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Sita (also spelled Seeta or Seetha Hindustani pronunciation: [Sītā],  listen (help·info) meaning "furrow") is the principle female character in the epic Ramayana.^[1] She is the consort of the Hindu god Rama (avatar of Vishnu) and is an avatar of Lakshmi, goddess of wealth and wife of Vishnu.^[2][3] She is esteemed as a standard-setter for wifely and womanly virtues for all Hindu women. Sita is known for her dedication, self-sacrifice, courage and purity.

Sita is described as the daughter of the earth goddess Bhūmi and the adopted daughter of King Janaka of Mithila. In her youth, she marries Rama, the prince of Ayodhya. Soon after her marriage, she is forced into exile with her husband and brother-in-law Lakshmana. While in exile, the trio settle in the Dandaka forest, from where she is kidnapped by the Ravana, Rakshasa King of Lanka. She is imprisoned in the Ashoka Vatika of Lanka by Ravana. Sita is finally rescued by Rama in the climatic war where Rama slays Ravana. Sita proves her chastity by undergoing a trial by fire. Thereafter, Rama and Sita return to Ayodhya, where they are crowned as king and queen. However, Rama abandons a pregnant Sita, when one of his subjects casts doubt over her chastity. Sita gives birth to twins Lava and Kusha, in the refuge of Sage Valmiki's hermitage. After her sons grow up and unite with their father, Sita returns to her mother, the Earth's womb.

Etymology and other names[link]

Deities of Sita (far right), Rama (center), Lakshmana (far left) and Hanuman (below seated) at the Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford England

She is best known by the name Sita, derived from the Sanskrit word sīta, which means furrow. It is believed that her father Janaka found her while ploughing as a part of a yagna.The word was a poetic term in ancient India, its imagery redolent of fecundity and the many blessings coming from settled agriculture. The Sita of the Ramayana may have been named after a more ancient Vedic goddess Sita, who is mentioned once in the Rigveda as an earth goddess who blesses the land with good crops. In the Vedic era, She was one of the goddesses associated with fertility. A Vedic hymn (Rig Veda 4:57) recites:

The Kausik-sutra and the Paraskara-sutra associate her repeatedly as the wife of Parjanya (a god associated with rains) and Indra.
Sita is known by many epithets. She is called Jānaki as the daughter of Janaka; Maithili as the princess of Mithila'; as the wife of Rāma, she is called Ramā. Her father Janaka had earned the sobriquet "Videha" due to his ability to transcend body consciousness; Sita is therefore also known as Vaidehi (Sanskrit: वैदेही)).

Life[link]

Birth and youth[link]

Sita was a foundling, discovered in a furrow in a ploughed field, and for that reason is regarded as a daughter of Bhūmi Devi^[4] (the goddess earth). She was discovered and adopted by Janaka, king of Mithila, and his wife Sunayana. Upon her coming of age, a swayamwara was held to select a suitable husband for her. She wed Rama, prince of Ayodhya, an avatar of Vishnu on Vivaha Panchami.

Exile and abduction[link]

Ravana cuts off Jatayu's wing while abducting Sita, by Ravi Varma

Some time after the wedding, circumstances forced Rama to leave Ayodhya and spend a period of exile in the forests of Dandaka and later Panchavati. Sita willingly renounced the comforts of the palace and joined her husband in braving exile, even living in the Dandaka and Panchavati forests. The Panchavati forest became the scene for her abduction by Ravana, King of Lanka. Ravana kidnapped Sita, disguising himself as a brahmana mendicant, or begging holy-man, while her husband was away fetching a magnificent golden deer to please her(Panchavati Near Thapiyamaan Puliyur(Tamil Nadu). Jatayu, the vulture-king, who was a friend of Dasratha (Rama's father), tried to protect Sita but Ravana chopped off his wings. Jatayu survived long enough to inform Rama of what had happened.

