I swear whenever I turn on the T.V. these days I never see adults actually “acting” their age. I mean normally I hate saying things like this because it makes me feel old, but in this case, I’m just going to come out and say it. Back in my day children were actually played by children. *gasp* I know right? It may seem unfathomable, but it’s true. During filming Miley Stewart (Hannah Montana) actually was 14, Alex Russo (Wizards of Waverly Place) 15, and Zack and Cody (Suite Life on Deck) really were sophomores. It wasn’t until the limelight started affecting children negatively did things begin to change in the entertainment industry. For example, young actresses such as Lindsey Lohan and Amanda Bynes flew off the rails when the pressures of being famous pushed them towards drugs and alcohol. Their status in Hollywood led them to believe that they were invincible from the law and they made bad calls.
As a result, Hollywood decided that to avoid the drama of stressed kids and their strict child labor laws that limited their filming amount per week that they would just hire the adults instead. From a business point of view, this method made sense, but from a viewer’s it was definitely the wrong way to go. Now, whenever tweens see gorgeously fit, acne free teenagers on the screen they feel bad about not being as perfect when in reality the actors had already surpassed their awkward puberty phase. While trying to protect the minds of the youth, they ended up poisoning a lot more with disorders such as body dysmorphia. And the worst part is, the lines between adolescence and adulthood are slowly being distorted making the difference between the stages harder to spot on and off the tv, and we don’t even care. We just sit back and enjoy the show ignoring the fact that the characters we drool over are most likely 10 years older making it illegal for us to get married. And despite knowing all of this, we as young viewers still accept them as one of our own ignoring the age gap and making them our ideal youth appearance.
Please notice how 16 just happens to be the golden age for teenagers in the entertainment industry.
1. Regina George/ Rachel McAdams (Mean Girls)
- Character: 16-years-old
- Reality: 26-years-old (at the time)
2. Archie Andrews/ KJ Apa (Riverdale)
Character: 16-years-old (season 1)
Reality: 20-years-old (at the time)
3. Serena van der Woodson/ Blake Lively (Gossip Girl)
- Character: 16-years-old (season 1)
- Reality: 20-years-old (at the time)
4. Peter Kavinsky/ Noah Centi (To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before)
- Character: 16/17-years-old
- Reality: 22-years-old
5. Maya St Germain/ Bianca Lawson (Pretty Little Liars)
- Character: 17-years-old (pilot)
- Reality: 31-year-old (at the time)