Hollywood. Whether you admit it or not, as a child you probably dreamed about what life would be like here-a life directly under the spotlight. Maybe you thought it would be easier, less stressful. Of course, it would be. For a child, a life surrounded by an indefinable class of super-humans, fueled by glamour, glitz and fame would be a substantial one, right? Wrong.
For the young celebrities of the world, Hollywood can be a dream- maker, but more often than not, it’s a dream-breaker. Because as long as these enormous pressures are placed on child stars, many of these actors will continue to struggle with the stress that comes with the territory. This stress stems from the burden to look perfect, the responsibility of pleasing everyone and being the quintessential role-model for others to look up to. Sadly, these strains placed on a child by society could lead to harsh, life-changing mistakes.
For example, after acclaiming world-wide fame for her hit “The Wizard of Oz," Judy Garland was subject to a by-product of fame: pressure. As a result, at a young age, she was hooked on sleeping pills and barbiturates, in an attempt to remain slim and keep her energy levels high at the same time. Throughout the rest of her life, she struggled with her use of barbiturates and was even denied a contract due to the consequences of her drug abuse. On June, 1969, she overdosed on barbiturates and died.
Now, that doesn’t go to say all child actors are overdosing on drugs, or that we can confirm Judy Garland’s need for drugs was consistently due to the pressures she faced from society. However, what we do know is that her initial choice to turn to drugs was.
Many would argue that Judy Garland’s death in 1969 is irrelevant now, because in 2017 “things are different." Although it may seem logical to think this, in this day and age of experienced professionals and technology, “things” really have not changed.
Are we not still body shaming those who do not look the way we want them to? Do we not continue to criticize the actions of the famous without knowing the real reasons why? And when we don’t know the reason why do we not fabricate one ourselves? Just think about it, all of this buzz and focus on one person, who one may not remember, is still just a child.
And as a consequence of these remarks, we tend to subject young celebrities by themselves to a world known as “all eyes on them”-meaning if they achieve anything great it’ll be in the newspaper, but if they make a mistake, it’s on the front page.
As kids, you are encouraged to make mistakes and try out new avenues for your life. And whether you acknowledge it or not, you are lucky to do that in the privacy of your own home. But as a child actor growing up in the spotlight, you really don’t have the option to explore.
Which is why childhood stars such as Jodie Foster, Cole Sprouse, Natalie Portman, etc. took time away from show business to attend college. By doing so, they received an extended leave from their “super-human” life. Others—such as Drew Barrymore and Macaulay Culkin—struggled with drugs and alcohol. Danny Bonaduce from the Partridge Family was arrested for assault. And Lindsay Lohan was arrested twice for DUIs.
Because of the nature of show business, child actors are exposed to drugs and alcohol at an early age. At the same time, young actors begin to cope with rejection, jealousy, self-scrutiny, obsessive thoughts and a nonstop need to be perfect. As a result, these children are at high risk of becoming emotionally unstable, leading to drug or alcohol abuse.
We place so much burden on young actors to behave a certain way, or look a certain way, and we forget to acknowledge that, that may not be who they truly are. In a way, many of us can relate to their struggles. For example, as an Indian-American girl, people expect me to succeed at everything I do or have straight A’s. When in reality, that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Some even feel that the accomplishments, of their siblings or peers, pressure them into performing the same exceptional way. On the other hand, perhaps, one possesses the “honor” of being the role model for others and has heard the infamous line “Is this the example you want to set for her/him?" In addition to that, with the increase in the use of social media and technology, many even feel the pressure of “looking like everyone else." If we even struggle with the pressures we place on ourselves to act a specific way, imagine what child actors go through when the whole world assigns responsibilities for them.
The thing about fame is that it is truly intangible-it is more a label that the public places on an individual. For child celebrities specifically, success depends upon public reaction and one must maintain an endless show throughout his or her life to uphold the Hollywood dream for adulthood. So, throughout their lives, they continue to put on a show, which they may despise but makes other people happy. And though we may acknowledge this issue, we continue to think their fame, glamor and money are all enough to numb them from it all. But there isn’t enough money in the world to rectify for the amount of uncertainty many child actors have to just be themselves. So it’s time we stop trying to portray perfect children on television or trying to change who they are. It’s time we take responsibility for our actions and discontinue the obsession of the lives of others and begin living just our own for once.
