Friday, March 5, 2004 | 8:33 a.m.
Last year the president of a local private school reacted to what she termed "The Britney Effect" on her campus' dress code.
"When Britney Spears took to the media with her micro-micro-mini attire and the jewel in her navel, we saw a great impact, especially in the length of the skirts worn by our student body," said Carolyn Goodman, president of The Meadows School and wife of Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman.
"Excuse me, but we're not going to have a bunch of girls dressed a la Britney Spears at this school. We re-emphasized our dress code, and I'm sure every public school has had to revisit its dress code as a result."
Indeed, since arriving on the music scene five years ago, pop star Britney Spears has had a major impact on the fashion sense of her core audience: girls in their teens and younger.
And now that the 22-year-old Spears is earning a reputation for outrageous offstage behavior and more mature lyrics, some area parents and school administrators question whether the one-time Mickey Mouse Club member is forsaking her young fans.
"I'm a little disappointed because I think she should be a role model for those girls," Las Vegan Diane Epstein, mother of two girls, said.
"She seems determined to change her image, but she started off with a wholesome image and attracted those sorts of kids. They're still with her, so I think she should have an obligation to them."
Despite Epstein's concerns, her oldest daughter, 15-year-old Katie, has a ticket for Spears' "Onyx Hotel Tour" concert Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Doors open at 7 p.m., with 15-year-old pop singer Skye Sweetnam and R&B vocalist Kelis scheduled to open the show.
Katie, a sophomore at The Meadows, said she enjoys Spears' dancing and that the singer has a "pretty decent voice, even though some people say she doesn't."
"I just admire Britney's talent. I don't let her personal life affect me," Katie said. "And I know none of my friends are influenced by her (actions)."
In recent months Spears has drawn criticism on several fronts: for her televised kiss with Madonna, for a risque Rolling Stone magazine photo shoot, for her 55-hour marriage in Las Vegas to childhood friend Jason Alexander and for being photographed smoking cigarettes.
In October, Kendel Ehrlich, wife of Maryland Gov. Robert Ehrlich, even proclaimed, "If I had an opportunity to shoot Britney Spears, I think I would."
"My daughter would be forbidden from going to a Britney Spears concert, because at this age they're searching for role models," said Barbara Bowman, a longtime Las Vegan who recently moved to Vail, Colo. Bowman is mother to a 9-year-old daughter.
"I'd rather she stay a kid a little longer and not model herself after someone who flaunts her sexuality that blatantly."
Spears' fourth album, last year's "In the Zone," has also raised eyebrows with its adult themes about sexuality and partying. The singer has described one song, "Touch of My Hand," as an "ode to masturbation."
On another new track, "Breathe on Me," Spears sings the provocative lyrics: "It's so hot, and I need some air / Oh boy don't stop, 'cause I'm halfway there."
Obviously, some youngsters are confused at the dramatic stylistic change.
"I didn't really understand (the lyrics to) 'Touch of My Hand,' said Asia Richardson, a 13-year-old eighth grader at Becker Middle School. "My mom had to explain that to me. I really didn't think Britney would put something like that on an album."
But several older Spears fans said they respect her willingness to branch out in new musical directions.
"She's gotten a lot of flack for 'Breathe on Me' and 'Touch of My Hand,' but I think she's just doing what she wants to do," said Gabriella Capanna, a 16-year-old sophomore at The Meadows, who will see Spears for the fifth time on Saturday. "Hopefully her fans will be OK with it.
"I think she's definitely trying for a more adult appeal, but I'm sure she still wants her loyal fans who've been there from the beginning."
And Capanna's mother, Dawn, added: "There are worse lyrics out there. I have a 19-year-old son who likes rap."
Parents seem divided about how best to deal with their children's interest in Spears.
Henderson resident Windom Kimsey, father of two girls, has no plans to take them to Saturday's show.
"I'm sure they would go if we offered, but that's not on the table," he said.
While Kimsey said he thinks "some of Britney's attitude and dress are inappropriate for young kids," his opposition to Spears actually stems mainly from another concern.
"I want my girls listening to good music growing up, if possible," Kimsey said. "I'd rather have them see singers who actually sing and write their own songs. Britney is more about hype and marketing than music."
Melanie Polk, a Henderson resident and mother of two girls, views Spears as an excellent teaching tool.
"Over the years I have used Ms. Spears as a very visible model of what not to do for my kids," Polk said. "I tell my girls, 'Listen to whatever you want, but it doesn't mean you should emulate them.'
"Because I have particular feelings for how someone who draws most of their income from kids should behave. People like Jim Henson and Bill Cosby took that very seriously, and I don't think (Spears) does."
Nevertheless, Polk's two daughters will be in the Grand Garden Arena for their second Spears concert Saturday.
"I like that no matter what the opinions of others are, she just stays who she is," Polk's youngest, 13-year-old Jillian Marriage, said. "She's just expressing herself."
A counselor at an area middle school lauded Melanie Polk's educational approach to Spears.
"It creates an opportunity to teach our children," said the counselor, who preferred that her name not be used. "I have a daughter who appreciates her music, but she's been taught to separate the appropriate from the inappropriate."
Bowman takes it one step further, prohibiting her daughter from watching Spears' videos or listening to her albums. She also said she keeps a close eye on teen star Hilary Duff, who is being hailed as an innocent counterpart to Spears.
"They start off real cute and then each time you see them it's a little sexier and a little sexier," Bowman said. "It would have been like if Annette Funicello became a stripper. It's adult entertainment marketed to kids."
To which 17-year-old Riley Marriage points out that Spears herself is no longer a kid.
"Britney went from being a 16-year-old to being a 22-year-old," said Riley, a junior at Coronado High School. "You can't expect her to be in pigtails her whole life."
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