Why do preteen girls fawn?

Don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about here! Every single year, there seems to be something that little girls just swoon for en masse. The current one that I am discovering is a crazy obsession with everything Twilight.

Twilight is a book telling the tale of a mortal teen girl who discovers a boy who just so happens to be a vampire. They fall in love but he's a vampire and she's a human, yada yada yada... yawn. Well anyway, this book is apparently beloved by girls (and their Moms) everywhere and the movie is being released today. But rather than talk about this silly movie, I thought I would take my time and talk a little about why it is that girls do this massive crazy obsession about things.

I think the clearest example would be Titanic. The girls loved that movie (and Leo, much to his dislike), so much that they watched it, and watched it and rewatched it, and watched it, and watched it again. They sent it into astronomical, record box office numbers. It didn't hurt that the movie was pretty good, and yes, I will put it into public record that I enjoyed that flick. I saw it 4 times I believe. But before you start calling me a hypocrite, let me continue because the issue runs deeper than simply seeing a movie many times. I see them multiple times because I am fascinated with the filmmaking process. The girls see it to satisfy something else…

The pre-pubescent girl craze thing is not just limited to films. Boy Bands were a recent fad that thank God died away. But now they swoon over celebs like Hannah Montana, Zac Efron, and now the star of Twilight, Robert Pattinson. What is it that causes these girls to melt and scream and cry en masse? I think the issue is much more spread than simply being about young teenage girls. Adults are capable of doing the same thing.

I have come to the conclusion that it is all about the celebrity. Our society and pop culture elevates these mortal men and women so high, that us normal folk look up and admire them to ridiculous levels. And an even bigger problem than just our looking up to them, we have corporations that sell us these people. Disney is the guiltiest. I can't see myself ever buying a High School Musical lunchbox or pajamas, but they exist. Or how about Hanna Montana's clothing line?

I have no problems with commercializing a product, but to commercialize and make money off a person's name, it kind of disturbs me. J.Lo's got a perfume line. P.Diddy has clothes to sell you. And don't get me going on the teen empire of Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. It sickens me that people produce this crap, but it sickens me even more that people actually BUY IT!! ARGH!!!

But anyway… getting back to the original topic... Why do girls, or people in general, fawn over the "celeb"? I believe it has something to do with the way we develop as young children. We tend to look up at the popular girls and boys, trying to love them, so maybe we'll be accepted. It's a very shallow way to be IMHO, and while I don't think that necessarily explains the celebrity, it is something that happens when you want to be accepted in a group. But why try to be accepted? Why do we humans want to be loved by others? Simply put... it makes us feel good.

But I think more so than what others think, you have to love yourself, and most importantly be true to that person. And if you are true to yourself, why would you need to be like others, like that "celeb?" Find who you are. That’s important, not what others think.

And this celeb craze is becoming a pandemic that I don't think people recognize. And that's the most dangerous kind.

Sphere: Related Content