Like many parents, I have been pretty excited about Disney’s wildly successful films entitled High School Musical. Both films seem to be wonderful, wholesome, fun entertainment for children and teens.
Not that I can stomach them, myself. I tried watching a little bit, but could barely stand it. I’ll confess, I’ve never been a big fan of musicals, anyway. Though I did see Grease on its opening night in 1978 … but that was more of a desire to see Olivia Newton-John for two hours straight than it was to watch a musical. 
But these recent Disney films have been quality entertainment. They have introduced a generation of “tweeners” to the genre of the musical. Almost every kid I know seems to know every word to every song. My daughters both loved the films. My 14-year-old is a bit more of a fan (though that might be a Zac Effron thing more that a SM thing). Plans are in the works for a feature film, High School Musical 3. This is something of a cash cow for Disney … sort of like printing money, if you know what I mean.
So I was utterly shocked and disappointed when I discovered late last week that authentic nude photos of 18-year-old HSM sweetheart Vanessa Hudgens had surfaced on the internet. That’s right. 18 years old. Nude pictures. Illicit photos of the heroine of the elementary and “tweener” Disney channel addicts.
I asked my 14-year-old if she knew about the incident. She did, of course. Then my sweet, innocent daughter proceeded to inform me that it was all a horrible mistake. She said that, “the pictures were taken in private and were never meant to be put on the internet. It’s not her fault.” My own child was spewing the product of the Hollywood spin machine.
To which I responded, “My dear, young ladies with any sense of morals, character, or good sense would never pose nude for anyone to take pictures of them … no matter how ‘private’ the situation may be.” I hope and pray that she got the message.
Of course, the publicity people and the Disney people are falling all over themselves, saying that she made a “mistake” and it was a horrible “lapse in judgment.” It has also been reported that Disney plans to renew her contract for the next film. But I believe that this is a serious lapse in judgment on the part of the filmmakers. Indeed, as this girl portrays the supposed innocence of her role in the film, movie-goers will all have the knowledge (and some will have the vision) of nude photos in their minds.
The innocence is lost. I believe the entire message of the films is degraded.
But back to the title of my post. The actual event in and of itself has not disturbed me as much as my own daughter’s response and excuse for the event. It shows me that the media is a powerful force in the continued attempts to erode the moral foundations of of our culture, and the minds of our teenagers are their battlefields … and their playgrounds. I plan to guard the hearts of my children a bit more diligently. I hope that you will, too.
September 10, 2007 at 10:36 am
Sadly,
I don’t think it is realistic for too many people to make it in show biz and keep their faith. Patricia Heaton is suppose to be a believer but she curses and does sexual situational comedy. Sad.
September 10, 2007 at 3:59 pm
What’s really sad is that Christians are still trying to find role models for their kids in the entertainment culture. I have spent my life teaching my kids not to trust the TV or the music industry. They watch it, but with a critical eye. What’s funny, is that is exactly how the entertainment industry views the Christian world. They watch us with a skeptical eye.
September 10, 2007 at 4:37 pm
agree wholeheartedly that we must guard our children as much as possible. I make every effort to engage my grandchildren in all of these topics. I just took my 14 year-old grandson to a meeting and on the way he was sharing about how many girls were at his lunch table today. I asked, “were they pretty?” He blinked hard, and said with an astonished tone, “well, yeaaah.” duh, grama. I said, well that is wonderful. I just want you to remember that the beauty God sees in not on the outside and I pray you always look for a friends in a kind and generous girl–one who loves the Lord.
When he and I are alone, we have the neatest conversations. I’m glad he’s not interested in those movies. I’m thrilled he is interested in motocross. But I am more concerned about my younger granddaughters 9 and 6. They both LOVE the musicals. They not only know all the words, they know all the dance steps. All we can do is continue to teach them in the way they should go and pray God uses it to guide them into all righteousness. Another reason to pray without ceasing. selahV
September 11, 2007 at 6:30 am
Kevin,
I don’t know anything about this girl’s faith.
Cyle,
True … I don’t think there are any role models to be found in Hollywood.
Hariette,
You’re the first grandmother I’ve ever known who would trust her grandbaby to a runaway motorcycle rather than to a teen-age girl. 
You keep talking to that boy!
September 11, 2007 at 7:18 pm
Never expected Disney to do otherwise. Like you said, they are working on HSM3. Too much money to made and we know where they stand on morality.
Sad that most 16 and under have missed a lot of the animated movies that made Disney famous. Nothing but “tweener” shows on now as Disney Channel has changed (pardon the pun).