Ravana took her back to his kingdom in Lanka, and Sita was held as a prisoner in one of his palaces. During her captivity for a year in Lanka, Ravana expressed his desire for her; however, Sita refused his advances and struggled to maintain her chastity. Hanuman was sent by Rama to seek Sita and eventually succeeded in discovering Sita's whereabouts. Sita gave Hanuman her jewelry and asked him to give it to her husband. However, Hanuman was caught by Lankan forces. Hanuman was about to be executed and burnt in a bonfire when he managed to escape and in return burned down the Lanka capital city.

Sita was finally rescued by Rama, who waged a famous battle to defeat Ravana. Upon rescue, Rama worried about the future of human society — that any man or women may not use this as an excuse to live with each other without marriage.^{[citation needed]}

The Thailand version of the Ramayana, however, tells of Sita walking on the fire, of her own accord, to feel clean, as opposed to jumping in it. She is not burnt, the coals turn to lotuses. Walking on live coals is still a common custom in the south of India.^{[citation needed]}

In Hindu dharma, every action has results irrespective of the stature of the person. A school of thought^[which?] states that Rama questioned Sita on her integrity as a punishment for her questioning the integrity of Lakshmana, who had left all his comfort and served Rama and Sita for 14 years.^{[citation needed]}

Later life[link]

Sita's fire ordeal

The couple came back to Ayodhya, where Rama was crowned king with Sita by his side. While Rama's trust and affection for Sita never wavered, it soon became evident that some people in Ayodhya could not accept Sita's long captivity under the power of Ravana.

Sita returns to the Earth's womb with her mother as Rama, her sons and sages watch in astonishment.

During Rama's period of rule, an intemperate washer man, while berating his wayward wife, declared that he was "no pusillanimous Rama who would take his wife back after she had lived in the house of another man". This statement was reported back to Rama, who knew that the accusation of Sita was baseless. Nevertheless, he would not let slander undermine his rule, so he drove Sita out.

Sita was thus forced into exile a second time; she was not only alone this time but also pregnant. She was rescued by the sage Valmiki. He gave her refuge in his hermitage, where she delivered twin sons named Kusha and Lava.

In the hermitage, Sita raised her sons alone, as a single mother.^[5] They grew up to be valiant and intelligent, and were eventually united with their father. Once she had witnessed the acceptance of her children by Rama, Sita sought final refuge in the arms of her mother Bhūmi. Hearing her plea for release from an unjust world and from a life that had rarely been happy, the earth dramatically split open; Bhūmi appeared and took Sita away to a better world.

Speeches in the Ramayana[link]

Janaki Mandir, Janakpur

While the Ramayana mostly concentrates on Rama's actions, Sita also speaks many times during the exile. The first time is in the town of Chitrakuta where she narrates an ancient story to Rama, whereby Rama promises to Sita that he will never kill anybody without provocation.

The second time Sita is shown talking prominently is when she speaks to Ravana. Ravana has come to her in the form of a Brahmin and Sita tells him that he doesn't look like one.

Some of her most prominent speeches are with Hanuman when he reaches Lanka. Hanuman wants an immediate meeting of Rama and Sita, and thus he proposes to Sita to ride on his back. Sita refuses as she does not want to run away like a thief; instead she wants her husband Rama to come and defeat Ravana to save her.

Symbolism[link]

A female deity of agricultural fertility by the name Sita was known before Valmiki's Ramayana, but was overshadowed by more well-known goddesses associated with fertility. According to the Ramayana, Sita was discovered in a furrow when Janaka was ploughing. Since Janaka was a king, it is likely that plowing was part of a royal ritual to ensure fertility of the land. Sita is considered to be the child of the Mother Earth, produced by the union between the king and the land. Sita is a personification of the Earth's fertility, abundance, and well-being.Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag; see the help page

The actions, reactions and instincts manifested by Sita at every juncture in a long and arduous life are deemed exemplary; Her story has been portrayed in the book Sitayanam.^[6] The values that She enshrined and adhered to at every point in the course of a demanding life are the values of womanly virtue held sacred by countless generations of Indians.

