The media loves sharing news full of rich twenty-somethings running in and out of clubs, dancing on tables, flipping the bird to the paparazzi, and walking their dogs in the latest fashions. Now, we all get entertainment out of it, don’t get me wrong, but, I have started to notice something that I had never thought about before. Most of the girls shown in the media are not even old enough to buy cigarettes.

Is there a difference between how we should respond to a tween versus an adult doing stupid things displayed within the media?

Are their actions just as bad as ours or better then those today of their own age?

I remember watching Hannah Montana on the Disney channel with the kids I would babysit. I do admit, the show was cute and had an annoyingly catchy opening song that took forever to get out of your head. Just a few years later, the same girl is now Miley Cyrus, just a little older, hair a little bigger, just a little more makeup, and wearing heals and skirts just a little higher. Every new music video or award show performance is criticized because, should a girl of her age be doing that?

Hearing the media question every move, every outfit, every lyric of young musicians and actors started to make me think. Is the image of Miley Cyrus now so shocking because what she is doing at her age is inappropriate or because the first time we saw her she was singing “the best of both worlds” on the Disney channel?

Is there an age limit that makes things viewed within the media acceptable?

From some of the things that I see on Facebook and hear within the media about young girls actions today makes me almost proud of young Hollywood girls like Miley. Instead of spoiling themselves with their parents money they are compiling checks that their parents would never had dreamed of through their vigorous tour schedules and studio time. Instead of attending basement parties and drinking alcohol their older siblings purchased for them, they are attending benefits to fight cancer and raise relief funds for earthquake and hurricane victims across the world. Instead of being sent home from school for wearing an inappropriate shirt or skirt, they are walking the red carpet in timeless dresses made by Chanel, Calvin Klein, and Michael Kors.

My point is, maybe it is time for young Hollywood to grow up. But, we have some growing up to do ourselves before we allow that to happen. Young actors and musicians have been in the public eye before some of us learned how to ride a bike. The wisdom and life lessons they have learned from their personal mistakes were posted all over magazine covers and news channels.

How many people knew about your worst mistake? I’m sure not the whole world! The media will continue questioning their actions and clothing choices, but that is only because that is what they have found sells magazines and sparks ratings. Why are we continuing to do it?