The Tragedy of the "Teen Queen"

[@ana-isabel]

Thanks for watching! 🙌 If you guys are curious to learn more about the harrowing sides of child stardom, I can’t recommend Jennette McCurdy’s book, “I’m Glad My Mom Died” enough. It offers a highly vulnerable look into the dark realities of fame at such a young age, and far more thoughtful, nuanced insight into abusive stage/narcissistic parents than its “shocking” title suggests. A must read 💯

[@DrawciaGleam02]

Can I recommend a video about this so-called "teenage dream"? Shansspeare made a video showcasing how the media's constant push of the teenage dream affects the self-esteem of adolescents.

[@nicolenovi4619]

Hi Ana its my first time watching and you did a great job!!! I recommend a video about guys who become stars but dont like the spotlight and who hate being famous.

[@saga685]

Every time I see footage of Brook Shield's childhood career, it makes me incredibly uncomfortable. How anyone thought that was appropriate is beyond me.

[@toydigger]

It was her own mother who let her be exploited. This is true in many other cases.

[@danielle3528]

It also make me cringe. Drew Barrymore also. 😢

[@sensitivebabe]

Sadly enough, I think they knew 100% it was inappropriate. I don’t think they cared that it was inappropriate 😕

[@pettykittyfam]

​@@sensitivebabeFacts 💯 We always KNEW it was wrong we simply didn't care and clearly mostly still don't.

[@WhitneyDahlin]

​@@toydiggerthat's what I was going to say everything that happened to Brooke Shields is her mother's fault. The one person who is supposed to love and protect you. The one person who is supposed to lay down their life for your safety. Chose to put her in these terrible situations knowing it not only put her daughter in danger, it traumatized her mentally. What kind of parent would let their ten-year-old pose for Playboy? What an evil mother. She's even deserve to be called the mother. Everything that's happening to these women is their parents fault for not protecting them. I feel like if they had good parents they wouldn't happen in these situations at all. I feel the parents should be the ones who squarely get the blame in ALL of these examples

[@Jmaths1999]

All this talk of women not being "good role models", but have any of these men considered that being horny on main for teenage girls is setting a terrible standard for boys?

[@ana-isabel]

TRUE. Sadly I don't think a lot of them are self-aware enough to find anything with it (and probably subscribe to the double standard "guys will be guys" mentality).

[@lovestadance]

I felt uncomfortable telling my doctor about my sex life, I can't imagine having to explain it to millions of strangers.

[@WhitneyDahlin]

Yeah I agree!! What is wrong with these interviewers and reporters? Why would they think it's okay to ask that question????!! I can't imagine asking a child that, I can't imagine asking out fully adult woman that! I feel like these reporters should honestly lose their jobs for asking children questions of a x nature honestly

[@the_madhadder]

It’s interesting you brought up Britney versus Avril, because the one that I remember was more Britney versus Christina and that was a whole toxic mess

[@Roxanne13579]

The insane amount of tabloids and hit pieces I remember reading and seeing on tv about Amy Winehouse as a kid made me feel extra disgusted when later she passed away at only 27. It honestly shook me so much and simply did not want to participate in any sort of public shaming of famous women anymore. It's a shame that it is still happening to this day regardless :(

[@ana-isabel]

Yeah, unfortunately the practice never really left our culture (even if it's hell of a step up from the 00s). I remember Winehouse bearing a ton of tabloid brutality back in the day too - and particularly being a favorite target of Perez Hilton. Her death was a tragic one, and all this in retrospect makes it sadder.

[@MravacKid]

A big piece of why it's the teen girls who have to be the role models and the guys are heartthrobs is because girls are by far the more prominent audience of all the "teen" media. Boys stick to cartoons for much longer, and when they move on it's usually to action stuff, which doesn't bother as much to deal with teens.

[@billbill6576]

I’m ready for Hollywood to collapse completely, so many disgusting and horrible things happen there.

[@joshakins4923]

I agree it is super gross that young girls are abused or taken advantage of in the industry but I think this is why parents and a good (present) manager are so important to protect these young girls that are in the spotlight. Someone needs to be there to say "no she's not doing that or wearing this," and most children or even teens would lack the self confidence to stand up for themselves in that kind of way.

[@tonialston1968]

Sometimes parents are a part of the problem

[@minirth.maggie]

Billy Ray Cyrus was RIGHT THERE giving the a-OK.

[@kenim]

Children need parents that wont sell their children to hollywood in the first place. Once in the lion’s den, its pointless.

[@sammiewantha3942]

I agree but then the ppl hiring and taking advantage of these girls will just fire u for standing up for yourself and hire someone more willing to take the roles. It’s sadly not that simple and it’s a problem because these gross ppl have too much power and info

[@ana-isabel]

Regarding the parents bit - a perfect world would have them protecting their own children for sure. Unfortunately a lot of them do give the green light on these shady practices. Brooke Shields' mom approved of her nude (underage) photoshoot with Playboy. Jennette McCurdy wrote a whole book on how her own mother exploited her for fame and money, at the expense of her mental and physical well-being. I even remember the one time Billy Ray said "oh she's just being 16" when the director of The Last Song was caught grind dancing up his own daughter. It's a gross industry for young stars, and unfortunately sometimes the parents are also to blame.

[@chavesa5]

Brutal and completely necessary work. Fantastic job. Uncomfortable to watch but in a way that needs to be shown. Thank you for making it.

[@kenim]

It was before my time, so I was blown away by the Brooke Shields stuff. That and the Wizard of Oz grooming has been the worst I have seen.

[@uniraffesaur]

I feel like Jojo Siwa proves that there’s literally no winning. It’s not that they’re being too sexual, or too old, or a bad influence, because she was the opposite of that and still got scrutinized.

[@jefferyjones8399]

What's sad is a politician could make the same comment that she made about Britney today and the base would just cheer.