What is ambiguous is her portrayal as an ideal queen. Was she a good states person? Was she a warrior? Her sacrifices and actions are most often portrayed in her personal capacity and not as a governance figure. Sita was abducted because she had to step out of the safety line to give alms to Ravan disguised as a Brahmin. The giving of alms to Brahmin in those times was more of a duty to be performed, rather than an optional charitable act. This held true more so for the royals and they were to lead by example. Also, the incident of Sita's refusal to come back with Hanuman like a common thief, her renunciation of queen-hood and exile from Ayodhya after her return. All her key aspects are shown in a favourable light, but not as a head of state, but as an ideal woman. This is in stark contrast to Rama, who is always portrayed also as an ideal king who was just and fair and always thought of his people before all else in addition to being depicted as an ideal husband and an ideal son.

Popular culture sees Sita as an abla nari or a helpless woman. She is portrayed as someone who needs support and assistance of the male folk in the myth.

As a feminist issue[link]

Sita endures the trial by fire (Agni Pariksha) to prove her chastity.

From a feminist perspective, Sita's story is illustrative of subjugation of women in Hindu culture especially in comparison to Durga who is a symbol of female raw force:

• She fits the classic damsel in distress stereotype, waiting to be rescued by a man. Indeed she takes it a step further and refuses to be rescued by anyone other than her man.

• She alone is suspected of adultery by Rama and her subjects, and forced to prove her innocence. Rama is never asked to undergo the trial by fire to prove he was faithful to her, and neither is he doubted by his subjects or by Sita.

• Rama banishes Sita to the forest for merely having been accused of adultery by citizens of Ayodhya.

• Years later, when Rama meets her again through coincidence, he hesitates to take her back, causing Sita to call up her mother Bhūmi and be subsumed into the earth (which may arguably be a metaphor for suicide).

Thus from a feminist perspective, to hold Sita up as an example of the ideal woman and wife is to endorse male supremacy and female subservience; and to endorse Rama as the ideal husband is to endorse misogyny. There is evidence that this "Sita Syndrome" encourages domestic violence and subjugation of women in the subcontinent and diaspora communities.^[7]

Other legends[link]

Two other legends obtaining in certain versions of the Ramayana may be mentioned in connection with Sita. These legends are significant in that they do not endorse the mainstream view of Sita having been an avatara of the goddess Lakshmi.

Vedavati[link]

Some versions of the Ramayana suggest that Sita was a reincarnation of Vedavati^[1] (an avatar of Lakshmi), an orphan lady. The legend goes thus:

The sage Kushadhwaja was a learned and pious scholar residing in a remote hermitage. His daughter Vedavati grows up in her father's hermitage to become an ardent devotee of Vishnu, and resolves early in life to wed no one other than Vishnu. Her father refrains from stifling her aspirations, and even rejects proposals from many powerful kings and celestial beings who seek his daughter's hand in marriage. Among those rejected is Sambhu, a powerful Daitya king. Smarting under his humiliation, Shambhu seizes an opportunity and murders Vedavati's parents on a moonless night.

Vedavati continues to reside at the hermitage of her parents, meditating upon Vishnu. She is described as being inexpressibly beautiful, dressed in the hide of a black antelope, her hair matted, the bloom of her youth enhanced by her austerities. Ravana, the ruler of Lanka, once finds Vedavati seated in meditation and is captivated by her beauty. He propositions her and is rejected. Ravana mocks her austerities and her devotion to Vishnu; finding himself firmly rejected at every turn, out of anger, he tries to force Vedavati by pulling her hair. This greatly incensed her, and she forthwith cut off her hair till there, and cursed him that his ten heads shall be broken into One Thousand pieces (which means he shall be killed), if he touches any other woman without her will. She also added "Since I have been touched by thee and being insulted in the forest by thee who are wicked-hearted, I lost my purity in devotion. I'll burn myself and shall become pure. I shall be born again for thy destruction." So she entered the blazing fire, and celestial flowers fell all around. It was she who was born again as Sita, and was the moving cause of Ravana's death, though Rama was the agent. Also due to this curse, Ravana never even touched any other girl, in fact he abducted Sita, by slicing Land around her, but didn't touch her.^[8]

