March 1, 2007

Only One Thing Worse. . .

There is only one thing worse than being Antonella Barba, the contestant whose racy photos are all over the internet . . .

Being her parents.

I can not even imagine what they are going through right now. As a parent of two daughters, I would be shocked and horrified if my daughter’s photos started appearing all over the internet. According to rumors in the form of news articles, the collection of photos were part of a calendar she gave to her long-time boyfriend (whom she dumped as soon as she got a ticket to Hollywood). What did she think was going to happen with those photos? As soon as she got her golden ticket to Hollywood, they became more valuable than she would ever know.

Boyfriend is a transient term; they can be here today, gone tomorrow. Truth be told, I wouldn’t advocate creating a calendar with racy photos in it for anyone, including a husband. Any and all relationships can come to bad endings and no one wants photo baggage following them around. The problem is that once those photos have been taken, they can end up anywhere. In Antonella’s case, it’s cyberspace fame and glory, but certainly not what she had hoped.

I think that she will probably be sent packing tonight after a dismal try at a Celine Dion classic, and I certainly hope that’s the case. As a parent who likes to watch American Idol with my children, I can tell you that, in my opinion, Antonella is certainly no "American Idol." It is possible, however, to learn something from her unfortunate circumstances. Hopefully young girls will consider what they’d like to become famous for, and leave the nude/suggestive photos well alone.