[@strayiggytv]

Yup. Heck they'd complain she's already too old at 21. Explains the rights obsession with abortion. They like em so young they're practically in the womb.

[@ana-isabel]

😔 What baffles me too is how tame Britney was in retrospect, and somehow it still triggered such a needlessly violent sentiment. Incredibly repressed stuff. Woman must've evaporated when she saw Miley Cyrus on a wrecking ball

[@ApequH]

@@ana-isabel It also baffels me that after telling Britney someone want's to shoot her the interviewer goes on to defend the politician by saying "it's hard to be a mom".

[@ebrim5013]

Yeah that was wild. I hadn’t heard this story before.

[@cuac232]

Very off-topic but as someone who barely paid attention to Britney Spears during my childhood in the 90s and 2000s, while watching this video I kept thinking "wow, Britney Spears looks a lot like Zoey 101!" I am dumb.

[@rarazalproductions519]

Absolutely yes to a "male version" of this video. It would probably be less about the objectification of their bodies, but I think there is a lot of value in looking at the whole "heartthrob hype" and the hate young male stars get when they are perceived as "prettyboys", aka. not manly enough (see: Justin Bieber, Robert Pattinson). It's especially noticeable when combined with the misoginy of people hating young teenage girls, thus hating those boys for being loved by them.

[@ana-isabel]

Got flashbacks to my high school years from how true this is! I still vividly remember when Justin Bieber was _the_ butt of the joke among my male peers, simply for being the latest "teen heartthrob" who sang love songs and had more of a "sensitive" appeal. I wasn't a fan myself, but I didn't get the scathing hate. Their insults were also often laced with homophobic sentiments - as if singing about romance to a mainly female fan base automatically made you gay, and as if that was a bad thing in itself. That said, you make a really important point with this and I think it'd make a great angle for a follow-up video!

[@oceanmango]

I completely agree, but another thing that comes to mind would be the Jonas brothers and their purity ring era. It’s disgusting that the media was so infatuated with the sex lives of literal minors

[@Lily-gr1ct]

The entire Billie Eillish album "Happier than ever" is about the sexualisation, the abuse of childhood fame. She has always been incredibly articulate, and it's unfortunate she had to learn that at such a young age. She shouldn't need to be, people shouldn't be asking strange questions or making sexual remarks. But she learnt extremely quickly and it's honestly sad to see if you think about it for more than 2 seconds. I remember one interview on the radio, when she was still 16/17, she just casually remarked "yeah I can't just go to Arby's with my parents any more without being swarmed by fans and papparazi". A child star is fundamentally such a pressure. Even without the sexualisation, even without the systematic industry abuse and manipulation of children. Your life will never be "normal". It has to be incredibly easy to fall into bad patterns. You can only really relate to other child stars, and if that friend group is already self destructive or abusing drugs/alcohol, it would be seen as so normalised that it'd be very easy to fall into it. I hope things continue to improve. With the fantastic Paris Hilton documentary showcasing years of media abuse to a sexualised figure, with more people speaking out, less afraid of consequences, with it being (slightly) less likely to be blacklisted after calling out the fact that you've been sexually abused by co-stars/directors/etc, it will hopefully slowly taper off. It'll never be perfect. Fame is crazy and honestly if I were ever famous I would absolutely hate it, but reducing the abuse and reducing the pressure on young teens, especially young girls, will be so important

[@ThatGuyYouKnowww]

This was definitely a crazy nostalgia trip without the rose tinted glasses 😓 I'd like to think as we've become more media literate we've grown past the demand for these gross examples of celebrity "journalism" cause wow some of those interviews and headlines were tough to get through. Definitely grateful that young artists and creators now have their own platforms to clapback on traditional media these days 👏Amazing work on the video as always Ana! Was also a fan of Avril Lavigne plus loved Joe Jonas (This is me is still a go-to karaoke song 😅)

[@ana-isabel]

Thank you! 🙏 sadly it does seem like tabloid culture is still alive and well though less feral than it was in the early 00's, which gives me hope it'll eventually fall into further irrelevancy. And omg Joe Jonas, he was my favorite of the three back in the day. Dude killed the "American Dragon" theme 🔥

[@AngelunaFortuna]

I remember loving Shirley Temple movies. I also remember feeling a bit weird about the dynamic between Shirley and the stand-in dads who "saved" her. I was cute but creepy. As an adult, I now understand why it squicked me out.

[@clarimm6675]

The weirdest thing to me when it comes to shaming women for their bodies is the fact that we are not allowed to show nipples, yet men are while the nipples are the one thing we have in common...? And when men have literal boobs, they are also not being censored, like what's that about? (It's a rhetorical question, the answer is misogyny)

[@rgxwrestlingmedia]

I feel physically sick having watched this. I was always aware of it being a thing peripherally but hearing the examples laid out back to back crept me the heck out. It shocks me there hasn't been any kind of law or legislation to curb this. Intentionally presenting a teenage girl for the purpose of eliciting sexual fantasies about her is, in my view, not indifferent from CP. Another great doc/video essay.

[@TeruteruBozusama]

Agreed

[@morgancason125]

The girls get the hate and questions on "what were they thinking" but not the parents. Why are the parents given a pass but not questioned about their parenting skills?

[@dansegelov305]

As a Brit, I remember vividly, and with the bile rising in the back of my throat, how the tabloids wrote about Emma Watson during the Harry Potter movie releases. It was utterly repulsive what they did to what was a literal child. Not a woman. Not even a teenager yet... An actual f*cking child!

[@NeonUFO]

Fantastic in-depth video. It's always so hard to watch how Britney was treated. Back then I never knew how bad it got because the country I live in didn't really showcase much American pop culture and I only really found out the extent of it a few years ago. I would definitely be interested in seeing a video about the boys side of this as well, aside from Bobby Driscoll I don't know much about it.

