American Idol has always been famous for its bullying, mean spirited judge – Simon Cowell. But this year the popular reality series seems to be reacting to the anti-bully sentiments that have swept the nation. Maybe it’s just the absence of Cowell that’s caused the shift, but its hard to think that the “It Get’s Better” campaign isn’t in the judges minds as they’ve reached out to encourage some of the awkward but wonderful contestants they’ve seen so far.
From geek chic music and food blogger Sarah Sellers to chubby but fantastically talented Jacee Badeaux to Brett Lowenstern, who described himself as a “red apple in a barrel of green apples” and proudly placed himself firmly in the high school misfit category, Thursday’s bunch of finalists were varied, unusual and all the more likeable for it. As Lowenstern put it: “You should just be happy with yourself no matter what, because there’s only one life to live.”
Is Idol crassly capitalizing on the anti-bullying mentality that is swelling across they country? Probably. Is that a bad thing? No, not at all. If this can be one more way that teenagers get the message that it’s okay to be different, that their uniqueness will be appreciated some day, than so much the better. This is one trend I think every one, parent or not, can get behind.
