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Sanjaya Malakar is the first teenage heart throb smart enough to turn himself into a commodity. With an index of values worth idolizing, he is building his brand on integrity, a sense of humor and an the ability to mesmerize cougars with his perfect etiquette.

His looks are a throw back to the golden age of the teen idol, the 1970's. But unlike the pin up boys of the past, Sanjaya takes a tongue in cheek approach to trading on his looks.

With big, chocolate brown eyes, a contagious smile and celebrated hair, he deliberately diverts attention from his ability to sell us on the virtues of civility. The subliminal message of his marketing plan is a hip paraphrase of the proverb "to thine own self be true". Sanjaya takes risks, analyzes the outcomes and moves forward with the savvy of a businessman and the demeanor of a prince. Ladies everywhere are captivated by his kindness. His initial fan base shows the widest demographic of any emerging entertainer. Known as "fanjayas", his audience began as a 50/50 split of young kids and women aged 30 to senility.

As documented on the 6th season of American Idol, Sanjaya has impeccable manners, puts his family first and knows when to keep his mouth shut. Always a model of grace under fire, he is witty and honest during interviews even when the line of questioning resembles verbal persecution. He is cautious and responsible when explaining his decision to leave school and earn a GED. His words ring with sincerity when he talks about going to college to pursue a degree in Music.

Never underestimate the power of a teenage heart throb. When Sanjaya talks kids listen, especially the girls. Young women look to their favorite pin up boys to help them set a standard by which to measure their relationships by. They look for the qualities that they admire in a teen heart throb and expect to find them in real life boyfriends and future mates. Sanjaya's GED and plans to go to college, set off a chain reaction of kids across the country talking about the value of a higher education. And while every mother may not want a GED for her son, most mom's can formulate a check list of Sanjaya like behaviors they hope their boys would cultivate.

Women of a certain age appreciate Sanjaya's resilience, confidence and respect for women. Sanjaya's relationship with his mother and sister are qualities many women wish their sons would emulate.

Learn more about this author, Julia Masi.
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