2000s and Beyond
The Walt Disney Company and its numerous outlets (e.g. Disney Channel, Radio Disney and Walt Disney Pictures) have successfully developed a new generation of teen idols. In the early 2000s, the company developed the careers of Hilary Duff and Lindsay Lohan, initially targeting youth and female teen audiences. The success of this marketing led to further development of the genre, including new teen idols such as Zac Efron, Miley Cyrus, Vanessa Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale, Corbin Bleu, Raven-Symoné and the Jonas Brothers, Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez and Bridgit Mendler. Disney also has used the acquisition of ABC Family to develop shows and stars popular among teen girls. Not to be outdone, rival Nickelodeon has developed its own slate of stars for its television shows, including Miranda Cosgrove, Victoria Justice, Jennette McCurdy, Ariana Grande and the group Big Time Rush, all of whom have not only starred in TV shows, but recorded albums as well.
The 2000s have also seen many new teen idols emerge from popular feature films such as the casts of the Harry Potter (e.g. Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson) and Twilight (e.g. Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner) film franchises; television series such as Glee have also developed stars who are popular among younger viewers. Since their rise to fame in recent years, singer Justin Bieber, country-pop musician Taylor Swift, boy band One Direction, and singer Cher Lloyd have become recent examples of modern-day teen idols who have achieved international success, known for their devoted teen and tween fan base. Of note is that many of the modern-day teen idols are females marketed as "role-models" to teen and tween girls, a departure from the traditional role of the male teen idol marketed as the idealized teen "heart-throb".
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