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Negative Impact On Media

When stars fall: Bad girls are poor role models for today's teenagers
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By Michelle Laczkoski/Daily News staff
Posted Aug 13, 2007 @ 01:29 AM
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Hollywood's "bad girls" Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are taking their high profile status to such an extreme that their partying has led to a combined nine arrests, numerous trips to rehab, and soon-to-be two jail sentences.
With pictures of their mug shots and scandalous behavior strewn across newsstands, parents and psychologists are left wondering what kind of message is this sending to young teenage girls.
Dr. Chitra Ranganathan, an assistant professor of psychology at Framingham State College, said the actions of Hollywood's bad girls are conveying multiple messages to teenage girls - both good and bad.
"Paris Hilton's recent jail sentence conveys the message that celebrities are not above the law and they have to take responsibility for their actions," she said in an e-mail. "It also conveys the message that despite laws, these celebrities are unaware of the reach of their fame and are conveying the wrong messages to teen girls about driving under the influence and speeding."
Teens, who especially look up to young celebrities for trends in fashion and lifestyle, have seen unhealthy patterns in drug, alcohol and reckless behavior among many young female celebrities.
Michelle Santospago, a mother of four from Millis, said she hopes other parents talk to their kids about the actions of these celebrities.
"I restrict what my kids watch and tell them that there are ramifications for their actions," said Santospago, who has two daughters ages 24 and 20.
Nicole Day, Bellingham PTO president and mother of two, is concerned with how the highly publicized legal mishaps of celebrities such as Hilton and Lohan will affect her children.