One of the disorienting aspects about 'growing up' is how your perception of 'fame' evolves. If you are relatively smart/self-aware, you begin to deconstruct the contextual mechanisms that create and sustain 'fame.' Eventually, you find yourself feeling a little bit silly for worshipping athletes, singers, and humans with notoriety. You understand that the majority of 'famous' people aren't always living great lives', and aren't as rich as 'really, really rich people' anyways. The idea of being 'famous' as a means to have your entire life 'taken care of' seems to be absurd. Every one has problems, and 'having people know who you are' doesn't necessarily mean anything. In fact, it can eventually just add another complex layer to personal and financial problems.

Then the internet came and created hyper-microfame, where a single meme can propel one human to 'human meme status.' It is clear that these people will 'go viral', be processed by the mainstream newscycle which 'uses' the internet to poach for 'oddly enough' stories, and eventually become a 'well known' talking point of the day, usually illustrating some sort of generic 'lapse in morals' in the current iteration of our 'failed society.'

God Bless Giovanna Plowman.

In a way, she perfectly embodies the perception of how tweens perceive 'social media fame' as 'fame.' Judging influence, relevance, and reach by perpetual engagement on Twitter. I feel like as a child, you saw a television or newspaper and thought that if some one was 'in that', they had become successful [via 'fame']. Since many of us have grown up alongside the internet's media evolution, it doesn't feel like the internet is an absolute space. The single pages of HTML don't really 'mean anything' besides knowing that a content farming monkey was ordered to write a post about it. We've seen internet trend cycles come and go for years now.

But next comes the Giovanna Plowman generation. Those who do not know what life 'without the internet' was like. #Trending 'means' something to them, it's not just an added feature to Twitter to improve real-time value. Tween-fame-perception has an increased valuation of the perpetual need for that realtime engagement. 'Being in Google' means that they are in an exclusive, relevant database. Follower counts 'mean' something to them, whether or not they are actually have a monetizable skill or gateway into an emerging industry.



Giovanna Plowman's conceptual art masterpiece provides relevant commentary on the physical maturation of the evolving female because her 'tampon sucking experiment' was used as a means to achieve 'fame.' This teen female forfeited the privacy that most of us want as we are sexually maturing. Experiencing our first menstruations, erections, ejaculations, and orgasms. Plowman's sexual exploration by way of sucking on her own tampon could be processed by some as hyper-sexual fetish porn, but in reality was motivated by a rather naive desire for 'fame.'

She perfectly uses technology to create a meaningful viewing experience, complete with the use of a 'smart phone', and her decision to play a buzz rap song, "212" by Azealia Banks.



Giovanna Plowman seems to be self-obsessed, a stereotypical 'overweight teen' who is 'fortunate' enough to have big enough breasts to give her a heightened sense of self-confidence. The simplification of her sexual identity is not entirely her fault, nor is her simple perception of 'the fame acquisition process.'



Does this look yummie 2 u?



How far would u go 2 achieve 'fame'?

Do u think she will be able 2 get a relevant career?

Will she be able 2 get in2 a top tier college or University?

Will she be eternally #bullied?

Is she 'the new Honey Boo Boo'?

Do u think Honey Boo Boo will eat her tampons for 'the love of the game', not 4 fame?

In the wake of the Plowman Tampon controversy, she has taken to Twitter (@ItsGiovannaP), actively using the social network to scold all of her 'haters' and bask in the praise of all of her fans, who have celebrated her. It is interesting to think about the Bieberfication of the tween fame perception. One must first upload video(s) to Youtube. The video will be viewed by many people. Convert them to Twitter Followers and Facebook Likes. Then 'fame' will work itself out. You will be 'covered.' You will go on a Press Tour. People will love you. There will be haters. You say that the haters pay ur bills. You will be remembered forever.

Will Giovanna Plowman be 'remembered forever'?

Do __% of girls do their own 'off camera' tampon tasting at least once in their lives'?

Do all tweens just think 'getting on Ellen' will make them rich & famous?



At the end of the day, do we all want the same things?



Don't we all want 1 last oportunity 2 shine bright like a _______ [via a tampon]?



Was this video 'real'?

How do u feel about 'fame'?

Is the idea of 'being famous' appealing 2 u?

Do tweens 'get' fame?

Who is 'truly famous'?

Can ppl 'be famous' in the internet era, or is the idea of 'niche fame' more clear than evr?

On a per capita basis, are people who are 'famous' in 2013 actually 'less famous' than some1 who was 'famous' in 1983?

Is Giovanna Plowman 'effing hot'?

R u on #TeamGiovanna?

Did she get everything that she ever wanted?

Does 'internet fame' mean more or less than evr?

Do u miss the days of innocent memes Chris Crocker/Tay Zonday?

Have tweens and AZNs taken over the internet? [via PSY]

[via knowyourmeme.com]

