1. Jennifer Principe
COM 410
Prof. Hobbs
September 27, 2012
Children’s Media: Present Meets Past
Teenage heartthrob. Stud. Hottie. Heartbreaker. Womanizer. Charmer. These are all
words that can describe Justin Bieber, today’s hottest boy celebrity, in the eyes of every teenage
girl. Justin Bieber is currently the epitome of sigh-inducing perfection to any girl within the ages
of five to twenty five. Though he is eighteen, his youth appeals to younger girls while his
maturing music choices are alluring to teenagers and even women in their twenties and thirties.
In fact, many mothers are huge fans of Justin Bieber and are just as excited as their daughters to
see him in concert! Justin Bieber may be the big boy star of today, but there were many before
him that attracted girls and young women. These musicians/ groups include Buddy Holiday, The
Beatles, Prince, Elvis, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Kurt Cobain, Jon Bon Jovi, New
Kids on the Block, N*SYNC, 98 Degrees, Hanson, and Dreamstreet. One of the more notable
enthralling groups though, was the Backstreet Boys. They were my personal favorite boy band/
musician growing up during the 1990’s and I still occasionally listen to their music now.
The first huge difference between Justin Bieber and the Backstreet Boys is the obvious
point that the Backstreet Boys are the prototype boy band, with 5 members, all with various sex
appeals and personalities. Justin Bieber is one musician; he does work with a band and has
backup dancers and singers, but he is also a talented drummer. Justin does have a lot of abilities
as an artist; he can sing decently without auto-tune, he has some remarkable dance moves, and he
has undeniable swagger and sex appeal. Because Justin is one entity, he not only has to put in all
of the work since he is the entire image of ‘Justin Bieber: heartthrob of the 2010’s’, but he also
takes all of the flack as far as gossip goes. Justin has been on multiple tabloid covers and

2. involved in a couple of scandals, even at the tender age of eighteen. He also chooses to be
involved in a high-profile relationship with girlfriend Selena Gomez. Since the media is ever
present, and the paparazzi have no fears, every move Justin and Selena make is documented and
can be scrutinized.
Young girls of today feel that Justin is not only perfect, but can be their own boyfriend.
Selena has gotten multiple death threats over their relationship, which can possibly turn into a
violent situation. Girls have gotten into fist fights and sustained injuries from trying to claw their
way to Justin when he is in their proximity, at various events. Nevertheless, crazy fan girls have
always been this way. When the Backstreet Boys were touring in 2005, a fan was injured by
their tour bus as it was making its way through a crowded airport. Additionally, Nick Carter, a
member of the Backstreet Boys sustained minor injuries by fans pushing him into a car. Girls
that are fanatical over these boys (Justin, Backstreet, and many others) will not let anything stop
them.
As far as the actual music goes, the Backstreet Boys have produced seven albums and are
currently working on their next one. Their popularity was at its peak between 1996 to 2002.
During those years, they released four albums and gained thousands of fans, who were mostly
screaming girls with crimped hair and the latest Sketchers shoes on. Justin, in comparison, has
released three albums so far. Interestingly, one of the Backstreet Boys’ most popular songs (and
also their second hit off of their first album) was titled ‘As Long as You Love Me’, and Justin
Bieber released a song of the same name on his most recent album, ‘Believe’. Not only do his
vocals and stylistic choices sometimes reflect the 90’s boy bands, but they inspire him enough to
write a song with the same name but a different rhythm.

3. As a young grade school girl growing up listening to boy bands, I fantasized about the
Backstreet Boys and constantly listened to their CDs on my coveted Walkman. A memorable
Christmas for me was when I received my first boom box, along with my first three CDs, thus
starting my CD collection which I would continue for many years down the road. One of those
three CDs was the Backstreet Boys’ self-titled debut album. I know I played it over and over
again, and then bought their following albums as the years passed. A huge difference with
today’s youth is that they do not even buy CDs anymore. Many grade school aged children have
their own cell phones and iPods. They can buy all of their music on iTunes and listen to it on
their portable device. Long gone are the days when I would borrow friends’ CDs to listen to
them if I didn’t own them myself. This is a significant cultural change that has really progressed
within the past ten years alone.
Also, nowadays celebrities can communicate with their fans easily through Facebook and
Twitter. Justin Bieber is no stranger to this and is very active on Twitter. As of August 9, 2012,
according to The Hollywood Reporter, Justin was the fourth most followed person on Twitter,
with an astounding 26 million followers, and also 45.8 million Facebook fans. The numbers are
staggering and only prove his popularity. When the Backstreet Boys were in their peak, Twitter
had not been created yet. However, the Backstreet Boys have since been active on Twitter as
well, and have a respectable 465,000 followers. (If you were curious, yes, I do follow both of
them!)
Essentially, the Backstreet Boys and Justin Bieber have a lot of similar qualities: popular
music, sex appeal, and a large audience of fans. Even though they have reigned the pop world at
different times in my era, I’m sure there will be another new popular boy/ boy band soon
enough.

4. Justin Bieber
Backstreet Boys