3 Reasons Not To Get Engaged As A Teen (Hear That, Miley Cyrus?)
Miley Cyrus's age, the teenage divorce rate, and the fact that she's an airhead all spell trouble.
Just days after announcing that sex is a "beautiful" and "magical" thing (because, you know, she didn't discover it that long ago), 19-year-old Miley Cyrus is engaged to her boyfriend, Liam Hemsworth. Shall we start placing bets now as to how long these two will be married, if they even make it down the aisle? I'm totally serious.
First of all, Miley is a kid, and as we all know kids don't know what the hell they want. At 18 or 19, you think you know everything and every time you fall in love (which is often at that age) you're so unjaded and whimsical about life that you don't see things clearly. It's like viewing the world through rose-colored glasses, and while that's cute and all, it's not going to land you Happily Ever After. Marriage and building a life together is far more complicated than just playing house and celebrating anniversaries with extravagant gifts.
Secondly, just look at the statistics. The divorce rate for a first marriage is 41 percent, and for those who marry under 20 years of age it's 27.6 percent for women and 11.7 percent for men. This is the second-highest divorce rate for an age group, with the highest being for those who get married between 20 and 24 years old. Between her age, straight-up facts and overall cluelessness, Miss Hannah Montana won't be married very long. I guarantee it.
Thirdly, this is Hollywood, people! Celebrity marriages have very short shelf lives. It's almost as though the stars get married for the big party and so they can sell the photos to People magazine, because we all know they don't make enough money as it is. It's not as much about love as it is about a "look at me, look at me" mentality, because if any of them are out of the spotlight for more than a day or two, they all freak out and fear they're on the road to has-been" town. For this reason, you should take Miley Cyrus' engagement with a grain of salt — and not follow her example if you're a teenager yourself.
Where is Billy Ray while all this is happening? I'd like to think that most parents would sit down and have a serious heart-to-heart with their 19-year-old daughter or son about exactly what marriage entails, before giving them their blessing on the matter. No one wants to be a divorcee at 22, but that's exactly what's to become of Miley if she does get married. Ladies and gentlemen, start your bets...
What do you think about getting engaged at 19? Can it last?