(with apologies to Bowling For Soup)

“She was gonna be an actress
She was gonna be a star
She was gonna shake it right
On the hood of Whitesnake’s car
Her yellow SUV is now the enemy
Looks at her average life
And nothing has been alright since”

A woman was just arrested recently for stealing her daughter’s ID so that she could enroll in high school and become a cheerleader, her lifelong dream. Apparently she is a 33 year old woman, and didn’t raise suspicions. Her daughter lived thousands of miles away, so no competition for identity there. She managed to get a locker assignment, involve herself in cheer practice and even attend a swim party given by the cheerleading coach. It wasn’t until she only showed up for one day of classes and her check bounced for her uniform that questions were raised. Yes, she will be in big trouble.

TV Passes Adults Off As Teenagers

But the question that comes to mind…when TV regularly passes 19-25 year olds off as “high school” students…what did we expect? Of course she looked older than the other students, but so do the kids on Degrassi, 90210, Laguna Beach, The Hills…. have you seen Raven on the Disney Channel lately? She looks 30 years old!

The cast of the new 90210

The cast of Degrassi

Adults Are Trying To Pass As Teens

So…America, you brought it on yourself. If kids don’t look like kids… well, how do we figure out who is the thirty-year old bored housewife? What say you? Time to write letters to the networks demanding some age-appropriate actors? Unless you want your freshman son to bring home fake-student mom from yoga class?

Tina is a writer, fan of the inane and silly. She is probably not as funny as she thinks. Judge for yourself when you visit her site Send Chocolate.

(photo of 90210 courtesy TV Addict)