The Ritual De-flowering...

...of our child stars continues apace. This time it is (shock!) Disney star Ashley Tisdale of High School Musical fame, who has decided that the best way to demonstrate her womanly maturity to the world is to pose naked for Allure magazine... but it doesn't actually show her girlie bits, and it's in black and white, which makes it "art", right?

If there's one thing a young starlet can't afford, it's a wholesome reputation. Tisdale's comrade-in-charms, Vanessa Hudgens, got her ritual de-flowering out of the way by posting nude pictures of herself on the internet... twice. Direct and low-budget. What better way to make it clear that she is NOT her brainy and shy High School Musical character? She has boldly and courageously shown that she can be as dumb and slutty as anyone.

The entertainment industry has always eaten young girls alive, but the process has gone from being more or less hidden, to being cynically accepted, to being practically celebrated. Ironically, the current idea is that by taking her clothes off, a young woman puts herself "in charge", and becomes master mistress of her own destiny. Forget the pioneer women, the Civil War women, Harriet Tubman, Marie Curie, Susan B. Anthony... forget our own mothers and grandmothers who lived through the Great Depression and WWII... (don't even talk about the saints) today, being a "strong woman" means getting sexual in public... early and often.

As Mark Shea says, "We are Paris Hilton people in an apocalyptic world.".

One reason to appreciate my daughter that much more. She loves art, loves her anime and costuming ("cosplay"), she loves the simple things that make life great - cooking and eating family meals, stargazing, fishing, nature walks, camping. She loves her faith and doesn't give a wet slap about the celebrity culture. She just is who she is, and likes what she likes, for its own sake.

Comments

[The Pachyderminator]

Tim J. is still alive!

Is he still a bearded Catholic?

[Gordon R. Vaughan]

Wall Street Journal had a good article a couple years ago about how Hollywood often rewards actresses who play prostitutes, etc., early in their careers, generally portraying them in a favorable light:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123507596209225865.html

[Tim J.]

I'm alive, pachy, and about to crawl out from under my rock!