Subscribe
Previous Post
When I stepped out of the office today, I happened upon a crowd of several hundred kids, many of them in Girl Scout uniforms screaming in New York City’s Madison Square Park. What were these children doing? Well duh, they were in line to meet Selena Gomez!
Selena was alongside her Ramona and Beezus costars to sign autographs for their upcoming film. (There is a Girl Scout element to the film). At first, the whole ordeal was predictably absurd, until it became heartbreaking.
I spoke to a number of the families in line (in large part, Moms and kids) about why they chose to subject themselves to this borderline torture, why they love Selena and how long they would wait. Somewhere between 75% and 90% of the girls I spoke to, all of whom were 10 or younger, said they worshiped Selena simply because “she is pretty.” When asked if there were any reasons, one 8 year-old wondered, “Um, because she’s funny? I’m not sure.” Perhaps the deepest response was, “I like her because she dresses good and she sings good.”
I asked some of them if they preferred Selena to her former best friend Demi Lovato. “Yes,” they said, without fail. “Because Selena’s prettier.” “Because she’s prettier and she’s more talented.” “I don’t like Demi Lovato that much.” “Ehh – I kind of like her.” Well then, duly noted. In: Selena. Out: Demi.
It’s hard to tell whether all this can be better explained by a superficiality we’ve instilled in young girls, or whether the girls simply don’t have the vocabulary to express their tastes beyond aesthetic preferences. Or maybe they’ve just never been asked the question before.
The next most important question, of course, was whether or not it was worth it. Of the groups I spoke to, most said they waited around three hours to spend about 20 seconds with Selena and her costars.“We would camp out. We also went to see her at Good Morning America,” the Father of an 8 year-old from Queens said. Other parents were less certain. “We’ll let you know after we meet her.”
Unfortunately, not all the groups got to meet the stars they waited hours to see, which resulted, predictably, in tears. “I am SO upset, Mommy,” cried one of the girls, with fifty or so kids still in front of her, upon seeing the stars get up to leave once their allotted time was up. “I know you are. They shouldn’t do this to children!” exclaimed the Mother, who just five minutes earlier had been practically gleeful. The bawling girls were sad to watch in the same way that it’s sad when a kid drops his or her ice cream on the ground. Because although you know it is totally inane, there is nothing you can do. Because you have already driven home from the ice cream shop and a candy bar will not do. Because, sometimes, you just want to cry over the spilled milk. Or over Selena Gomez.