[@toothpastehombre]

You really put the work in on your video essays and I'm here for it. Skipped Christina Aguilera in the Disney Channel sexification treatment she got. You've shed some powerful light, appreciate the hard work

[@kimendable]

I love her album stripped especially the intro she did on her tour.. “just because my record name is stripped, does not mean you can take my clothes off” ICONIC

What's always funny to me is that no parents ever spoke out in favour of their child, let alone defending them, as the abuse was ongoing.

[@withoutaname-u3m]

Justin Timberlake not only threw Britney under the bus. Remember what he did to Janet Jackson at the Super Bowl halftime show in 2004? That nearly destroyed her whole career. He saw no consequences.

[@ana-isabel]

YES! Girl was banned from the Grammys and reportedly had her songs/mvs taken off VH1 and MTV. It's worth noting that they both apologized (although I don't see how Jackson was at fault), but Timberlake went on with his career mostly unscathed, very cool 💀

[@withoutaname-u3m]

@@ana-isabel Janet had nothing to apologize for. I was only 14 at the time, but I remember thinking people were blowing it way out of proportion and super upset over nothing. It's titties. They're used to sell everything. But the moment one is shown, without the woman's consent, suddenly all hell should rain down on her for it???

[@farfelllee]

@@ana-isabel yeah I never understood how people would twist it to seem like her fault, other than being a woman. When just was the one who tore the clothing off of her in the first place lmao?

[@Z0MB13R0T]

21:01 This whole part of brooke shields saying she was naïve instantly made me think of newjeans and their ceo/creative producer min heejin. For those who don’t know newjeans are a new kpop group that has gotten really popular over the past few months. In their discography there’s a song called “cookie”, which at first seems innocent until you realize it’s talking about their private parts. Also weirdly enough one member, Danielle, dressed up as the lead from leon the professional for a photoshoot. Min Heejin is also known for having brooke shields and Olivia Hussey as muses/inspiration for her work. The group has a lot of controversies like this that pretty much all point to show that their ceo is a creep.

[@thehutch7728]

Oh wow. I love new jeans, and didn’t know that about the producer! I forgot they did Cookie. I remember being surprised that such young ladies sang that song.

[@cheyelenesingh775]

Such sophisticated and meaningful commentary and editing… the examples you used were specific depictions of female popstars that literally shaped my view on myself and what it meant to be a “successful woman” growing up. Amazing job bestie!!!! Also. Make up on point. Has to be said 🫶

[@ana-isabel]

THANKS DUDE aahh ❤️😭 literally female popstars and actresses _we_ fangirled over back in the day - doing research for this was suuch a trip back to 2008. Demi Lovato's early works - character-defining stuff lol. (I'm glad the makeup ended up matching my wig pretty well hehe - thanks man 🙏)

[@keiththorpe9571]

This was definitely one of the harder ones to watch. Make no mistake, great video as always, but so much of this just serves to turn my stomach. However, all of this certainly goes to show what an unhealthy relationship much of our culture has with human sexuality in general.

[@macyg]

Haven’t finished the video yet but the Ariel Winter mention reminded me of my own experiences of being sexualized as a minor. Like her, my breasts developed at an early age and were fairly large. I’d get all kinds of creepy stares, comments, sometimes touching from older men and boys around my age). Once I got older that went away mostly. I might’ve gotten better at hiding them 🤷🏻‍♀️ but idk. I’ve now had my breasts reduced and I’m a lot happier though I still have anxiety about showing cleavage. Edit: Finished! Another amazing video.

[@dronesclubhighjinks]

That certainly was an in-depth analysis! Suggestion for a future video related to this topic is how the media has portrayed young female stars' mental health problems in the past ("she's a crazy sLwt!"), and whether the media mindset is changing. The cruel ways in which the media targeted Britney, not only after breaking up with Justin Timberlake, but when she had two children within 12-13 months, while her marriage was unraveling, was absolutely relentless. I began to fear she would self delete, and realized with a sickening shock that the paparazzi would be overjoyed if that happened. Lindsay Lohan received similar media coverage in the early to mid 2000s. The media was still doing it a few years ago when Amanda Bynes was having problems. Are there examples of male stars, who have been similarly scrutinized? Ezra Miller is a very interesting case who managed to keep his job, despite all the criminal charges against him, which include gr00ming of young teenage girls. I believe he was also a child or teen star? The media uses the same approach with young female athletes. I thought 2021 was a real cause for hope with the Olympics and the very brave stances on mental health exemplified by Japanese tennis star Naomi Osaka and American best gymnast of all time Simone Biles. The sports media loves to find new young female stars to elevate them ("Wow, she is the next Michael Phelps, or Michael Jordan. Everybody expects her to win the gold medal."). When they achieve fame, the media starts to tear them down. If they do not achieve fame, the media drops them like a hot coal and moves onto the next athlete. Incidentally, they have a tendency to choose conventionally pretty female athletes. I know, what a shock. Anyway, thank you very much for this video. You are providing valuable education, especially to the viewers who are too young to remember the early 2000s. Thank you! 🙏😃🌸

[@ana-isabel]

Thank _you_ for watching, glad you enjoyed the video! The tabloids' ruthless mistreatment of mentally ill women in media would be an incredibly interesting (if not heavy) topic to cover, and an area I've unfortunately seen a lot of during my research for this one. As far as male examples go - the only one I can think of atm is Kanye West and how the media cycle has repeatedly indulged/exploited his mentally unstable antics, inexcusable as they are. But even then, recent coverage hasn't really attempted to tear him down further but rather use his episodes to prop up or glorify their own agendas. It'd be a weighty subject to look into for sure (and I wasnt even aware of its prominence among female atheletes) - will keep it mind for down the line!

