When an individual takes their first step into the limelight, the portrayal of their self image is no longer in their control, but in the control of the media. The “child” has been transformed through media storytelling into a different kind of political celebrity. The success of which depends on factors like whether the child’s ethnicity, age, status in hierarchy, and physical attractiveness will be palatable to the general American public. This ultimately determines if they are “worthy” of the spotlight which they so desperately try to obtain. Some of these young celebrities immediately fail, others will persist in their child fame, slowly becoming a doll in which is controlled and manipulated by the public eye. These children are the ones who really feel the effects of media stardom through the paparazzi, and in turn produce psychological and physical health issues as they develop into adulthood.

At the beginning of a stars career media attention helps them receive public recognition. Just the same negative press can kill a celebrity’s career, especially after the establishment of gossip columnists, which servers as a mediator between celebrities and the public. It is especially difficult for children stars to deal with this sudden public interest. They are now faced with paparazzi following their every move taking pictures of them from the back seat of their strategically placed cars trying to get the latest in the glamour of young celebrity life. This of course, reflects the changing nature of celebrity. People used to be famous for doing something. Now they can grab tabloid attention by having hair extensions or by being at a certain restaurant. It is for this reason that life in the spotlight can quickly grow tiresome and frustrating for these young teens, which in the end are flooded with light and blinded from the realities of the world.

Receiving public attention can make a star feel personally unworthy of criticism, as well as out of control of their careers. Unconditional love or blind hate from fans gives stars a skewed sense of who they are, and causes problems for them in their personal lives. This is especially dangerous for young stars because they often get an exaggerated sense of self-importance through their fans and media attention they receive. Unlike older celebrities these kids have had no previous connections or friendships, which in turn have them constantly questioning the motives of friends. This quote from Marlin Monroe sums up this whole issue when she said, "I knew I belonged to the public and the world, not because I was talented or even beautiful, but because I had never belonged to anything or anyone else."

The pressures that celebrities feel from being under constant scrutiny can often lead to self-destructive behavior. This is especially true for children celebrities who are suddenly confronted with public disinterest. Many ex-child stars turn to drugs or alcohol in the wake of their stardom. Bob Watson who is an ex-child star himself says “unless you have someone who loves you and will help you get through it, you’ve got a serious problem.” This is an interesting statement when reflecting on some past childhood stars, one which strongly stands out is Michael Jackson. He was not only a childhood star with a numerous media reviews, but also had an abusive father. Maybe it’s not so strange for him to be compelled by other children, after all he really had no childhood himself. Women child stars are faced with another form of addiction placed upon them by the media. That is the addiction for the perfect body; many feel pressure from the high standards placed upon them by their celebrity status which often turns them to bulimia or anorexia. Tracey Gold from growing pains developed anorexia after being put under public scrutiny. She had almost starved herself to death to achieve the “perfect body”, but unlike Michael her family and friends helped her over come her addiction.

You can’t fault these teens for rushing towards the spotlight; we swarm them with agents and contacting producers who often cast blinding truths about celebrity life upon them. By the time these kid realize what they have gotten into they have already been gobbled up by the media hype which in turn can lead and destroy their life. Being chased by paparazzi, having psychological and health problems are certainly not what the doctor ordered so to speak when they entered the entertainment business.

So how does one tell if the celebrities are in fact being violated or just doing their jobs? After all, most of them are actors, people that are able to play different roles and make people belief things that aren’t real. Who’s to say that when you see them on shows like Celebrities Uncensored that they aren’t just showing you something they came up with, in order to project a certain type of image. An image that helps them get jobs in types of roles. A recent example would be Paris Hilton, she isn’t really all that famous. She doesn’t do movies or modeling, she is the daughter of the hotel owner. However she uses the media to get her picture in anything and everything that would but her in it. It seems more like a marketing ploy then anything else. Like a writer distributing manuscripts of something he wrote. The actor or actress could be sort of showing off what he or she can do. It makes sense and would be a powerful way to get a lot of people to see you. That being said, in no way does that imply that every single person out there getting shot by the paparazzi is in fact acting. Some of those people really are out of control or really drunk or just in the wrong place at the wrong time. They do have their privacy violated, I’m just suggesting that it might not be all the time or even as often as you think. It could just be a carefully orchestrated act.