts you. Certain catchy lyrics tend to instill in your minds; a new opinion or information, based on which your lifestyle would drastically change.
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Let us take a famous example: God's Plan - a vibey song by the influential music artist ‘Drake’, has probably marked its place in your playlist right now. The line "I only love my bed and my momma, I'm sorry," has gained a lot of social media traction, due to its clever play of referring Drake's son's middle name : Mahbed.
The blend of humor conveys a message that success requires focus, and an elimination of distractions. Through this humor, Drake has influenced a lot of teenagers by referencing his difficult rise to stardom, and how hard work was the reason for it all. Several teens have used this specific line as captions for their social media posts, recognizing it as a slogan for success.
Lifestyle posts
You have probably seen many celebrities post reels or pictures about their healthy meals, their workout routine or their daily habits. At first glance, after looking at the name of the account that posted it, teens get motivated to follow the same routines as the celebrities that they idolize.
For instance, if Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson posts a motivational quote along with a picture of him in the gym, most teens would probably follow his footsteps, and go to their nearest gym in hopes of becoming like the Rock himself. While such innocent instances are just teens getting inspired, they may not always be for the good.
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Many influencers post about plastic surgeries and their undying love for makeup. If young girls look at such posts, they probably get the idea that beauty is standardized and begin to question their self image, and consider whether they need such surgeries too.
These instances can cause insecurities in teens, causing them to lose confidence in themselves, as they tend to picture ‘ideal body types’ and start hating themselves. Therefore, celebrities do not always have a good influence on their audience.
Activism
Celebrities can use their power and fame for a good cause. For example, NBA star Stephen Curry and his wife Ayesha, have had an immeasurable impact in their community, by founding the ‘Eat, Learn, Play’ organization for Child Hunger Relief. They have spread the message, through various social media posts with visuals of them engaging in community service.
Such acts have inspired teenagers to engage in community service themselves by recognizing the need. There have been various such events, where teenagers have actively volunteered by seeing kind acts done by their favorite celebrities. Through such mediums, more and more future activists have been emerging.
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Fashion trends
What's in and What's out? The question that many teenagers think about, when looking through their wardrobe. Who determines this?
Celebrities. “Hey look, Travis Scott is wearing a beanie! They must be trending again”. That's right. Even though they may have previously considered a particular piece of clothing to be outdated, seeing a celebrity wear a similar piece, is almost certain to change teenagers' opinion on it. According to teens, celebrities create trends and influence fashion.
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Unrealistic Expectations
Seeing celebrities can often make teenagers feel like they don't have enough. To be fair, after seeing Taylor Swift leave in her private jet just to travel within the country, it might be a bit underwhelming to accept that all you have, is a car. While that is more privilege than we realize, teenagers often dismiss that, and get unrealistic expectations, of how life should be.
Celebrities show only their best times on the internet - we may never know their struggles. But teens often get influenced by their activities, and forget that life is not just a bed of roses. Of course having dreams is not wrong but getting unsatisfied with the fact that you do not have 50 million Instagram followers or 20 pairs of shoes, is simply unreasonable. Teenagers are heavily influenced by what their favorite celebrities do - which can lead them to get unsatisfied with their own life.
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Ultimately, it is important to remember that celebrity culture can inspire teens, but they should view it critically. Stars often show a selected version of their lives that may not match reality. Although it's normal to want to be like your favorite celebrities, remember that real success comes from staying true to yourself and following your own unique journey.
As Billie Eilish points out in her song "everything i wanted," what we dream of isn't always what we expect.
