Amanda Bynes Twitter: What Went Wrong With the Troubled Child Star?

Culture

Another day, another arrest for yet another once-promising actress.

On the heels of actress Amanda Bynes' most recent arrest, and Lindsay Lohan's endless parade to her nearest district courthouse, one would have to ask the most pertinent question possible: When is fame absolutely too much to handle for someone so young?

Let's start with Bynes, shall we? Her breakout role in 2003's What A Girl Wants made Amanda an it-girl for the future. She steadily built up an impressive body of work which would put an actress of her talent in position to shoot to unprecedented heights. 

But in 2010, she had her fill with acting — although her "retirement" was short-lived. She reiterated her stance in September 2012 stating that she was going to become a fashion designer. Unfortunately, she is not known, anymore, for her sweet girl-next-door-with-edge roles or wonderful clothes. Bynes is now known for her troubles — which read this way:

On April 6, 2012, Bynes was arrested and charged with driving under the influence after side-swiping a police car in West Hollywood.

On June 5 of that year, Bynes was officially charged with driving under the influence. 

On September 4, Bynes was charged with hit-and-run related to leaving the scene of two separate accidents, one on April 10 and another on August 4, without providing proper information. 

On September 6, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) suspended Bynes' driver's license.

On September 16, Bynes had her vehicle impounded after driving with a suspended license. 

On September 21, she was charged with driving with a suspended license. 

On September 27, she pleaded not guilty to two charges of hit-and-run with her court date set for December 17, but before she had to appear in court, she reached a settlement with the other parties in the alleged hit-and-run incidents from April and August and that the charges were dismissed.

On May 9, 2013, Bynes pled no contest to the charge of driving with a suspended license. She was sentenced to three years' probation. 

On May 23, 2013, Bynes' allegedly threw a bong out her New York City apartment window. As of May 27, she's threatening to sue the NYPD, and her family in bizarre tweets.

This just screams, "I need help!" However, it's not just this particular 27-year-old actress. 

Take Lindsay Lohan as another example. The 26-year-old ingenue broke into the mainstream stratosphere playing the lead character in 2004's Mean Girls. Lohan also added a gold and platinum LP to her credit. She had a steady rise to the Mean Girls role. However, her downfall has been steady, perpetual, and hard to watch.

In 2006, Lohan attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. This was a harbinger of things to come. This led to less-than-favorable box office reviews for her subsequent movies, more attention heaped upon her personal life, and more pressure to perform well.

In 2007, Lohan was arrested for driving under the influence. That July, she was arrested for driving under the influence, driving with a suspended license and possession of cocaine. 

In 2008, with bad connotations assigned to her, then-senator Barack Obama refused Lohan's help to assist him in his efforts to win the White House that fall. 

In 2009, Lohan's DUI probation (started back in 2007) was extended another year due to failed court-ordered appearances for treatment.

In 2010, Lohan was arrested for missing a DUI progress hearing (May), was sentenced (July), and had her probation revoked (September) for a failed drug test.

In 2011, she was arrested for theft of a necklace (a la Winona Ryder 'studying for a role' in her arrest). 

In 2012, she was involved in a reckless driving accident — and later was arrested for providing false information to a police officer.

In 2013, Lohan's probation (which formally ended in 2012) was extended until 2015.

Now — is this funny?  Is this something that makes those who earn a lot less than these two actresses have tout in glee to their public indiscretions? Should their interactions with a court of law make anybody feel better about themselves?

The answer to all of those questions is a resounding, "NO!"

What it should do is sound the alarm. Lohan is 26. Bynes is 27. These two young ladies need guidance — as we all do, from time-to-time. Unfortunately, for these two, they need intense guidance. They are completely out of touch with their moral core. They are both at the age where the alarm bell should sound within them saying, "Wait a minute: This is behavior befitting someone in high school — not a 20-something-year-old woman. I need to stop before I hurt someone — or worse, murder them, and kill myself." 

I am certainly not wanting to see their demise. What I do want to see is their brilliance being displayed back on the silver screen or television — maybe both mediums. It is obvious they both possess a gift of immersing themselves in roles and bringing them to light. Could they stand to grow as actresses? Definitely. That's unfortunately not the point. The question which we should ask, now, is not if these two women can grow as actresses. The question now is this: Can these two women grow as mature human beings? This problem is not just female. We can look at singer Justin Bieber and see how untold material success, along with stability and maturity, can be a very difficult balancing act. 

Believe me: Their troubles to handle their success as a woman are no laughing matter. They need help — and they both need help now.