[@konsumterra1]

25 year olds playing highschool teens with nudity needs a whole video gretta thunberg got lots of this weird countdown stuff and they use old images of her to slander and sexualise her - harry potter actor was abused for adult roles like Equis

[@TeruteruBozusama]

Agreed. Some of my neighbours thought "that's what teens are supposed to do, right?", so they'd go out in the snow with just a tank top and trousers and do sexy poses and wanted people to photograph them...

[@carynfisher9463]

Daniel Radcliffe said it exactly. Good on 'ya for including the clip of him saying that. Also, perhaps it would be good to point out that, reportedly the most common male sexual fantasy is the "Catholic School Girl". Not blaming men, or calling them all pedos, or excusing anything, but I mean, what your video is talking about is kind of baked right into the name of the costume: School Girl.

[@rockyetsx70]

Wow, Ana, this was a solid piece of documentary video work. Really well done, nicely edited, and no punches were pulled. Well researched and well presented. And you found some incredibly cringy and creepy interview clips to drive the point home. Sadly it probably wasn't difficult to find creepy interviewers or examples of heinous behaviour by people in the industry, media and general public. Hollywood really has a puritanical streak compared to Europe, and that adds lots of fuel to this fire (and likely more creep factor from the American viewing public). Disneyfication isn't restricted to images of wild animals, it also applies to young stars. It's astonishing how many people have an opinion about the way women look and behave (whether they are celebrities or not), all this zealous urge to control women and make them fit some internal image or viewpoint. Feral is a good description.

[@perfectallycromulent]

um, Europe maybe doesn't have Hollywood's puritanican streak. But Europe's love of grown men having sex with teenage girls (sometimes not even that old) is hardly an admirable replacement.

[@rockyetsx70]

@@perfectallycromulent That's definitely true, and not defensible. The US media has a 13 year old boy's fascination with breasts and sex. All the things they aren't supposed to see or talk about.

[@sydney9011]

For child stars growing up in the public eye, if you cant picture it, remember when you were like 12, going through puberty and an aunt, or god forbid an uncle, comments on your growing body, how mortifying it was?? Amplify it x1000

[@jooeyyjn]

Your cosplay is speaking "cotton candy rock star princess" and you look awesome.

[@ana-isabel]

Absolutely living for that description haha - thank you! 💜

[@FellowMusicFan1]

This is probably my favorite video you've done yet. Really well done.

[@ana-isabel]

Thank you! 🙏

[@HealingMedicyn]

It’s never made sense to me, how coming from a poor family I had to get working papers & be strictly monitored while I was working at 14 yrs old. Could only work certain jobs for certain amounts of hours. Yet Hollywood seems to be above this law completely & is totally able to force literal children to work basically slave labor? With absolutely no punishment. That is so crazy to me. Shows VERY clearly to me how laws apply to us regular folks & the rich can make their own rules. & bc of that, abuse prevails. A lot of ppl have manyyy things to answer for imho.

[@marie22213]

Great coverage on this issue! Hollywood has needed to be stopped forever. Keep speaking until it does stop!

[@talyah23]

K-pop and J-Pop and manga/anime should have been mentioned here too. While the later are animated, young girls are hyper sexualised for older men and the same goes for how young amd young looking Kpop and Jpop stars have to be.

[@ana-isabel]

Given that these industries are entire beasts of their own, this could probably be a future video topic! But yes, it's hard to miss the _rampant_ hypersexualization of suuuuper young girls in anime; I honestly find it frustrating sometimes trying to find shows that don't have those awkward moments of creepy fan service.

[@TrippyKitty08]

Not all of it is bad but TONS of it is for sure. Even the old stuff. I was watching 'magic users club' a shoujo anime from the 90s and there was a scene were they had to ride people like brooms???? I looked up and they had girls just sitting on boy's laps while they laid straight. It was WEIRD. I literally thought 'this is some groomer shit' like, not ok. Why include a scene like that?? I looked at the back of the tape and it was written and animated by mostly dudes.😅

[@talyah23]

@ana-isabel no for sure it makes sense to do a whole video. It's really great what you're doing...making these kids of videos. People need to see what we as fans contribute when we buy into the studio and industry rubbish. Thanks for all the hard work you put in! You're videos are brilliant. And hi from Cape Town, South Africa 🤗😁

[@t3tsuyaguy1]

Natalie Portman in particular has done a very strong job of articulating the rot that is the treatment of young female celebrities, and it is while listening to her that my own thoughts crystalized years ago. There are so many aspects of the problem that are disturbing and wrong, but the part that bothers me the most is the that these young people are denied the ability to fully engage with their own development. No one is wholly bookish and prudish or entirely sexually driven. We are complicated and multi-faceted creatures. All of these young women are many things at once, and they should have been able to explore those many facets of their being without the danger of falling off of a tightrope. No one should have to craft an image in order to feel safe in their own body. No one should have to choose between whether they want to be taken seriously for their intelligence or considered a sex symbol. None of that should have to be the focus of a developing mind. The focus should be on understanding all aspects of themselves, so they can fully develop into an adult.

[@nayeemhi]

Someone needs to make a video just like this about the kpop industry. There is so much wrong there it almost feels embarrassing to be associated with the culture

[@CreepyBlackDude]

For young men, the dichotomy is more "does he LOOK old enough or not. When you mentioned Twilight and my first thought went to Taylor Lautner, who was 16 when that movie was filmed and had full grown adults who knew him for nothing but his body, and most would not say anything if anyone went after him even at that young age.

[@abrielle13]

It's interesting how men in the industry are expected to look older and masculine, and women are expected to look young indefinitely.