Paul
September 11, 2007 at 8:44 pm
Paul,
Indeed … very low expectations. BTW … my kids know all of those old animated films. I’m lookng at a shelf full of them in our entertainment center.
September 13, 2007 at 7:24 am
I have to agree with the flow of the conversation. We have Direct TV at our house and we told our kids that certain channels are off limits because of their lack of moral values with the Disney Channel at the top of our list. It took a little while for them to understand why, but now they would rather watch something on the Discovery Channel than in some junk in the Disney Channel.
I also have to applaud grandma motocross. It is not that girls are a bad influence, but rather than society has dirtied the image of what a girl is and how a girl should act. It is up to us as parents and grandparents to ensure that our kids view the opposite sex as it is viewed in the Bible. It is our job to guard their hearts and minds at all times.
After all, The Bible is the base for our country’s foundation even if so many are being allowed to try to take it out of our lives, our schools and our government. I wonder that would happen if I were able to take the foundation out from under a house? Would the house still exists or would it crumble? Let’s ask the Expert on this one:
Luke 6: 46-49
46″Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? 47I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. 48He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. 49But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its
destruction was complete.”
I closing I have learned that we have to be proactive and make sure that the activities our kids are involved in are character building activities. My old youth pastor use to tell us, “I’m not here to be your friend, I’m here to change your life. We will have fun in the process, but at the end of the day, it is all about Christ and you. I’m just a bridge between the two of you.” These words changed my life when I was a teenager.
Sorry for the long post, but this is a battle I’m involved in daily with our 4 kids, two in junior high and two in elementary.
Ivan
September 16, 2007 at 5:42 pm
If Disney could have played the “victim” card they would have, but “lapse in judgement” is just as good.
Since I was one of “those” that did not support “The End of the Spear,” because the producers cast a man of known lack of godly character to portray a man like Nate Saint, I probably will not encourage any children to see HSM3 either, now that her “lapse of judgement” has been outted.
I guess what really bothered me about your post was the excuse your daughter gave. It is so like our children (and us if we are not careful) to cop the world’s attitude. So glad you had the chance to set that straight.
Liz
September 30, 2007 at 8:54 pm
i think regardless of the nude photos people will still watch high school musical anyway…
most people just enjoy the films regardless of what their characters have done.
she may have made a mistake but there are many more celebrities out there who have done bigger things then vannessa.
September 30, 2007 at 8:59 pm
Also soon this will be in past and people will forget about it…more things will come up in the media
we should not be making such a big buisness out of it….its not really our buisness anyway
October 2, 2007 at 10:13 pm
With all due respect, I think the person who wrote this got it backwards. I see where they were going with it, but I must disagree with it. Oh I’m not saying that teen morality HASN’T degraded over time, I’m just saying that the outrage against Vanessa Hudgens and what she did shows that the moral priorities of America’s adults are just as out of place as those of America’s teens.
First off, I do have to agree with your daughter. Let’s go over the situation. Vanessa, an 18 year old girl (and therefore a legal ADULT by America’s standards) posed for a nude photo that was for the eyes of her boyfriend and ONLY her boyfriend. Instead, those photos were leaked onto the Internet. Now while everyone gasps in shock over the alleged immorality of Vanessa posing for a naked picture, no one bats an eye that someone whom she trusted betrayed that trust and permanently tarnished her image and reputation. The fact that an adult woman could be looked down upon for undressing in front of the camera (when so many others have done so much worse) but someone who betrayed someone else’s trust to such a degree could be pretty much forgiven in a sense makes me question the moral priorities of those who judge, not Vanessa’s.
Now really quick, I’m not saying that her posing nude was a particularly good idea or anything and that others should follow her lead, I’m just saying–well I already said what I’m just saying. It was bad judgment, but this isn’t about judgment. It’s about morals and ethics.
Anyhoo, from here we have a whole country of parents that can’t be bothered to let anyone or anything other than the TV raise their children. I’m not saying it’s anyone in here (because I don’t know any of you, so I don’t know what types of parents you are) nor am I saying I can do any better, but I am saying that parents have no right, in my opinion, to be outraged at Vanessa for “not being a good role model for my children” or whatever. Vanessa is an actress; her first, last, and only job is to perform the roles provided to her. It is the parent’s job, on the other hand, to be the positive influence that their child needs. To point fingers at celebrities and TV for the failings of one’s child is to deflect blame from oneself. Don’t rely on celebrities to raise your child; be that positive role model or else don’t be surprised when your child turns out to be a drug dealing porn star.