Her chastity thus sullied beyond redemption, Vedavati immolates herself on a pyre, vowing to return in another age and be the cause of Ravana's destruction. She is duly reborn as Sita, wife of Rama, and became the direct cause of Ravana's destruction at his hands. In the process, Vedavati also receives the boon she so single-mindedly sought: Vishnu, in his avatara as Rama, becomes her husband. In some versions of the Ramayana, Agastya relates this entire story to Rama.

Daughter of Ravana[link]

Some South Indian myths state that Sita was the daughter of Ravana born of Mandodari. It is said that Ravana was told that the first child is not auspicious for him by Astrology and Ravana send his trusted advisor to kill the new born. However, the person could not come upon himself to kill her and therefore buries her alive in the field where Janak was going to plough. It is said that Hanuman thought the Mandodari was Sita when he first saw her.^{[citation needed]}

Temples[link]

• Janaki Mandir
• Sita Māī Temple

See also[link]

Hinduism portal

References[link]

1. ^ ^{a b} "Sita". http://www.mahavidya.ca.+pp.1. http://www.mahavidya.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Kundrik-Sara-Sita-Yes.pdf. Retrieved 5 April 2012. 
2. ^ "Sita – The Symbol of Tolerance". http://religion-faith.com. http://religion-faith.com/hindu-and-hinduism/hindu-gods-goddesses/goddess-sita.html. Retrieved 18 March 2012. 
3. ^ "http://www.swadharma.org/2009/02/17/causes-for-debate-in-the-ramayana/". http://www.swadharma.org/. http://www.swadharma.org/2009/02/17/causes-for-debate-in-the-ramayana/. Retrieved 25 February 2012. 
4. ^ "The Story of Mother Sita the consort of Lord Rama.". http://www.salagram.net/. http://www.salagram.net/parishad131.html. Retrieved 18 March 2012. 
5. ^ "Contemporary Influence of Sita" by Anju Bhargava [1];
6. ^ "Sitayanam - A Woman's Journey of Strength" by Anju P. Bhargava;
7. ^ Archana Pathak Bhatt. "The Sita Syndrome". http://www.bridgew.edu/soas/jiws/May08/Sita.pdf. Retrieved 2011-12-06. 
8. ^ Vedavati, The Encyclopaedia for Epics of Ancient India

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sita

• Sita Kalyanam in the Valmiki Ramayana
• Lady Siidaa and Phra Ram in Thai Ramayana

v t e Hindu deities and texts Gods Deva Ganesha Brahma Vishnu Shiva Rama Krishna Murugan Hanuman Indra Surya more Goddesses Adi parashakti Devi Saraswati Lakshmi Sati Parvati Durga Shakti Kali Sita Radha Mahavidya Navadurga Matrikas more Texts Vedas Upanishads Puranas Ramayana Mahabharata Bhagavad Gita more Hinduism Hindu mythology

Cher Lloyd
Lloyd performing in April 2011
Background information
Birth name	Cher Lloyd
Born	(1993-07-28) 28 July 1993 (age 18) Malvern, Worcestershire, UK
Origin	Malvern, Worcestershire, UK
Genres	R&B,pop, dance-pop, hip hop, synthpop, rap, dubstep
Occupations	Singer, songwriter, model,
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2010–present
Labels	Syco, Epic Records
Website	cherlloyd.com

Cher Lloyd (born 28 July 1993) is an English recording artist. Lloyd rose to fame when she finished fourth in the seventh series of The X Factor. Shortly afterwards, Lloyd was signed by Simon Cowell to Sony Music subsidiary Syco Music.

