Abigail Breslin
Recently, racy photos of child star Abigail Breslin were released to the public. The pictures, a product of her shoot for celebrity photographer Tyler Shields’ book The Dirty Side of Glamour, featured a topless Breslin in a variety of poses.
Shields told E! News that he wanted to do something “iconic” with Breslin. He said nobody had ever seen her seductive side before and he wanted to show it off to the world.
Breslin, 17, said in October her transition from child to woman has been “pretty natural” and that she “didn’t have a big struggle with it at all.”
The photos feature her nude body in multiple provocative stances. One photo shows Breslin seductively sucking a red lollipop while another has her lying in a bath of bubbles.
The photo shoot has not been Breslin’s only claim to adulthood. She made her public debut with her alleged rock-star boyfriend, Jack Barakat, in October.
Barakat, lead guitarist for the band All Time Low, is eight years older than Breslin. The two attended her Ender’s Game premiere together but have been keeping a low profile overall.
Yet shocking photographs and overage boyfriends are nothing new in the world of teenage celebrities.
In June 2008, a racy photograph of then-15-year-old Miley Cyrus appeared on the cover of Vanity Fair. Taylor Momsen has exposed racy photos of herself in lingerie after the inception of her band, The Pretty Reckless, in 2009. High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens had her nude photos leaked in 2007.
The list goes on and on.
The question, however, is: Why do these young celebs feel the need to break out of their shells in such an extreme, provocative manner?
In truth, if one examines the context carefully, it appears that many of these young women do not take these photographs to send a message or prove a point. Rather, the photos simply serve as another marketing tool or promotion for their careers.
Sure, these photos are shocking and sometimes even jaw-dropping, but in the end they get the job done effectively and efficiently; a buzz of gossip hums around the celebrity’s name, and she becomes the center of every entertainment news outlet’s conversation.
Breslin is maturing. She’s breaking away from her childhood roles in Little Miss Sunshine and Definitely, Maybe and entering the realm of adulthood with parts in Haunter and The Call.
However, this breakaway is not the message she intends to send with her photos. She didn’t take the pictures to prove her freedom, maturity or sensuality.
It was a marketing tool — a gimmick many fell for.
