One of the most beautifully trashy reality TV shows of the last decade is Toddlers and Tiaras. Admittedly, I was frightened to watch it for a while; as I thought that I would be put on some kind of list if I did. One of the most despicable – and therefore most entertaining – parts of that series is not the toddlers themselves, but the pageant parents. These parents are absolutely heinous.
They take their young children, and force them in to performing under the guise of it being the child?s decision. How the fuck does a two-year-old decide that they want to parade around a stage like a stripper? Anyway, the awful parents push their children into pageants in order to get the financial rewards. Hmmm, exploiting young children for financial gain?
That reminds me of a rather famous couple: Will and Jada (Pinkett) Smith. One of the most visible families in Hollywood, the Smiths have become increasingly famous over the last few years. Will has gone from TV star-turned rapper to one of the most sought after leading men in the business. Jada, though not as recognizable as her husband, as also enjoyed a degree of acting success.
Together they have two children: Jaden (14) and Willow (11), and they plan to squeeze out every penny they can from them. (Side note: None of my judgement is cast on the children; only on Will and Jada.) The Smiths? first thought of the idea to use their children for monetary gain in 2007, when Jaden starred in The Pursuit of Happyness as the son of Will?s character.
It was a nice little publicity stunt, and Jaden is a great actor. The move was met with praise from critics and audiences alike; giving our suspects the sign they needed to continue their evil scheme. Since then, Jaden has gone on to star in a number of movies, most recognizably in the 2010 remake of The Karate Kid. How did the idea for the remake come about, you ask? To answer this question, all you've got to do is take a look at the film?s credits. Funnily enough, Jada and Will are listed as producers for the film.
I'm sure that, by ?producer? they mean ?money-hungry parents who oversaw production of the film in order to ensure that their son was involved; and thus bsnking themselves a portion of its profits?. Despicable. Hoping to replicate the success of The Karate Kid, the Smiths are reviving another ?80s movie; Annie.
This time, however, they are giving Jaden a break and instead exploiting employing his younger sister Willow in the title role. Again, the parents will be credited as producers, with Will in particular overseeing the foundational stages of the film. The way this seems to be going, in a couple of years they?ll have their kids staring in remakes of Top Gun, Flashdance & Ghostbusters.
The children will be exhausted and poor, but their loving parents will be sleeping a bed made of money and tears. Acting isn’t enough for these pushy parents, as they have also shoved their kids into having music careers. Jaden has appeared on a Justin Bieber track, and is set to release some tunes later in the year. It’s Willow, however, who has had a substantial impact on the charts.
In 2010, she released the track “Whip My Hair”. Everyone loved it, and few seemed to question the appropriateness of seeing a nine-year-old as a pop star. If you haven’t seen any of her work, take a look at the video for her song “Fireball”, with an appearance from child-friendly Nicki Minaj:
Yup, these terrible parents think its fine to parade a child around and sing songs that are inappropriate for someone her age. They make excuses for themselves by saying that it is Willow who pushes them for a pop career. I don’t doubt that, but she is only eleven! When I was eleven, I wanted to quit school and watch TV all day. I couldn’t though; because my parents didn’t let me.
I had to wait until I was eighteen before I could do nothing! I’m not sure what the endgame for the Smiths is. Perhaps they’ll stop at some point, or perhaps they’ll continue until every movie stars one of their offspring. All I know is that the only thing that separates them from the Toddlers and Tiaras parents is a great deal of money. And a full mouth of teeth, I suppose.
KB says
seriously? sounds like you are angry that you didn’t have these opportunities. nepotism in Hollywood/entertainment has been going on for years. where is your article on the barrymores? i’m sorry, if i had capital and the means i would absolutely make movies for my children to star in! who else would put them in these roles? my parents did everything in their power to see that me and my sister’s needs and dreams were met. not sure if you know this but there aren’t a lot of good roles for black people. go on, name some blockbusters (not produced by tyler perry) with black lead actors. i’m waiting
CYJ says
Couldn’t agree with KB more….stop hating
Jo says
Erm….The Help
Someone says
u sound like a real hater who is mad at the world. For anything they are setting their kids up for success. And i’m quite sure they didn’t force their kids to act. Sounds as if your childhood really sucked ass pal. 10 out of 10 you’re white *shrugs just keeping it real. smh
proclaimation says
I agree with your article. I don’t care how long hollowood has been doing this; this affects the audience watching this stuff. I had to deal with this trash (that was going around in 2002) with two teenage daughters imitating their idols and wearing trashy clothes (I’m just glad they didn’t bend over to pick something up off the floor). So many parents are struggling raising kids – either together or alone – and this garbage to make money creates a lot of rebellion in them. I would never sell out my daughters nor any one else’s child to such sleazy promotion. But we live in an age where not even childhood is sacred.