Amanda Bynes Just Shaved Half Her Head. So What?

NEWS FLASH: Amanda Bynes shaved her head! Well, not her whole head. Just one side, in a fashion, androgynous, cool girl kind of way. It looks okay, she seems happy about it. This has been the news — or so E! would like us to think.   

Reporting frivolous “news” stories this, about a troubled star doing basically anything, definitely feeds into their downward spiral and sends weird messages to media hungry youth, but entertainment news reporting, especially on the genres weakest of individuals, is what makes America great.

The accountability of public figures to appear faultless and flawless is nearly impossible, which is how entire television channels and publications are dedicated to such privacy invading information. The trainwreck case (see Lindsay, Britney, etc.), causes public concern for these lost souls and evokes criticism over the amount of attention given to a star’s personal downfalls.

What is this teaching your children? Your peers? Well, first off it’s teaches people to one, not screw up, and two, if you want attention, just screw up. It’s a time honored tradition, the battle between the tact and the tactless; the cool versus the desperate. Most of us walk the line between the two and can remain moderately successful.  

Amanda Bynes knows what she is doing. She has managers and PR people, career strategists who crafted her into the model of her demographic that she has eked success out of in since childhood. It is naive to think otherwise. Partaking in her current odd behavior is the equivalent to a non-celebrity entering a reality TV show, except Bynes does not have to audition, she just has to tweet. And if she really is crying for help, who better to cry to than the whole world?

The whole “privacy invasion” argument is no longer substantial for a public figure to complain about. If you’re pursuing entertainment or political career you auction your private life for the package, the fame. Judy Garland could have complained about this epidemic, but Amanda Bynes, as a modern citizen of the world who does not live under a rock, knows what happens when she presses send. 

The media should definitely keep covering troubled stars, creating ad space, and teaching our youth how to make it in a capitalist nation.