[@ciaraskeleton]

Ive been chewing on this topic for a few months now. The entire nature of pushing a child into the limelight and having them reach the top before the age of 18. Then where is there for the kid to go? They cant go up forever, and then society judges them when they inivitebly break under the pressure. I grew up with Miley, Selena, Demi. Then i grew up a little, and the likes of Billie Eilish came on the scene at 14 (or younger) and my adult brain just freaked out. I remember seeing grown men count down to her 18th birthday, as soon as she became famous. I think we have the illusion that celebrities have more protection than us, but when theyre teenage girls thats not true. Theyre so vulnerable and theyre surrounded by predators and shady characters. Then they have society criticizing them for every move. The industry cannot get enough of teenage girls. The more you see it happen the more it makes your stomach churn. My heart goes out to them, no kid should be abused in this way. It is at the very least child labour and abuse of power. My mum used to hate me watching icarly, she hated me watching Nickelodeon in general. I always thought she was being mean, but she was seeing what i couldnt. I also went to drama school for 8 years, and i begged my parents to let me go to auditions for film and T.V, they said 'no, you can wait until youre older and you can then decide if you want to do it for yourself'. Again at the time i thought they were the worst, then i grew up and realised that they were protecting me. ❤ Thanks for talking about this topic!

[@ana-isabel]

Thanks for watching! I wholeheartedly agree and your point on the illusion of these teenage celebs being "bulletproof" is an important one. The industry they're in is exploitative in and of itself, and no amount of wealth can shield you from the unfathomable pressures of the entire world watching you (unless you quit being a public figure altogether). Like you, I dreamed of being like one of those teen Nick stars as a kid haha. Ironically - the more I read about their stories, the more I see how so many of wished they'd experienced a more "normal" childhood like mine.

[@valeriemalone2729]

Excellent work. You went into great detail. I had my eyes open to the predators of Hollywood since the two coreys talked about it its sadly difficult to find a child star that hasn't been assulted. The lolita thing also was a troupe i saw often growing up that adult men hitting on me or even myself being harrassed and even abused, i felt it was normal. Its even more normalized today but im glad more are discussing this on KZbin

[@TeruteruBozusama]

While neighbours of mine, classmates, and people I once considered friends loved everything showbiz, I've personally always found it very uncomfortable. One girl would scream at the top of her lungs that Britney supposedly was "ugly" for getting pregnant (we were... 9? At the time). So showbiz has always been disturbing to me and I've just felt that there's something inherently terrible about about it, so I've always wanted to stay as far as possible from it. I also remember being in an international magazine and candy shop, it didn't have much comics so I bought some candy and left. But among the "girl magazines"™ was a magazine that is kind of an example of this in both ways, it was a magazine about Prince Harry, for very young girls (there were some for older girls that I couldn't reach) with all kinds of information about him and "how to become his ideal wife", for girls younger than 10. Basically a "groom yourself" magazine for better or worse they didn't seem to work, but still disturbing that whoever made it even tried.

[@ana-isabel]

Oh my god, your mention of the Prince Harry magazine literally gave me flashbacks to when I'd browse through the "teen" mag sections of bookstores. The whole "how to be his ideal girlfriend/wife" was such a common headline copy-pasted across covers. Sometimes they'd be referring to boys in their teens too. But oftentimes they'd be interviews of fully grown adult dudes. 13 year-old me thought nothing of it at the time, but looking back to how these magazines were catered to literal kids just doesn't sit right now, how did no one find this strange?

[@TeruteruBozusama]

​​@@ana-isabel I have no idea! I remember thinking "poor dude, not only had he lost his mother, my teacher is a crazy fan who says she has more right to miss her than him and his brother... But also this stupid magazine tries deciding what his ideal girlfriend is for him, but I don't think girls my age is the right ones". The 90s and early 2000s are nostalgic yes, but I sure as hell do not miss them 😅 But please make a video about the boys too, they deserve justice too.

[@DrawciaGleam02]

Oh god, 9 YEARS OLD? Why say that, especially at that age???

[@TeruteruBozusama]

@@DrawciaGleam02 probably as she had heard adults say it, and adults are never wrong /s. She started saying it at school. As both of our mothers were friends with another classmate's mother we met every now and then outside school. So one time we visited her and we kids watched a show about Britney, and she (Britney) tried protecting young girls by saying a proper pair of jeans are much more sexy than a "skirt" she had been given. Said "skirt" was basically a belt with some fabric scraps attached, probably expensive. The girl I mentioned would disagree with her (and wear something like that "skirt" just 3 or so years later unfortunately, with full support of her mother for having become so "mature"). So I asked her "so, in the recordings from earlier shown here, Britney doesn't look much different from before and after she got pregnant, right?" she agreed, "but if you find her pretty in those before recordings, why are you calling her ugly after?" she looked like she was having a blue-screen of death, rebooted, then said like if a recording "because she's ugly when pregnant". I know she became a mother some years ago (in her 20s), but I have no idea how she or the child is doing now, I hope they are happy..!

[@nickthepeasant]

Fantastic video, kudos. The whole entertainment industry is pretty much by design a soulless predatory machine for all involved but it's attitude to young women is particularly grotesque.

[@ana-isabel]

And how they got away with unapologetically putting a lot of this treatment on full display astounds me 😩 (But thank you, glad you enjoyed the video!)

[@mista414]

As a child of the early 90s, I grew up seeing a lot of this, with Britney and the Olsens and Lindsay, etc. It was so prevalent and talked about on mainstream news and yeah, very weird and likely detrimental to young girls and boys. Cant help but feel bad for those who've been subjected to this so publicly, but gotta admire their strength.

[@AsherReigns]

Man, I remember all those people who were counting down for MK&A. I always thought that it was so gross to have all the adult men gafawing over them when they were teens.

[@remylebeau34]

Fucking Howard stern.

[@ShadowsVale]

What makes that even worse is their most popular role is/was Full House, which they started on at 9 months old, and were about 8 I think when it ended. These people were excitedly waiting for these girls to be legal, and the most popular image of them was that of very prepubescent children.

[@BozeDoesGodsWork]

@@ShadowsValeThat just shows you the mentality of America’s men at the time

[@t3tsuyaguy1]

I'm definitely interested in your perspective on the experiences of male teen idols. Your essays are well researched, and you strike a good balance between informing and opining. We're very different from one another, so your perspective is always enriching to mine.