Cher Lloyd's debut single "Swagger Jagger" was released in June 2011. Despite receiving negative reviews, the single entered at number one on the UK Singles Chart and number two on the Irish Singles Chart. Her second single "With Ur Love" was released on 31 October, featuring Mike Posner, and peaked at number four in the UK, and number five in Ireland, preceding her debut album Sticks + Stones, which peaked at number four in the UK Albums Chart and number seven on the Irish Albums Chart.^[1]

Life and career[link]

Early life[link]

Cher Lloyd used to live in Malvern with her parents Darren and Dina, and three younger siblings brother Josh, and sisters Sophie and Rosie. Lloyd attended Dyson Perrins CE Sports College, where she studied performing arts.^[2] She also attended theatre arts school Stagecoach.

[edit] 2010: The X Factor

During her time on the show she was mentored by Cheryl Cole (pictured).

Lloyd had previously auditioned for The X Factor twice before (when the minimum age was lower) singing ballads, but did not make it through.^[3] Lloyd has previously performed at holiday camps and said she gets a mixed reaction to her music, but was a big hit with x-factor judge at the time Cheryl Cole. She remarked on their similarity and Cheryl went on to support her throughout the show.^[4] She auditioned singing the Keri Hilson version of "Turn My Swag On".^[4] At bootcamp she sang a rap version of "Viva La Vida"^[5] adding lyrics she claimed to have written herself, but this was disputed and reports claimed she took them from a song by rapper Swizz Beatz.^[6][7] At the judges' houses she performed "Cooler Than Me"^[8] but suffered from tonsillitis and was unable to complete her song.^[9] She was given a second chance, but broke down sobbing and could not complete the song. Despite this, she was still picked as one of the final three girls by mentor Cheryl Cole.

Lloyd sang a rendition of "Just Be Good to Me" in the first of the live shows. In the second live show she sang "Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)". In the third live show, she sang a mashup of "No Diggity" and "Shout", and in the fourth live show she sang "Stay". This was the first time Lloyd did not rap in her performance, and Cowell even called it "the performance of the season". In week five, Lloyd sang "Empire State of Mind", but judges stated that after last week they were disappointed, and Cowell said it was copycat. However, the judges agreed that she redeemed herself with her rendition of "Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" mixed with "Mockingbird", by Elton John and Eminem respectively, in week 6. In the seventh week, Lloyd was in the bottom two for the first time after her rendition of "Imagine", but Cowell, Cole and Walsh all saved her in the final showdown, resulting in Paije Richardson being eliminated. In the following week Lloyd performed "Girlfriend", followed by "Walk This Way". Both performances were credited by the judges and she was saved by the public vote the following night, securing her position in the semi final.^[10] In the semi-final, Lloyd performed "Nothin' on You" and "Love the Way You Lie" and was in the bottom two with Mary Byrne. She was saved by the judges again and put through to the final, even though voting statistics after the show revealed that Lloyd had the fewest votes.^[11] In the final she performed a mash-up of "The Clapping Song" and "Get Ur Freak On", followed by a duet with will.i.am, which was a mashup of "Where Is the Love?" and "I Gotta Feeling". Lloyd was then eliminated in fourth place, having received the fewest public votes.^[12]

[edit] 2011–12: Sticks + Stones, touring, and other ventures

Lloyd performing on the X Factor Live Tour, April 2011, the tour saw Lloyd performing for 500,000 people throughout the UK.^[13]

After the final it was announced that Lloyd had been signed by Syco Music.^[14] Lloyd and nine other contestants from the series participated in the X Factor Live Tour from February 2011 to April 2011. The tour saw Lloyd performing for 500,000 people throughout the UK.^[15] Songwriter Autumn Rowe^[16] and producer RedOne^[17] worked on her debut album, scheduled for release in November 2011.^[18] Her debut single, "Swagger Jagger", received its first airplay on 20 June 2011 after it had been leaked onto the internet on 15 June 2011^[19] however, this version was later confirmed as only the demo of the track on Lloyd's Twitter account.^[20] The single was released on 31 July 2011^[21] and peaked at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 7 August 2011.

