Good girls are cool, too

I just wanted to take a moment today to applaud Reese Witherspoon. I've always thought she was a pretty good actress and seemed like a decent human being, but her acceptance speech at the MTV Movie Awards on Sunday evening solidified my admiration for her success. She stood out as a bright spot in the corrupt world of Hollywood entertainment. For those of  you that missed it, watch the video after the jump.

Tags: Movie News

Her jabs at Kim Kardashian and Blake Lively were not only appropriate, but I believe necessary in an era where young girls idolize celebrities. I appreciate that Reese has been able to reach such a high level of success in the entertainment industry without resorting to the tactics we often see today from girls. Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and Kim Kardashian have soared in popularity using their "bad girl" methods. Sex tapes and naked photos have led to acting careers (and successful businesses) while drugs and alcohol binges ensure they remain in the spotlight. These original bad girls of Hollywood have influenced other young female celebrities trying to increase publicity to engage in scandalous behavior as well. Remember the racy photos of Miley Cyrus that were leaked online? It wasn't long after that she did an even more risque photo shoot with Vanity Fair.

Cyrus: From Disney Princess to Pole Dancing Queen

And how about Vanessa Hudgens? The teenage star of "High School Musical" has had nude photos of her leaked on more than one occasion, as well as photos of her kissing other girls. Next in line is Demi Lovato, who had photos leaked of her in some racy lingerie while a group of female dancers ogled at her cleavage. It seems the era of Disney Kids ends earlier these days.

The list continues to grow, and actor Lawrence Fishburne's daughter, Montana, is the perfect example of the Bad Girls of Hollywood Effect. She openly stated that she wanted to get involved in porn and release a sex tape so that she could make it big in Hollywood, just like Kim Kardashian did.

With such a high level of adoration of celebrities, and so few good examples for young girls to choose from, it's no wonder sexting has become a popular teen activity today. The influence that stars' actions have on young girls may be more powerful than we want to believe, watching girls trade in sneakers for high heels, and frilly dresses for miniskirts at increasingly younger ages is an alarming sight. We need to set better examples and decrease our worship of celebrity drama to try and get our female youth on the right track.

So I just want to say thank you, Reese Witherspoon, for trying to make being a "good girl" cool. I'm glad you took a stand to call out others on their behavior and I hope more women in the industry speak up; it's time the bad girls' reign in Hollywood comes to an end.

(Article first published as Thank You, Reese Witherspoon on Technorati.)