Tweens adore them and teens envy them

“Are we raising a generation of ‘prosti-tots?”

I know parents have worried about the influence celebrities have on their children for generations.  Newsweek is featuring a story on this very influence this week.
I remember my grandmother telling me stories of having banned Elvis from her home and nearly falling from her chair when television went from Lucy and Ricky Ricardo (I Love Lucy) and Rob and Laura Petrie (The Dick Van Dyke Show) sleeping in separate beds to showing passionate love scenes on Young and the Restless.

I don’t recall there being much fuss over my own ‘teen idols’ outside of everyone thinking the Rock Groups KISS and Motley Crue were spawned from Satan himself.  But even with a horrible as these groups were supposed to have been…I don’t recall there ever being anyone or any group of celebrities push the envelope quite as much as Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.

I’d red an article once that indicated these women are going for the ’shock factor’ of sorts by exposing their recently waxed precious parts for the paparazzi to capture in only ways they can.  Even if that were so, why would these women, one of which already has children, want to expose themselves to our teens and tweens?  Surely they are smart enough to figure out that it’s these youngsters that are keeping them as popular as they are.

I suppose I’m lucky in that my children haven’t taken much notice to any of these celebimbos – knock on wood – and that they’d rather do something constructive with their time rather then hang out waiting for the next crotch shot of Celebs Gone Bad.

Are you a parent struggling with the impact these women are having on your children?  If so, I’d love to hear some stories of how you deal with it.  It seems to be a growing problem and one I’m sure many parents after you would appreciate some direction in.