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By Monica Moore Smith, age 12
Do you ever think about what celebrity your daughter/son is admiring at the moment? And how they might be overly obsessed with that celebrity, or practically worshipping them? Do they hang a million posters of celebrities all over their bedroom walls? Do they the wear the clothes that celebrities wear? Do they talk about them all the time? Do you ever think that the so-called good role models aren't someone you'd want your teen to be like when he or she grows up? Think about it!
I know I wouldn't want my kids to grow up like that. If my daughter came up to me dressed like Lady GaGa or Paris Hilton I know I would tell her to change out of those clothes right that second.
Many young teens are obsessed with Miley Cyrus/Hannah Montana and think she's a good role model. But is she? First lets look at how she dresses. In Miley Cyrus's new Party in the USA music video she wears shorts that are so short they look like they were meant for a 2-year-old and a tank top that also looks like it's many sizes too small. And the others in the music video are dressed the same way!
Miley Cyrus is not the only bad role model, but I wanted to point her out because of the huge impression she makes upon little girls and teens.
I haven't seen any of Lady GaGa's music videos. I have heard about how bad they are, so I'm not going to watch.
Would you want you child to dress like any of the celebrities? Sing or dance like they do? Don't you think it's a bit odd for people to obsess over someone that they don't even know?
I know I would think it a bit creepy if some random person in Alaska had pictures of me all over their walls. That's practically worshipping them. Isn't that the reason why people hang pictures of Jesus on their walls? Because they worship him?
Basically people of all ages should think about whom they idolize. They should ask themselves, “Would I really want to be like them? Is obsessing over them really reasonable? Is that person actually a good role model?”
I just hope that people will actually have good role models as their idols, instead of bad.
Alison Moore Smith is a 61-year-old entrepreneur who graduated from BYU in 1987. She has been (very happily) married to Samuel M. Smith for 40 years. They are parents of six incredible children and grandparents to two astounding grandsons. She is the author of The 7 Success Habits of Homeschoolers.
Monica, you are amazing! :flowers:
Well said, Monica! I just saw the video to Party in the USA not long ago and I admit, I was horrified! I think that Miley Cyrus is generally seen as acceptable because he Dad has gone out of his way to closely monitor what she does, but there is still a lot of her behavior that I would not want my children to emulate. I love the comparison you make between celebrity worship and idol worship — very true!
monica you are really wise for your age and a good writer.
Monica, you are amazing AND wise beyond your years. LOL. I say that partly becuase, like you,I also “didn’t get it” when I was your age. Especially when young girls went ga ga over teen idols. I’d just scratch my head. Did they think they were ever going to meet or date this guy? who was a movie star? or rock singer? I just didn’t get it. Still don’t.
We all need to be careful who we look up to.
Monica, I think it’s great that you have a really mature outlook. You also have good writing skills. Do you want to be a writer when you grow up? You should think about it! :clap:
Well said, Monica. You are wise beyond your years. Thanks for helping us pause and consider whom we want our role models to be.
Monica is amazing. This is one reason that worldly music with appropriate lyrics is allowed in our home but NEVER music videos.
This is a very appropriate topic given the brouhaha regarding Tiger Woods. I was listening this morning to a radio show (no clue who it was) talking about the endorsements he has lost. That may end up being the most painful repercussion for him.
Thank you all for the kind comments. Monica has been checking in every day to see the comments. :bigsmile: She’s a good writer and really enjoys creating stories.
My girls love Miley’s music– but really complain about the show and her style. They liked the show for awhile but then it got to be too much about girl/boy relationships and they stopped watching. They also really got upset when we walked into Walmart the other day and they saw the new “Miley” clothing line and the posters of her all over the clothing section– super short skirts, revealing tops, etc.
The problem with child celebrities is that they grow up– and generally WAY too early. Hanna Montana’s market is 7-13 year olds. BUT the show, the clothing etc is MUCH more “grown up” than that and entirely inappropriate for that age group. Miley is looking more like a 21 year old college girl hanging out at the local bar and dance club, but the girls who are following her (because they’re her target audience) are 7-13.