Coachella partying and hanging with 20-year-olds can lead to bigger issues
13-year-old Willow Smith has gotten herself into some controversy when a picture surfaced of her lying on the bed with 20-year-old actor Moises Arias surfaced. The photo, which first appeared on Arias’ Tumblr page, shows a fully clothed Willow Smith lying in bed, while a shirtless Arias is sitting up and laughing.
The photo appears to have absolutely no sexual connotations to it, which just highlights how our society hyper-sexualizes everything in the media. However, it is understandable why people would be concerned that a 13-year-old is hanging out with much older people, especially in a Hollywood setting.
Just this month, Willow Smith was seen at Coachella Music Festival with Kendall and Kylie Jenner. I love music festivals just as much as the next person, but anyone who has been to a music festival knows that they are rampant with drug use and drunk antics at every corner. And that is just with the regular attendees. There is no telling what kind of drug use is going on in the VIP section of the festival. So why is there a 13 year old running around like she thinks she is 21?
Privileged kids of Hollywood celebrities don’t always have to suffer the unfortunate fate of the late Peaches Geldof, but if celebrity parents don’t nip it in the bud early than they may have a problem on their hands. I am not saying because Willow went to a music festival with a bunch of 18-20 year olds that she is going to be sticking a needle in her arm anytime soon, but exposure to the party life at a young age isn’t healthy.
Hollywood spawn are exposed to a much different lifestyle than normal kids. People seem to forget that actress Drew Barrymore was a regular at the disco drug haven Studio 54, by the age of eight. The starlet was smoking cigarettes by age nine, drinking by 11, smoking marijuana by 12 and was doing lines of cocaine by 12. With a rehab stint by 13 and later a suicide attempt, she proved that the dangers of Hollywood are real.
If you are a 13-year-old girl, you are at that age where fitting in is a life or death situation. If all of the older kids are doing it, why shouldn’t I? It just seems like the peer pressures with the children of celebrity is exponentially increased because of the constant exposure to partying.
Between the picture and the Coachella partying, little Willow should slow it down a little bit and enjoy being a kid because when you are older those are some of the best memories that you will have.