Now I’ve noticed some Bible quotes floating around here. Now I’ve never been big on religion myself but I can definitely get behind something Jesus Christ once said, something in the way of “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”. People have spent too much time condemning, condemning, condemning poor Vanessa for her poor judgment and ultimately for an act that did not directly harm anyone. But we’ve all done bad things in our lives that have directly hurt others, be it intentionally or unintentionally. That’s part of life. But that gives us no right to condemn someone else for their misdeeds, or at least “misdeeds” as insignificant as this. If we all want to condemn someone, there’s a slew of dictators, murderers, rapists, and terrorists out there that we can rightfully judge. I think they pose more of a thread to our nation’s youth, one way or another, than a naked picture of Vanessa Hudgens anyway.
Which leads me to the final thing I have to say. In a world full of problems, it’s sad that Americans’ outrage gets funneled at the foolish misjudgment of a humiliated 18 year old girl. If you want to talk about “eroding moral standards”, what about the eroding moral standards (as well as eroding competence) of our nation’s leaders and politicians? What about Blackwater, a private security company that mistreats and murders Iraqi civilians, or the Al Queda terrorist groups that regularly conduct terrorist attacks against those same civilians as well as our own? What about the Myanmar military’s violent assaults against peaceful protesters, or children abducted by sexual predators, or the Catholic priests who molested altar boys, or politicians that constantly legislate away our money and our civil liberties? Whatever the case, my point is that there are REAL lapses in morality out there, including in those individuals who have traditionally been looked upon as a moral authority (ex. politicians, priests, etc.). If you are looking for something to condemn as morally wrong, for something to be outraged about, for a cause to fight for, than by focusing on Vanessa Hudgens you are looking in the wrong place. At least she had the integrity to do what these other shady characters would never be caught dead doing–publicly apologize for what she did.
Of course, I could be completely biased as I totally love Vanessa Hudgens.
Oh, and uh, by the way, that whole post wasn’t SUPPOSED to be so accusing. It just came out that way. I hope you all know what I mean.
And on a final note, the whole thing about the photos being private wasn’t as much as a “spin” as much as it was “pretty much what happened whether you agree with it or not”.
October 3, 2007 at 6:24 am
Joey,
Welcome to “Along the Shore.” Your visit and your views are welcome here. I am particularly impressed with the way that you are able to express those views in superb English, without profanity, and without slipping into the language of “text messaging.”
Again, welcome.
Well, Joey …
So you disagree with me. That’s cool. It’s definitely not the first time that someone has disagreed with me. (I do, after all, have a wife and two teen-age daughters …)
But let’s look at a few areas of stark disagreement. (Please remember that this is a Christ-focused blog, written by a pastor, built upon a biblical worldview.)
1. You lament that this 18-year-old took nude photos intended ONLY for her boyfriend. Obviously, this is the first evidence of a flawed sense of morality that exists within the teen (your?) culture. First of all, a woman’s body should be viewed only by her husband. If she doesn’t have one, she should keep it covered. (you know, those biblical issues of lust, adultery, fornication, etc…). But a celebrity taking naked “private” pictures?!! That’s not just a lapse in judgment. That’s just plain dumb, in this technological age.
2. Though you are right that parents should not allow the media to raise their children, the reality of “role models” exists … especially within the realm of Disney. One cannot say, “buy my videos! love me! visit my web site! go to my concert!” then say, “But don’t act like I do, I’m no role model.” As they say, you cannot have your cake and eat it, too. We seem to have forgotten in the past couple of decades that the position of celebrity also has some inherent responsibility. Ultimately, celebrities will pay for their “bad judgment” through their pocketbooks and loss of contracts.
3. I never “cast the first stone” at Ms. Hudgens. If you think so, then you did miss the point. I merely pointed out my dismay at the easy cultural dismissal of her actions. THAT was the point of this post. Indeed, your reaction and defense are exactly what I am talking about. Moral relativism. The disappearance of the biblical worldview in North America.
4. No one ever said that Ms. Hudgens was any kind of “threat.” (Despite your colorful references to the real problems of the world … terrorism, rapists, the apparent tyranny of our government, etc…) I merely pointed out that this situation was an indicator (a barometer, of sorts) that gives the cultural”weather” forecast for the days ahead.
From my perspective, it’s a pretty dreary one.
October 3, 2007 at 11:32 pm
Yeah, don’t mind me. I’m just passing through. I just stumbled upon this conversation and had to stick my two cents in.
I’m 22, so I just came out of the teen culture a couple years ago, so I like to think I have a little bit of the teen and the adult perspective on things (or maybe I just give myself too much credit). And as someone who isn’t really all that religious, or even Christian, there’s bound to be disagreements. But like I said, I’m not here to troll, I’m just passing through.
