Disney stars gone rogue: It’s not that serious

Shia LaBeouf is an alleged drunk, Stacy Ferguson is busy being “Fergalicious,” Christina Aguilera forgot the National Anthem, Demi Lovato went to rehab, Vanessa Hudgens is queen of the nudes, Hannah Montana is swinging from wrecking balls, and Raven Symone has lost her marbles.

By now, it’s obvious these people are former Disney stars. As each of them transitioned from Disney to the big boy table, critics watched them like hawks.  Although it is common for young adults to play teenage roles nowadays, we can’t expect someone to stay an “innocent” Disney actor forever.

It’s funny because the people who criticize them the most are the ones who grew up watching them on TV. I’m guilty of judging a star or two, as if I haven’t made huge mistakes myself.

We look down on these former Disney stars for sexually explicit songs, alcohol and drug use and excessive partying, all things that characterize things we as college students encounter continuously. The only difference is our dirty laundry is not aired on TV talks shows and exaggerated tabloids.

If these people weren’t famous, their lives and mistakes wouldn’t be highly public or looked down upon. It’s natural that people outgrow childish television shows. As college students, for the most part, we have shifted from watching TV stations such as Disney to FOX and USA. Many of us have gotten rid of TV itself and rather watch Netflix. So how can we blame a Disney star for doing the same?

Take Kiely Williams, the former country Cheetah Girl known for her hot sauce and cowboy boots. Everyone was in total shock when she became a solo artist and debuted in the sexy music video for her song “Spectacular.” No one could believe that the cheetah sistah was in sexy attire and singing about being intoxicated and having unprotected sex. Does the contract for being a Disney star say that one is not allowed to do the stupid things that stupid teenagers usually do?

Moreover, partying, clubbing and sex are part of college culture. So the things she sung about in her song are not new to the young adult community. Even though many of us do not participate in all aspects of the college culture, we would be lying if we said that we didn’t know it existed. Even if we haven’t experienced it first-hand, movies and television shows are not too far off with how rebellious college students can be.

That being said, there is no difference in the average young adult making mistakes and young adult who was a Disney star making mistakes. We are all inclined to make our mistakes, experience life and, ultimately, learn from our actions. That is unfortunately a part of our human nature ― it’s just that some people make greater errors than others.

Regardless, we shouldn’t act like we’re flawless and look down on someone who was a former child star. We have to remember that we don’t actually know these people, and those child roles are just characters they played. It’s a little hard to see the other side of Hannah Montana, but maybe that’s who Miley Cyrus was inside all along.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Leave a Reply