You as a parent need to decide who you allow your kids to emulate. If you don't want your 14 year old to dress like Britney Spears, then YOU take control. You can't control your kid happening to see a commercial, whether on TV or in a magazine, with someone in the ad that you don't like. Don't expect anyone else to not like Britney Spears just because some kid somewhere are getting the wrong idea. I compared her to Charles Barkley. Since when do athletes not get paid for their performance and/or abilities? This applies to their particular physical abilities in professional sports and in their mass appeal, which leads to endorsements. You are right that people choose role models, not vice versa. Again, you as a parent need to decide who you allow your kids to emulate.
I could be delusional, but I thought I saw some people comparing Britney Spears to Madonna in this thread. All I've got to say to that is L-O-fn-L. Madonna is the Queen of Pop, she was known as much for her MUSIC as for her look and antics. Spears is just hot, that's it. As for the parent part, parents can't be with their kids 24 hours a day. Networks need to take on some responsibility and show respectable programming when little kiddies are awake. Of course, we know that will never happen, because it's not profitable. Lastly...3 pages and no pictures?
How can you not see some similarities in early Madonna and Britney now. I seem to notice that because Madonna is so immensely respected and accomplished now, people retroactively (like the whole Paula Cole thing was it) assign respect to her earlier career and seem to forget that critics didn't like her a lot back then and many people felt the same way you do about Spears, she was all about looking good and controversy and not about music. Now I was only born in 81 so I can't say for sure what the feelings were back then but from everything I've heard and seen and read that's close to how it was. And I don't see how you can say Britney is not known for her music. I mean wasn't BOMT a number one hit, has she not received massive radio play (they can't see you on the radio), has she not had 3 albums go number 1, is she not 22 x platinum. People obviously seem to like something about the music. For comparison, Madonna's first two albums are currently a combined 15x platinum. So to say the start of Brintey's career is not Madonnaesque seems foolish. Again, she's not close to doing what Madonna has done but while not only being on the path to greatness, she is definitely the closest thing to Madonna out there now and the comparisons are bound to come.
Finally someone got with the program, go treeman. Ya'll don't think Brittany has star power?? I'll bet she could lead to the #1 best selling Playboy ever. Think of the title, "Virgin music princess bares all for the first time since coming out of the womb!!" Madonna's and Vanessa's sales would be put to shame. Got to love America. I think for every Madonna they are 50 or so female stars that after 1-2 big albums are claimed the next Madonna. To use a bastetball analogy, remember Baby Jordan? What Madonna has isn't that different from what Ozzy or David Lee Roth or Micheal Jackson has. You have to give them credit for their savvy in finding talented musicians and the best producers to join their ship, they have quality muscial products that resulted. Prince has it too, but he also has more musical talent to boot. Elvis <i> did not </i> have that savvy. I don't know for sure, but my guess is the odds that Brittany has that kind of savvy and future impact are like 1 in a 100. Now if she does that Playboy, I say her odds would improve by a factor of about 50
