Success buys luxury, status and a life no one could ever imagine. Young female ingénues experienced the effects of exploitation after journeying into this spotlight. Countless parents of these young stars live their dreams of true fame through their children, definitively shaping the young girls’ futures for the worse. No one, especially young teen girls, deserves the harsh realities of Hollywood abuse.
“Young women in Hollywood should be protected because everyone, despite age, deserves protection and the feeling of safety. It is not fair to go out every day and feel something is gonna happen to you. In some cases, it is inhumane,” junior Jasper Payne said.
Abuse comes in several forms and affects people in countless different ways. Society tends to ignore problems if they do not pertain to them, causing harm to the true victims and bystanders. When discussing the abuse of young Hollywood actresses, audiences never shy away from the story of Frances Ethel Gumm, commonly known as Judy Garland. Two-year-old Garland, pushed into the spotlight by her mother, became misguided as the public handed her unfathomable fame. Garland became prey to the public and her studio, putting her in danger as she entered her teen years.
At 13 years old, Garland signed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM Studios), changing her life entirely and throwing her straight into the lion’s den. Employees under MGM Studios abused various young women and weakened them for male pleasure. While subjected to illegal work hours, Garland endured studio-supervised starvation and intentional drugging while surviving physical and sexual abuse. Garland’s unfortunate treatment sent her down a life of drugs, eventually costing her life, an unimaginably harsh condition for someone her age.
While trying to maintain her image, Garland wrote an unpublished memoir that discussed her molestation and other abuse experiences. In her memoir, Garland states that from the time she turned 16, she repeatedly encountered propositions for sex. Studio head Louis B. Mayer once complimented her voice by placing his hand on her left breast, where he said she sang from.
Though this occurred often, Garland stayed surrounded by teams and protection. Garland, at the height of her issues, ignored and attacked her teams. Leaving herself in her situation for years.
Despite Garland’s passing 56 years ago, her story does not end this cycle of abuse. A recent abuse story pertains to the beloved Drew Barrymore. The media witnessed the young actress grow up and invite drugs into her life; this irregular behavior raised suspicion of whether Barrymore received proper care under her family’s watch. Unlike Garland, Barrymore took this neglect and turned it into positivity. While reaching sobriety and splitting from her mother, Barrymore furthered her career and returned to the spotlight happy and healthy. After falsely trusting her show business connections and falling tricked into their exploitation, she finally can sprout a new life outside Hollywood.
“I don’t know how to feel differently about it because I don’t know what another life would be like [when asked about her childhood in the spotlight], so it’s hard to pretend or imagine or wish that it was different because it isn’t. Even if I was a bad girl at moments here and there, I was never a bad person,” Barrymore said.
Abuse victims deserve nurturing and guidance, especially in a world such as the movie industry. History continues to repeat itself when the media disregards their alarming experiences. Keeping young women in places that will embrace them and not look at them as prey holds importance. As the public continues to ignore these women, circumstances similar to Garland’s will continue to arise.
