by Megan Maher

Oh Amanda Bynes… the precious Nickelodeon star that we all knew and loved. We’ve watched her grow up, transforming from the little girl in All That to the strict religious teen in the 2010 comedy Easy A. Unfortunately people no longer think of the girl from The Amanda Show when they hear her name. Instead you think of a washed up actress that is quickly spiraling out of control. She has moved from being classified as a successful starlet to a has-been.

Bynes has had an extremely rough year. From her DUI and multiple arrests, to her outlandish and often offensive tweets, she has lost her once innocent image and morphed into a troubled young star.

Late last week Bynes was arrested on charges for drug possession, reckless endangerment, and tampering with evidence. After the arrest she took to Twitter where she denied doing anything wrong, and falsely accused a member of the NYPD of sexual harassment.

This begs the question: is all publicity good publicity? Though many tend to believe this famous saying, others would argue that negative publicity more often than not will be detrimental to a person’s career. Sure she’s gaining media attention, but is it worth it? Once someone in the limelight has a public meltdown they become victim of public scrutiny, which is often more of a PR disaster than an image booster, bringing more harm than good. This isn’t always the case though. Think back a few years ago to Charlie Sheen’s very public meltdown. His career skyrocketed after his mental breakdown, coining terms such as “winning” and “drinking tiger blood”.

With all of this negative publicity she is receiving, it’s obvious that she is in need of some serious damage control, but is that even possible? Will she be able to make a comeback from the place she is now? Is there any hope? Well, possibly. Granted this isn’t something that can happen overnight, but if handled properly she just might be able to be marked down as one of those troubled stars who made a comeback. This isn’t an easy list to get on, but even the most troubled actors have been able to make positive comebacks, cue the one and only, Britney Spears.

The most important thing for people to realize is at end of the day all you have is your integrity. I have been told this time and time again throughout my PR career and I strongly believe that it is absolutely vital to weigh the truth behind that statement, especially as PR professionals. If you do not take time to handle the situation properly, your integrity could be ruined for good. As Warren Buffet once said, “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”

Bynes is a testament to this statement. Even though she upheld a positive public image for years, it all came crumbling down in no time flat. All we can do is watch and see if she takes the right steps to building it up again.

Do you believe that all publicity is good publicity? Or that Bynes has what it takes to save her career? We’d love to hear your thoughts! Weigh in below.