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Opinion: Why Are We Following Kid Tastemakers?
Filed under: Opinions
Fashion blogger Tavi Gevinson interviews people backstage during Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week. Credit: Andrew H. Walker, Getty Images
A parade of precocious tastemakers have become famous for gaining huge adult followings, including:
- Tavi Gevinson, a 14-year-old fashion blogger from suburban Chicago, who has had designers in the U.S. and Europe hailing both her biting commentary and her out-there style sense;
- Jackson Murphy, an 11-year-old from upstate New York, who just won a local Emmy for his televised movie reviews and is being trumpeted as the next Roger Ebert; and
- Remy Mumby, a 10-year-old foodie from Lansing, Mich., star of a website where fans view and read about his encounters with unlikely delicacies like scorpions. He just signed a book deal.
All three kids are bright and entertaining, and have every right to share their opinions online or in videos. The question is: Why should any adults listen to them, or other youthful critics? There are plenty of film, food, and fashion writers out there who bring life experience and more fully-developed skills to the task. No knock on these youngsters, but on the merits, they can't compete with the pros.
I get why people tune into the kid critics: We all think it's charming when preteens can convincingly play roles from the adult world, including speaking and writing like adult movie critics or fashion mavens. They're novelties, and we can't take our eyes off them, any more than we can resist the stock-tip-swapping babies in those E*Trade commercials. But just as we wouldn't really invest our money based on the advice of toddlers, do we really want to get our movie or dining tips from 11-year-olds?
I don't. Preteens have their own tastes and it only takes an evening or two watching the programs they love on Nickelodeon or the Disney Channel to realize that, as energetic as the networks' young performers may be, it's all been done before. If I'm going to look to a critic for guidance, I want it to be one who's also seen it all, who can identify new and fresh stories and voices. An 11-year-old just isn't up to the task -- the prince has no clothes.
It's inevitable that when these kids become a little older, and their audiences start to pay more attention to the content than the package it comes in, they may realize that the youngsters turn out not to have such unique voices after all. Until then, I hope the kids have great fun with their fame, earn some money, and have the courage to move on if they want to try something new. And I hope their parents can, too. Their moms and dads should realize that the confidence their kids are gaining from this early success in one field will stake them well in whatever they choose to do -- and not make them feel like it's the only thing they could ever do. That's not a message the kids are likely to get from their online followers.
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ReaderComments (Page 2 of 2)
8-25-2010 @ 7:43PM
1100 said...You know, I think kids have a right to give there opinions too.Just because we're adults and they're children doesn't mean they have no taste and their opinions are meaningless.I really HATE what they said in this article, and shame on whoever wrote it.
Reply
8-25-2010 @ 9:03PM
MMBOLTZ said...By age 13, I had already been through things that most adults haven't had to deal with. Life experience can occur at a young age. Some kids don't have parents to watch and care for them and they have to fend for themselves. Life experience is relative. If these kids want to speak their mind, they should. All of the adults complaining about the children growing up too quickly should realize that if they had children themselves it is likely that some of that is attributed to them as well. Children learn from their parents, who learn from their parents and so on. Blame yourself if you don't like what is happening in the world. And a round of applause for the kids who are doing what they enjoy. Whether adults are following them or not, they are doing what kids do. Voicing their opinions is nothing new. I'm sorry so many have a problem with who is listening.
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8-27-2010 @ 9:39AM
Clyde Bristol said...I want to know who signed Remy's book deal. Because I know for a fact this is a falsehood. Therefore how can you trust the validity of this "news piece" when they can't even get their facts straight. You are forming biased opinions about things you know nothing about. Shame on you all.
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