Is there a Disney girl curse?
First Britney Spears, then Lindsay Lohan. Now Demi Lovato becomes the latest Disney star to fall apart. What's going on in the Magic Kingdom?
Disney Channel singer and actress Demi Lovato, 18, has checked into rehab, joining a seemingly endless parade of Disney starlets into the tabloids. There was former Mouseketeer Britney Spears' meltdown, Vanessa Hudgens' nude photos, Miley Cyrus' dirty dancing, and Lindsay Lohan's run-ins with the law. And now Lovato, the "Camp Rock" and "Sonny With a Chance" star who was discovered at age 8, has dropped out of the Jonas Brothers' tour to deal with "emotional and physical issues." Is the Mouse House to blame? (Watch an NBC report about Lovato's rehab stint)
Yes, Disney puts girls under too much pressure: Lovato has her own personal demons, says Mandy Stadtmiller at the New York Post, which reportedly have included eating disorders and cutting herself (which her publicists deny). But the "high-pressure world of Disney" surely "accelerated her downfall." Disney packages its princesses as sexy adults, "when, in reality, they are still little girls, growing up far too fast."
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Nonsense, it happens to all child stars: Because of Disney's "wholesome" image, says Joal Ryan at E! Online, its stars are just placed "under the microscope" more than other kids. But they are no more destined to self-destruct than "Brat Packers," or Nick kids, or "garden-variety child stars." So, yes, Demi Lovato is hurting, "but no, she's not cursed."
"Is there a Disney star curse?"
All parents should learn from their troubles: Parents, you know the drill, says Mary Elizabeth Williams at Salon. Just as we did when when we imposed "no Googling Vanessa Hudgens" policies, we must remind our daughters life "is not all fairy tales and bursting into song." Growing up is hard, and "every six-year-old in a toy tiara" is now learning, courtesy of Disney, that sometimes before you can ride into the sunset, you have to check into rehab.
"Demi Lovato: Another Disney princess falls"
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