[@ana-isabel]

Its always a nice feeling to have my work reach people with different perspectives or world views :) Thank you so much, I already have an idea for male teen idols down the track!

[@t3tsuyaguy1]

@@ana-isabel 😊

[@Korban1066]

This is a great video. It's a tricky thing to figure out how to engage with an industry that is hyperfixated on appearance and drama. There are going to be some inevitable situations where the people (often children) in the spotlight are going to be harmed by thier popularity and by the executives that are selling them as a product. The only way to make that situation better is to look at the creepy behavior of executives and interviewers and alter public perception about what is acceptable behavior. Isabel is really good at doing this in a measured way that isn't too hyperbolic.

[@moonbaby222]

i haven't watched the video yet but immediately i think of the 90s and the popular culture of lying about young female artists age (them being minors but were said to be adults/older) so they could release more sexual music/ have a more sexual image, such as destiny's child and other artists, it was very messed up...

[@Chickadeemedicine]

I likely have a less common POV among men as a masculine presenting person raised female (in the 90-00s) and brother of a 18 year old girl. I will never grasp how any man (or masc person) could ever look at a young girl when they themselves are an adult and feel any sort of sexual or romantic desire. I mean I feel empathy and the desire to cheer em on, build em up and not parrot the crap that made me struggle so much as a kid. I just kinda wanna tell em "Your comfort matters, always. In romance, in your body, in your hobbies and career. Speak up and assert that right without fear."

[@thecorby3415]

This won't solve all the issues here, but I think a good start would be providing all potential young Disney and Nickelodeon stars with a free class/workshop entitiled "'OK, Siegfried': How To Deal With Media Management, Journalists, and Other Useless Scumbags" taught by John Lydon and Steve Jones. Thought-provoking content as always!

[@twiggledowntown3564]

I really enjoyed your video on this. I've definitely noticed a huge shift now, then when I was a kid during the 2000s. It doesn't seem as intense anymore.

[@supercommie]

Celebrity culture. It's a hell of a thing.

[@arch3ddraftsman]

This was almost a hour long and a lot to take in. Also this is magnificent eye opening work.

[@ana-isabel]

Thank you so much! ✨️

[@SylvesterAshcroft88]

It seems like a lose lose situation for these young stars either way, and i feel bad for Britney, she got absolutely shafted by the media, it's not fair how women get unfairly treated, and I'm hoping that the bias is shifted now that there are more female operators, making their way to the top. As at the height of the late 90's i feel like the industry was still mostly dominated by a lot of male exec's making decisions, for very young female stars, which would be deemed inappropriate today.

[@indigosnow_]

Great video, important topic for sure for sure. As sad as it is to say given how fucking horrid it still is, it has gotten better and we can all only hope it continues to get better as time goes forward.

[@ninjaconsultantsixshot]

I heard that at a screening of Godzilla King of the Monsters at the convention G-Fest some guy screamed out when Millie Bobbie Brown appeared on screen and everyone else at the screening was super weirded out.

[@omar_padilla]

You've outdone yourself with this one, wow! This was perfect. You've opened my eyes to the side that never ever gets heard, I know have a new respect for these ladies and I appreciate you for opening my eyes to what was and unfortunately is still going on, but thanks to people like yourself I know that one day it'll come to an end. This was tastefully done but most importantly you helped the voices of you these girls to be heard and that...... Well that takes a lot of care, dedication and just a special kind of talent that is so so rare and beautiful. Thank you! There's so much more I want to say but I think you get the point lol. See you on the next one!.

[@ana-isabel]

This is the best I could hope for, thanks so much! 'till the next one! :)

[@CircusoftheMoon]

The Shirley Temple thing f**ks me up because I remember when I was a kid they used to sell box sets of her movies. They’d have like infomercials about them. I wonder if they were the creepy roles as well?

[@musicislove90]

I fully agree that Justin discussing his sexual relationship with Britney was wrong, and he should've known better and had more respect for her to not talk about that publicly. That being said, the fact that he was even asked about it and given a platform to divulge those details is pretty messed up. So I think anyone who asked him those kinds of questions is equally shameful.

[@ana-isabel]

YES true. It's insane how the media got away with such inappropriate conduct (this doesn't just apply to Justin but all the other young celebs mentioned) and how they were even celebrated for it. Like the whooping and applause for his little SNL jab was uncomfortable.

[@watcher8582]

There's one form of self-reflexivity I often observe. A recurring theme is people who rally against something that they think is morally not okay, while also a lot of your videos are structured to present something you think is morally not okay.

[@dizzynarutofan100]

Wow, people want others to stop doing things they think are bad? Shocker, m8

[@watcher8582]

@@dizzynarutofan100 human, all too human

[@Homodemon]

Your point being???

[@watcher8582]

@@Homodemon I give her a hand to notice her inconsistency, in hopes this is improved in future videos. I.e. win-win.

[@Homodemon]

@@watcher8582 I'm asking you what are you even saying there, it reads awful I can't understand your point at all, be less cryptic and prepotent next time, we don't all speak your language

[@entertainmentforlife4173]

Love love this video! Can't wait to see the male version! I would also love to see a black version as well and other races that Hollywood just didn't want to give any respect. I appreciate the touch you did, just would love to see more on how this industry treated non white child, teen and adult performers. Still love how you went over everything wrong how these phenomenally talented women were treated while growing up in the public eye. Keep it up!

[@revoltrightnow]

brave, intelligent, nuanced, sensitive journalism. I've come to expect nothing less from these videos! Thank you for taking on these heavy topics with such care, deep research, and compassion. I always learn a lot here. Please consider making a follow-up video about teen boys in the industry and the toxic masculinity pressures, especially from "bro culture" like that radio spot Timberlake was on. Abuse against boys and men is horrifically underreported as well, and since there is little to no culture or support groups for us, it keeps us perpetually hiding in shame and silence. Keep up the great work. I always recommend your videos to peeps.

