One of my favorite movies of all time is "Almost Famous." I loved that a teen got to tour with the band, that it was inspired by Cameron Crowe's real life experiences and that the "groupies" including Penny Lane played by Kate Hudson (why has she not had a great role since?) were portrayed as being motivated by the music, or being true fans, instead of as "sluts."

That said, when I read this article (thanks Casey!) about "The Plastics" and their quest to break through the groupie stereotype and "help restore the glamour that surrounded groupies in the '60s," I began to worry. As we saw in "Almost Famous," yes there is glamour, but there's also quite a bit of heartache when you realize you will never replace the girlfriend or wife of your beloved musician. Yes, I know, once of their tips is to never expect them to leave their wife or girlfriend. But even Plastics are human, too.

While I can definitely see the appeal of The Plastics for teen girls who are very into music, I'm not sure that being a groupie is something girls should aspire to. I had my own experiences being a "groupie" of a popular local punk band as a teen -- and I think it had more to do with my own low self esteem at the time than being a real fan of this band's hard core sound. Though I did fantasize about being a Bowie groupie as well as hooking up with the late Michael Hutchence (INXS) back then, too.

The Plastics don't say they are developing their brand for teens -- but let's be real, that's when most groupies get their start. Even Plastics founder and president Lexa Vonn "first made her way backstage at 14 to meet Poison." Sleeping with band members as a teen is, well, illegal, but it's also just risky behavior. And as much as The Plastics want to expand the definition of "groupie" beyond sex, as the article states:

But here's the thing: It's not about sex.

No, really. Groupies do sleep with musicians -- a lot. But sex is not the reason those who think of themselves as "real" groupies want to hang out with rock stars.

I sense The Plastics injecting their own brand of feminism into what they're doing -- and if adult women decide to follow (and sleep with) the band as an expression of their love for the music, more power to them. I just don't want to see this series on The CW.

Posted by anastasia