On 28 July 2011, Lloyd previewed five tracks from her upcoming album during a Ustream session, including tracks featuring Busta Rhymes, Mike Posner, Ghetts, Mic Righteous and Dot Rotten.^[22] Lloyd confirmed on Twitter that "With Ur Love" featuring Mike Posner was to be released has her second single. The single was released on 30 October 2011. The single received its first radio airplay on 21 September 2011. The music video premiered on 1 October 2011, on morning show T4. The single sold 74,030 copies in its first week becoming the highest-selling number four single since Rihanna's "Only Girl (In the World)", which sold 74,248 copies in October 2010.^[23] Lloyd confirmed the album's title "Sticks + Stones" on her twitter. The album was released on 7 November 2011.^[24] The album peaked at number four and has sold 198,199 copies in the United Kingdom as of January 2012.^[25]

On 21 November 2011, Lloyd announced her debut headlining UK tour, the Sticks + Stones Tour, set for March and April 2012.^[26] In December 2011, two more dates were added due to popular demand for tickets.^[27] "Sticks + Stones" will be released in 2012 through Epic Records in the United States^[28] On 13 December, a music video for "Dub on the Track" featuring underground artists Mic Righteous, Dot Rotten and Ghetts, who also all appear in the accompanying video, premiered on SBTV.^[29][30] The song will not serve as the third single.^[31]

December 2011, Cher Lloyd signed a record deal with L.A. Reid to Epic Records in the United States. She is expected to release her debut album in the United States in late 2012.^[28]

"Want U Back" was confirmed^[32] as the third single from the album. The single version features vocals from American rapper Astro and was released 19 February 2012.^[33] Following the release of the music video on 6 January 2012, the single peaked at number twenty-six on the UK Singles Chart, due to digital downloads from the album.^[34] Cher confirmed via her official website that "Beautiful People" is the fourth single from the album, but there is no official release date.^[35]

In February 2012, Lloyd spoke out to BBC Radio on her consistent cyber-bullying and how she fears for her safety after becoming a victim of online bullying. "I'm public property and there's nothing I can do — I have got to deal with it." She continued: "The message that I have got for people is: I have always tried to act the hard person and that was just a front for me. It is about time now that I let people realise that I am a real person and if I can do it, with all these people that want a piece of me, then other victims can speak out as well. There have been many times when I have cried myself to sleep. I am very scared because I like to think people think I'm strong, because if they don't, then they might not think I can do it."^[36] Lloyd also spoke to Newsbeat on how she thinks the government should take more action in preventing cyber-bullying.^[37] On 24 February 2012, it was announced that Cher Lloyd has signed a modelling contract with Select. Select's special bookings revently stated:

Her strong individuality represents everything that we love about the youth today and their music. Like everyone, she is a melting pot of different emotions, from super confidence oozing fun to a vulnerability

Lloyd has previously appeared on the cover of RWD Magazine and modelled for fashion bible Wonderland.^[38]

2012–present: Marriage and second studio album[link]

On 10 April 2012, Cher Lloyd announced she has started work on her second album, and has done a few songs.^[39] Lloyd plans to re-release her single Want U Back in the US without Astro, but has recorded a remix with Snoop Dogg.^[40] L.A. Reid also plans to introduce Lloyd to American media in New York, hoping Lloyd will make a breakthrough in America.^[41] Cher Lloyd has recently confirmed her engagement to boyfriend Craig, and hopes to get married as soon as possible.^[42][43][44] However, Lloyd has received controversy due to marriage at a young age, but has argued her "Gypsy background means she should have already married by now". She hopes to get married sometime in the summer of 2012.^[45]

Discography[link]

• Sticks + Stones (2011)

Tours[link]