[@silent_day]

You did an excellent job with this video! I can tell you put a lot of effort into your work and it truly shows. On another note, I am always so angry whenever this subject comes up because people are disgusting. Teenage girls have always been the target of so much harassment. It makes me want to projectile vomit (exorcism style) on anyone that puts these kids in uncomfortable and traumatizing situations. I will vomit on their tv's, their yards, their toasters, and their bank accounts. I will belch and vomit on everything they love

[@ana-isabel]

Your pfp fits the comment hahaha But thank you and yes, I support your campaign 👌

[@silent_day]

@@ana-isabel yes very good ty ty

[@GerroxJr1]

Always love seeing your videos! I was strangely curious in this topic even though I actively avoided it when I was young.

[@Xyliania]

Love the video essays! Always a good balance between different perspectives! Would definitely watch the more male focused version of this video too, as I think too often the men/boys who have suffered are overshadowed by all the men who got off scot-free compared to their female counterparts. Obviously women do suffer on a larger scale than men in these industries (and this video's scope is excellent and accurate regarding that), but for the men who suffer they do so equally. On an individual level the ridicule and dismissal of men who have been abused is just as abhorrent, the shame of not meeting arbitrary masculine standards for example being one form (the "you should have fought back" kind of narrative). Curious to see the next video either way, keep up the amazing work!!

[@Xyliania]

And that's without even considering how trans folks are treated too, which is definitely a topic we'll see in videos 5 years from now.

[@ashleyt4987]

I’ve watched a few of your videos now and the work is stunning. Well sourced, passionate, engaging. And you’re really hitting details that I’ve never considered. I was tearing up when Britney Spears started crying during that interview. Like wow. Super cool video, love your work! Subscribing for sure

[@Shimamon27]

I think I'm far more interested why people keep reacting to everything so massively. Like, the manner in which people take a bunch of characters on screen too seriously is ludicrous... As if people were perpetually on social media even prior to the internet. Like, why do people need expectations out of some random TV stars? Madman that drool over teens is pretty much obviously sick people... But, the massive reaction from average people just feels like a black mirror episode rather than reality. What causes people to go frantic over actors and performers? I grew up as a child watching most of these actors and having allot of their presence in the background... But, I actually never gave them much thought - they were always detached TV stars, I had nothing in common with them, and they simply entertained me in the shows I liked. How come people keep taking them with such aggressive obsession?

[@benjaminhenry7593]

This deserves more views!

[@laineydavis00]

Great video!! Your videos are always so thorough

[@mista414]

Avril was my favorite as well, and PS I love your look in this one! Subbed :)

[@ana-isabel]

Literally defined my child/teenhood! ✊️ and thanks :)

[@mista414]

@@ana-isabel same! Was a sad boy even as a preteen lol. And you're welcome. Made my day 😁

[@app1escruff]

Incredible video!!! ❤

[@InkAndPoet]

Thank goodness for that woman who defended Britney for that fan question.

[@ana-isabel]

And she seemed so thankful too, sadly this was a rare instance.

[@tulipchic34]

My daughter is 16 and to think of her being portrayed like a young Britney or Brooke makes my skin crawl. They are so young and naive. The adults should be ashamed

[@SkyeID]

Teenage Justin Bieber did have to deal with grown people putting their hands on him in the public eye, like at an awards ceremony for example. Those predators were almost exclusively women, and that doesn't make it any less disgusting.

[@ana-isabel]

I unfortunately did see a lot of grown women get a pass for gross behavior towards young male stars (Bieber included) back in the day, because for some twisted reason it's "less weird" when the genders are flipped. 💀 Something to discuss for sure if I get around to making a follow-up video.

[@Known_Liar]

Imagine saying you would shoot someone for uncivilized behavior.

[@metroscene]

Wait it never clicked that the Brooke Shields Calvin ad was about being commando …. I also saw it like a “nothin comes between me and my sister!” just like she did 😅

[@sapaulgoogdmen9542]

Always excited for a new video and can't wait for the next one. Whenever I have nothing to do at work and want to avoid having more I like to write transcripts to video essays and yours are always a doosy with how fast you manage to cover so much. Anyway great video!

[@justinw1361]

17:56 the interviewers really remind me of eric andre whenever he asks a really dumb or ignorant question

[@ana-isabel]

actually a perfect description lmao

[@SwordandShieldofYHWH]

Britney came up here in the UK when I just hit 21..not my cuppa tea musically but I saw her star power..i watched with the world when she broke down in public and shaved her head..lashing out at papz getting lit on liquor and licks..The little I know about the conservatorship is from watching Sloan's channel..but what I saw just now Wow.. seeing such hate levelled at the young sweet Britney arrghh broke my heart!! How nasty of those two back biting.. bitter most likely jealous older women to spring that on her and bring her to tears..then the other saying she'd shoot Britney if given the chance 😯😯😯 Shame on them..what happened to treat others as you want to be treated! Then the meme "it should of been Britney" rather than heath ledger!! My gosh no wonder Britney struggled..what a way to learn a life lesson..not everyone you meet will like you not everyone cares of your feelings! She went from being a media and national treasure put on a pedestal then sexualised ridiculed eaten on and picked over and ruined..Lord please heal her I pray for and hope for her recovery and happiness..that she will sort things out with her boys too.. 🙏🏻✝️🕊️❤️‍🩹

[@ericcarabetta1161]

My favorite thing in the world, are the pdf file conservatives that feel entitled to every aspect of these children's lives. They constantly defend the abusers and blame the victims, claiming that the children should've "known better". Any complaints of violation of privacy are met with enraged comments from people who feel they are "owed" the right to see everything that is happening.

[@arklados3596]

The Professional is one of my all time favorites and hearing Natalie's recount of her "fan" mail sickens me.

