The pressures tied to celebrity status are likely something I will never know but a recent New York appearance by 'tween heartthrobs, Dylan and Cole Sprouse who play Zack and Cody Martin on Disney's The Suite Life made me think that perhaps those pressures have put these boys in a cooker that's about to pop. The boys' television series has spawned computer games, a clothing line and now books, and the twins have embarked on public appearances to sell their wares.
My kids and I waited in line for nearly three hours together with hundreds of other adoring fans only to be displaced and, more importantly, disappointed. The twins entered Borders Books at Columbus Circle in New York for a book signing through a side entrance. Accompanied by an impressive detail of security guards, publicists and other "professionals," the twin darlings slipped in to their seats. They were greeted by anxious parents and their children who rushed the barriers and destroyed what had been an orderly serpentine line throughout the store. It wasn't so much the bad behavior of the other parents setting poor examples for their children that threw me for a loop (I've witnessed mob-mentality before and although I don't like it, I get it), but the fact that the reward for waiting was nonexistent: the twins didn't offer any insight to themselves as readers, any encouragement to the kids to be readers, nor did they appear to be grateful celebs. Instead, they came across as aloof boys who would have preferred to have been anywhere else but where they were. They are teenagers, after all. Eventually we made it to the front, got our books signed, and hightailed it out of there.
En route to our apartment, the thirteen year old declared "it wasn't what I expected." No kidding. I'm not sure what we'd hoped for given the voyeuristic nature of the event. An acknowledgment that we'd all get our books signed IF we waited patiently in line would have been good. A simple thank you for coming would have been even better. A semblance of humility on the boys' part would have been best. But instead, one of the cutie pie twins took a megaphone that had been used by Borders staff to control the crazy mob and asked, "How many of you have been in line for two hours? How many have been in line for three hours? Four hours? And five?" The other brother took the megaphone and said, "I wouldn't stand in line for a minute to see this guy." Rub it in, we are idiots for worshiping and waiting and you guys are laughing all the way to the "media tie-in" bank. So, not only did we feel foolish for waiting, the boys agreed that we had been duped. I was left feeling aggravated at the twins' disregard of their fans (although given the behavior of the people who cut the line, as a whole, we didn't deserve much respect), but, even more, I was left wondering about the fifteen year old boys' responsibility to be role models.
A New York Times story that ran on Sunday, September 23, 2007, When Childhood Is A Tough Role, suggests that higher profiles of children stars "are leading to new adult-like pressures, from more demands on their time to more news media scrutiny, safety concerns...increased vulnerability and invasions of privacy." Perhaps the Sprouse boys are responding to the pressures of success with mockery to keep their distance from the crowd. Perhaps it's a safe way for them to maintain their privacy. Yet, going public, as they have with the book signings, Dylan and Cole Sprouse have a unique opportunity to encourage their television fans to do any number of positive things.
Why not use their public presence to encourage kids to become avid readers (and to wait their turn in line, even if their parents can't oblige). They could use their book signings to advocate for those children who may not have adults to mentor them in reading. Why not become spokespeople for any number of early childhood literacy organizations who would be thrilled at their reach. Dylan and Cole Sprouse are in a position to appreciate and capitalize upon the opportunity to be role models. I just wish they'd choose to use their popularity to also become valued role models. It would make the wait in line and out more palpable.