• 2011: The X Factor Live Tour 2011
• 2012: Sticks + Stones Tour

Filmography[link]

Television[link]

See also[link]

• List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Cher Lloyd discography at MusicBrainz

Victoria Justice
Background information
Born	(1993-02-19) February 19, 1993 (age 19) Hollywood, Florida, U.S.
Genres	Electropop, pop, dance pop
Occupations	Actress, singer-songwriter, dancer
Instruments	Vocals, piano
Years active	2003–present
Labels	Columbia Records Sony Music Entertainment
Website	VictoriaJustice.net

Victoria Justice (born February 19, 1993) is an American actress, singer-songwriter, and dancer. She debuted as an actress at the age of 10 and has since appeared in several films and television series including the Nickelodeon series Zoey 101 and Victorious. She has made appearances in several theatrical releases, including Unknown as well as the 2006 thriller The Garden. She has appeared in several Nickelodeon series, including True Jackson, VP, The Troop, The Penguins of Madagascar and iCarly, as well as on the Nickelodeon game show BrainSurge as a contestant. In 2010 she starred in the Nickelodeon film The Boy Who Cried Werewolf.

Aside from acting, Justice is involved in her musical career. She has performed several songs for the soundtrack to the Nickelodeon musical Spectacular!, in which she starred. She has recorded a number of songs for the Victorious series. Justice has announced the release of her debut album, which is expected to be released sometime during 2012.

Early life[link]

Victoria Justice was born on February 19, 1993, in Hollywood, Florida, to Serene and Zack Justice.^[1][2] Her mother is Puerto Rican and her father is of English, German, and Irish descent. She first developed an interest in acting when she was 8 years old after watching a children's commercial. She and her family relocated to Hollywood, California, in 2003. In 2005, she auditioned and was accepted into the musical theatre program at Los Angeles' renowned Performing Arts Magnet school. Her family moved from Hollywood, Florida, to Los Angeles when she was 11 after Justice had stated she wanted to be a part of filming commercials as well as television series and films. Justice has done commercials for companies such as Ralph Lauren, Gap and Guess. She appeared in national commercials for Mervyn's, Peanut Butter Toast Crunch and Ovaltine.^[3]

Career[link]

[edit] 2003–09: Beginnings and Zoey 101

Justice began her acting career when she was 10 years old, when she made a guest appearance on the Gilmore Girls episode "The Hobbit, the Sofa and Digger Stiles". Justice portrayed Jill #2 in a walk-on role.^[4] After her appearance in the series, her family moved to Los Angeles, when Justice stated she wanted a career in acting. The following year, Justice guest starred on the second episode of the Disney channel series The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, in which she plays a young pageant contestant named Rebecca. Later, Justice was awarded a role in the 2005 drama-thriller Mary. Justice portrayed the role of Stella, a young girl who begins seeing visions of Mary Magdalene. After informing her family of this, they take her to see a psychiatrist, who places her on medication. Later that night, when Mary comes back, Stella takes her medicine and ignores her. This leads Mary to give Stella's sister the task instead.^[5] The film debuted at 2005 Venice Film Festival, before being showed at several other Festivals, including the 2005 Toronto Film Festival, Deauville Film Festival and San Sebastián International Film Festival.

During the same year, Justice was awarded a main cast role in the Nickelodeon series Zoey 101 as Lola Martinez, a new student who is also an aspiring actress.^[6][7] When she found out she had earned the role, she said "I was extremely happy; I was bouncing up and down and screaming. That was a really great moment."^[8] The season 2 episode that introduced Justice's character debuted on September 11, 2005. Justice also had roles in two other films that year. She had a cameo appearance in the R-rated film When Do We Eat?, as well as earning the role of Rose in the Hallmark television film Silver Bells, the following of which has become a Hallmark Hall of Fame film. In 2006, while filming episodes for Zoey 101, Justice made a guest appearance on an episode of the series Everwood, in the episode "Enjoy the Ride". Justice made her theatrical film debut that year, when she was given a cameo role in the film Unknown. The film was a financial failure, and received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film currently has a 39% approval rate, and only has a 44% approval rate on metacritic.^[9][10]