[@ana-isabel]

It's mine too, not gonna lie 😭 though honestly, I can't watch it now without shaking off the knowledge of Luc Besson's twisted intentions during its production. I also just want to pretend the director's cut doesn't exist.

[@arklados3596]

@@ana-isabel the worst part of the Directors Cut is how great some of it actually is. I love the scenes of Mathilda helping Leon clean. Then you get the overly sexy stuff and it’s so gross. While I understand that trauma can make kids act that way towards people who are nice to them, it’s really hard to watch because it feels so exploitative and disturbing.

[@ana-isabel]

For sure, I feel like they definitely couldve portrayed her trauma in a _much_ less exploitative way. There was even (allegedly) stuff in the original screenplay draft they _still_ had to cut out due to inappropriate sexual content, so it's sad to think the director didn't really have Portman's welfare in mind. But judging the theatrical cut *as a film* , I cant deny it's a classic. Probably the only Besson movie I've enjoyed.

[@Homodemon]

​@@arklados3596 Is a hard movie to watch now as a more savvy adult because now my brain is going "oh god... Some dude I'm his middle age probably thought that escene was arousing and worth sending her a creepy letter about back then..."

[@fionarose673]

This is the first video of yours that I have seen. You did a fantastic job on this subject.

[@morganbiddlecom]

I don't think children should be in the public eye like this at all. It's clearly harmful to so many of them and they can't meaningfully consent to being public figures. I don't care that we won't have music or shows made by kids anymore. Use animation or cg and adult voice actors or watch old stuff that already exists. It's all exploitation and our society is wrong to allow it.

[@Dave102693]

I was thinking the same thing. Stuff about kids can be done in cgi, and leave acting to adults…and use Vocaloids as music for kids. It’s not hard to do at all. Let kids be in privacy jfc!

[@DrawciaGleam02]

Except many old kids media is RIDDLED with these issues. Like a KZbinr recently covered all the problematic elements "Agent Cody Banks" had within its script.

[@meb1982]

I would totally lose it. That is too much pressure.

[@ydna]

a very well-researched video. although thinking about the amount of work you put into the sources and clips, I'm sure that wasn't an enjoyable task.

[@KingofCrusher]

I remember the Bangerz era Miley, I thought it was hilarious how worked up people got over that shit. Good times.

[@tashachristy09]

JTs apology to BS is way too little too late. Maybe im still appalled because it didnt ever know how personal his comments about their past relationship but its still super gross to even hint at bedroom specifics let alone his exact quote

[@Hallfreakyzoid]

Always love your work. But I think Lindsey Lohan is pronounced “Low” and then “Han” with a hard a like the word “Hand”. I’ve never heard it the way in this video before! 😂

[@CreepyBlackDude]

And Aaliyah is pronounced "uh-LEE-uh" as opposed to "AH-lee-yuh."

[@Hallfreakyzoid]

@@CreepyBlackDude oh good to know! I’ve heard that one both ways.

[@perfectallycromulent]

that is the last name of an Irish-American from Long Island, you bet that H is pronounced.

[@ebrim5013]

It took me a few days to build up to watch this one but I’m glad I did.

[@ana-isabel]

Yay, hope you enjoyed it!

[@humantrash1478]

Gonna watch this as soon as i get home

[@bourdeaux35]

What a well researched and executed video. Definitely a favourite channel of mine

[@guilhermenovo8967]

What an amazing work you've done ! I knew some of this stuff that I already thought was simply absurd but damn there was some much more and even more bizarre stuff I didn't know, so thanks a lot for the amazing research you've made !

[@akimomalrov3241]

Great video, I feel like this is just scratching the surface of what is really happening though. What I mean specifically is just the culture in general, the out of control judgement and drama craving culture. I suppose its probably more like "philosophical" of a debate to talk about the woes of society, but ultimately the core of the problem is society as a whole. For whatever reason, there is a stupid amount of money involved with the publications of body shaming, judgement, etc. But ultimately, the only reason why there is money is because the general population will continue to purchase these magazines, news things, or watch the videos and therefor watch the adds. Ultimately, we do it to ourselves and its a never-ending vicious cycle.

[@ana-isabel]

Very true. Though we've seen improvements over the years I sadly think there'll always be an appetite for consuming drama/gossip/malicious content at the expense of others. And there will always be people out there to serve this, given how tabloids like the Daily Mail are still thriving today. I'm not really sure how we'd ever fix that; it seems like a cycle that's here to stay (however less mainstream) for as long as schadenfreude exists.

[@AndorRobotnik]

The world is a nightmare and everything is awful. Grerat video.

[@SallyLock103emeCaris]

Great essay! Thank you for your work 😍

[@meander112]

Engagement for the engagement god. Subs for the sub throne.

[@grahamdamberger7130]

Really infuriating how young, non-consensual girls are oversexualized by the gazes of much older men who are thinking about how they want their daughters and granddaughters to look like without accepting the fact that people change eventually. Why is a 5 year old portraying an underage s*x worker? Why aren't they looking for 20 something women to portray that kind of character? Why are girls under the age of 14 having to wear really short skirts and not allowed to wear box shorts underneath? I really don't want to say this, but a lot of these men, as well as most of the parents of these child stars, deserve to rot in h*ll for how they behaved towards many of said child stars (and many of them likely will if they aren't already). And I say most because I don't believe all of them are like this. The Pixelberry game Hollywood U also tackled this subject when Lisa Valentine tries to break out of her Lisa Mermaid days by becoming a Pop Star, but her own mother wants to keep Lisa in that state of innocencethat she was in during the airing of Lisa Mermaid. If Jennette McCurdy has ever played that game or ever does in the future, she would resonate with Lisa Valentine more than she would with most characters because Lisa's backstory would remind Jennette of her own childhood. Or it would have the opposite effect and make her want to stop playing because it hits too close to home.