The Transformation of Disney Stars (Supplemental Post #7)

Before they were big in Hollywood, many stars went through their “Disney image”. I realized that many of these stars went through a wild phase between their Disney and Hollywood years. Some of them recovered, like Demi Lovato that went to rehab for a coke addiction but managed to get her life on track, however others are still trying to find their place in the industry.

Since from a very young age, these Disney stars were pressured to live a life not fit or ideal for children. They were pressured not only by the studio but also by society, consequently making them break out and go crazy. Many of these stars used to have a very concealed innocent image created by Disney. Disney reached audiences from all age groups often profiting in the form of products for children that were created from their celebrity image. For example, there were dolls, perfumes, games, clothes and everything related to Miley Cyrus’ Hannah Montana.

Therefore there is a discrepancy between the image that they put on TV for Disney as good cleaned up kids and how they are in real life. Getting a DUI, being arrested for drugs, going to rehab are some of the things that these stars went through and that consequently caused contradictions in their image and persona. Many of these stars were portrayed as good and innocent kids but in real life were doing drugs and getting arrested.

For example, Miley Cyrus is a great example of how there is a paradoxical relation between star and the roles they perform. When she was Hannah Montana, many people only saw her as that – she disappeared into a role in such a way that people would’t think of Miley. I was never really into Hannah Montana or Miley Cyrus so for some time actually I thought Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus were two different people and that Hannah Montana was an actual person. Therefore Miley Cyrus was strongly connected to her Hannah Montana character and the moment she decided to go wild, cut her hair, get tattoos, do drugs, etc, her fans were shocked and could not believe that the sweet girl that played Hannah Montana and that was idolized was the same crazy girl that was setting such a bad example for young kids. Furthermore, the moment that she detached herself from Hannah Montana, she became more connected to her own body and person as Miley Cyrus.

Britney Spears is another example; she started out as cute and innocent as a member of The New Mickey Mouse Club but soon started doing drugs and was sent to rehab.
Here's Britney on her Disney phase: 

And here's Britney after:

Lindsay Lohan also went from being cute to a complete disaster. She is one of of the examples that never managed to recover from her wild phase.

Many of Disney stars perhaps go through these wild phases to break out from their Disney image and create something new for themselves that is disconnected to that previous image. However, there are exceptions such as Ryan Gosling and Hillary Duff who did not feel the need to go wild to mature from their Disney image to something better.