2006 also saw Justice in her first major theatrical role, when she was awarded the supporting role of Holly in the thriller film The Garden. The film was met with negative reviews from critics.^[11] 2007 and 2008 saw Justice focusing on the third and fourth seasons of Zoey 101, which was coming to a close. Justice released a promotional single midway through 2007, while she was still filming Zoey 101. The song was a cover of the Vanessa Carlton song, "A Thousand Miles".^[12] When being interviewed in 2010 about her musical career, Justice has stated "My family could always tell, ever since I was little, that [music is] something that's always come natural to me and that I've always wanted to do. It's something that's just been in my blood. Ever since I was little, I was taking tap classes, jazz classes, hip-hop classes, acting classes. I just always wanted to cultivate that and do that more. But, the moment where I actually realized, "Woah, this is something that I can actually do for the rest of my life and maybe be successful at," was actually the pilot of Victorious when I did the performance number for the first time. I just remember standing on stage and seeing all these people looking at me and I was nervous. And then, the music started and I started dancing around and really feeling it and having an amazing time, and that's when it clicked for me that this is what I want to do for the rest of my life."^[13] May 2, 2008, saw the airing of the final episode of the series.

In 2009, she announced plans to guest star on an episode of Nickelodeon's series The Naked Brothers Band. The TV special, titled Valentine Dream Date featured Justice portraying herself.^[14] Justice made no plans of going back into the recording studio until 2009, when she starred in the Nickelodeon musical, Spectacular!. Justice's character performs three songs during the course of the film. Justice starred alongside Nolan Funk and Simon Curtis in the musical film, which aired on Nickelodeon on February 16, 2009.^[15][16] The film has become one of Nickelodeon's most popular movies, attracting an audience 3.7 million viewers on its premiere night.^[17] The film received a generally positive review from several critics, holding a 76% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes as of 2011.^[18]

After the success of The Naked Brothers Band special in which Justice guest starred, producers insisted on placing her in yet another episode. The episode, titled "The Premiere", debuted on April 11, 2009. Shortly afterward, it was announced that Victoria Justice would be guest starring on a special episode of the hit television series iCarly.^[19] The episode, which aired on August 8, 2009, saw Justice portraying ring fighter Shelby Marx. September 26 saw the release of the True Jackson, VP episode "True Crush", which featured an appearance by Justice. On its original airdate, the show received 3.6 million viewers.^[20] On November 30 Justice appeared as herself on the latest Nickelodeon show, called BrainSurge. The game show saw Justice competing as a celebrity contestant as part of a series special. Justice announced that year that she would be working on a thriller film, set for theatrical release. It was later announced the film would feature Dylan Sprouse and Cole Sprouse.^[21] Unlike initial plans of a theatrical release, the film had a limited preview release on December 12, 2009, and was returned to post production. Despite this, the film's worldwide release has been canceled.^[22] Justice guest-starred on the Nickelodeon television series, The Troop, in which she portrays an Eris Fairy.

[edit] 2010–present: Victorious and other projects

Justice confirmed that she would be receiving her own musical show on Nickelodeon, explaining the show's genesis thus: "I was on Zoey 101. When I was 12, Dan Schneider cast me as a new character, Lola Martinez. From there, I worked with him for three years, on three seasons of Zoey 101. And, after that, Dan found out that I could also sing and dance as well as act, so he thought it would be really cool to create a show for me on Nickelodeon, called Victorious."^[13] The pilot for the show, which was presented as a special for the series, debuted on March 27, 2010, and received 5.7 million views, making it the highest rated premiere for a live-action Nickelodeon series.^[23] The original broadcast of this episode was an extended cut, all subsequent airings had various scenes and lines were removed to conform to its time-slot.

Justice performing in 2011