Anyhoo, just to reply to your reply, I think a couple of things I said may have been misunderstood. Slightly, at least. Whatever the case:
1) Is taking nude photos a lapse in morality, or at least evidence thereof? Perhaps. It’s not evidence of GOOD morals, though not necessarily of bad ones (I don’t really see the face of evil when I look at Vanessa Hudgens). I’m not going to disagree with you because there’s really no definitive answer to the question I started this paragraph with. In my eyes, it takes a lot more than this to be able to judge one’s moral character, but yes you are right in that this is not the best of signs about the overall morality of teen culture. And yes, you are also right in that taking pictures of herself in this day and age was pretty dumb, I completely agree, but once again this is about morality rather than judgment.
2) SHOULD a celebrity act like a positive role model for children? Oh yeah, definitely. As a matter of fact, it would be nice if everybody acted like that. However, they have no obligation. Vanessa’s only obligation, as I said, is to do her job (acting) to the best of her ability. Not only has she done that, but her posing for photos has broken no federal, state, or local law in the United States. So as much as some may not like it, yeah she can have her cake and eat it too at this point. Of course, we’ve already established that these photos were supposed to be private, so if being a positive role model was her career, then this was done during her day off, so to speak.
Mind you, I’m the type that keeps his language and table manners in check when I walk into a restaurant and there’s a 5 year old sitting at the table next to me.
3) I didn’t mean to imply that you personally “cast the first stone”. I’m just saying that, at least in my humble opinion, most people don’t have the right to judge, at least for something like this. I sure don’t, and I think I’m a pretty morally sound guy. I don’t think there are all that many saints out there who can rightfully condemn a girl for taking off her clothes in what was supposed to be a private photo. And yet, she caught WAY more flack (flak? Whatever) than she should have.
I hate to pull the ol’ “You don’t know me!!!!” card for this girl that every whiny teenager seems to pull, but alot of people have since cast Vanessa as a moral failure and whatnot. Unless these individuals know her personally, there’s absolutely no basis for this sort of judgment. In my opinion, what Vanessa did was stupid, not evil.
And as for moral relativism, that catches a lot more flack than it should as well. In my opinion, and I am OBVIOUSLY a professional philosopher in my spare time, morals are both absolute and relative. Morality is too complex and disputed for moral absolutism to be absolute in and of itself, but of course there are things that are either moral or not with no middle ground. It depends on the situation, the scope, the degree, etc. For example, let’s talk about killing. Under moral absolutism, killing would be morally wrong no matter what the circumstance. OK, but what about self defense? What about our soldiers in Iraq when they kill a terrorist? Suddenly, killing isn’t so morally wrong now, is it? There’s that moral relativism. Now we scale the situation down a bit and talk about murder committed out of jealousy, revenge, or sadism. Now there’s that moral absolutism kicking in because no matter what, murder is wrong. Case closed. My point is that BOTH moral relativism and moral absolutism have their rightful places in the world, and both of them are completely legit as long as we remember where and when to apply each one. The broader the concept/topic, the more likely it is that moral relativism will be in play. I’m also well aware of the fact that this has NOTHING to do with Vanessa Hudgens’s nude photos.
4) I don’t mean to cast you all as a bunch that sees the Vanessa Hudgens photo as a sign of the apocalypse. My point was that with all the REAL moral failings in this country and in this world (especially in places where it really matters and directly affects us all, such as in the government), the fact that people (especially parents) seem to ignore them and have instead been focusing their outrage on a naked picture of a legal adult shows that it’s not just America’s teens that are having problems (not necessarily “moral failures”, but you know what I mean). In my opinion, if one is directing their outrage at Vanessa Hudgens while turning a blind eye towards whatever other much more relevant moral failings are occurring in this country on a daily basis, then that person’s outrage is wildly misplaced and their priorities need to be reevaluated. Even without my “colorful references” and just keeping with the scenario at hand, we have a girl who posed for a “private” photo and has been blasted for it, and we have someone who betrayed that girl with malicious intent and caused what is probably irreparable damage to her character yet has gone unnoticed by all because he/she is not a celebrity (then again, if Vanessa wasn’t a celebrity, no one would even be talking about this, but you know what I mean). To me, the latter is a bigger moral failing than the former, and I find it a bit unsettling that so few people seem to think so.
As for your cultural weather forecast, yeah, unfortunately, I have to agree. Not that I ever really saw “clear skies” in our global history.
Anyways, I hope that cleared up some of the stuff I posted earlier. Enjoy.