Celebrities should not be expected to act as role models for our children

[Anonymous]

Why is it that when a celebrity, particulalry a young one (late teens-early twenties), is criticised for something they do, that people often use the 'role model' card? Why exactly do they expect that person to live their life the way they deem appropriate for kids to aspire to?

A few examples:

MILEY CYRUS - Since her departure from the Disney show 'Hannah Montana', she has constantly been a target of raging parents who do not think she has lived up to her obligation to be a role model.

ONE DIRECTION - The UK boyband which has gained rapid fame over the past 5 years has been constantly bashed for certain actions of individual members. Most notably, when this leaked video showed members Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik smoking a joint and making jokes about their illegal actions.

These are just a few, but others include people like Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Lindsay Lohan etc.

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Firstly, if you are worried about your kid being led astray by these celebrities and their actions, perhaps you should first look to home for answers. Might that have anything to do with your individual parenting skills? The main role models they should look up to are their parents, and if they are not doing so, perhaps you should ask yourself why. It's not they shouldn't be allowed to look up to these celebrities, but it is your responsiblity as a parent to help them distinguish the good from the bad, not that celebrity.

Secondly, when these celebrities 'signed up' for their fame, they didn't sign a contract pledging to behave 'appropriately' for the rest of their lives. Many child stars do end up going off the rails, therefore it is your job as a parent to teach them that. Many of them will get into controversy at some point. Maybe, as a parent you should be spending more time teaching your children about resisting peer pressure and sticking to their guns rather than sending angry messages to these celebrities/their mangers.

Just because stars like Miley Cyrus and Ariana Grande originated from kids shows on Disney and Nickolodeon, that does not mean they are bound by that role for the rest of their lives. Maybe they do have a young fanbase, but they should be allowed to live their lives the way they want (wearing the clothes they want to wear etc.) without their past jobs constantly defining them.

It is YOUR job as a parent to teach your kid right from wrong. It is YOUR job to be a role model. You can't expect celebrities to dictate what is right or wrong through actions or words, nor blame them if your kid copies them. Take some responsibility and stop shifting the blame for your mistakes.

[fwbplease]

In my opinion, if you are a celebrity you are for whatever reason in the spotlight say for your acting or singing. You show that part of yourself for everyone to see. You allow yourself to become idolized by selling yourself. But you can't pick and choose the portions of your life you want to be idolized. as humans we don't idolize a celebrities acting or singing we idolize the celebrity themselves. So when you are scrutinized for your lifestyle it's not because people are nosey or don't allow you to live your life it's because you put yourself in a situation that allows people to view you for who or what you are. Just like athletes kids idolize and look up to their accomplishments and then get let down when they find out they go to jail for illegal activities. It's disappointing because people thought better of them. Which I don't see as a bad thing. It's nice to know we as people like to think the best of someone Until they disappoint us. It's better then us having the mentality of assuming they are bad first and shouldn't be looked up to.

[myTake Owner]

regardless, you can't control how people live their life, so ultimate responsibility always comes back to the parents. if i was a parent, i'd spend my energy teaching my kids that everyone is human and flawed and these people shouldn't be idolised, perhaps looked up to, but not idolised.

[fwbplease]

No one tries to control anyone else's life. People express disappointment when they find out the people they looked up to aren't as great as who we thought they were. I am a parent and I like most parents do teach kids everyone makes mistakes. But I won't teach my kid it's not ok to look up to someone who is better than the average and admire or strive to be great on that level. It has nothing to do with parenting when kids and adults get let down by people they look up to.

[myTake Owner]

there's a difference between being disappointed when you are let down, and expecting a celebrity to do your job for you. they are not their to teach your kid right from wrong, they are there to live their own life and do what they love doing.

[ThisDudeHere]

Celebrities are a modern phenomenom where the general public equate them to being just like any one of your other friends. I mean, you hear about them and actually see them all of the time (tv, internet, music etc) - nothing like this existed before mass media. And because of us subconsciously thinking of them as a close friend, we turn them into rolemodels.

[loveisbeautiful]

Though, it is a parents job to guide their kids and teach them the right way. They also can't help who their kids admire and look up to, as a parent who ever your child does look up to you want make sure they are actually someone worth looking up to and not doing all these bad things you wouldn't want your own kid to do.

I have to say, I very much disagree with this on a lot of levels. I feel, that famous people know exactly what they're getting into when they decide to get into this business. Especially, the one's that grew up in it. Miley Cyrus's dad is Billy Ray Cyrus. So, she knew exactly what was going to happen when she signed on the Disney line and ANYBODY that signs with Disney knows it's mostly children who watch and they will end up looking up to you, it's just that simple. Celebrites, will always have people who admire them or view them as role models. That can't be helped, but it's up to that celebrity whether they stay someone worth looking up to or they try to shake their wholesome image by snorting cocaine and getting naked.

You say it's up to the parents to be role model to their child, well it's also up to the celebrity rather they go down a good path or a bad one. They have choices too. So, famous people aren't that innocent. There's a lot of them who are looked up to, that don't make fools of themselves or make themselves a liability for a potential jobs in the future. So, don't blame the parents. Or, the kids. It's not their fault.

[myTake Owner]

i didn't say celebrities were innocent. but why should they be? parents can complain all they want, the celebs will never be accountable, and quite right. parents can guide their kids to admire the right kind of people

[loveisbeautiful]

Why should they be? Because, how they act will not only reflect on them but it will also go to whether they're a good person to hire for a job. How they act now, will follow them for the rest of their lives. They wanted to be famous, so they better not screw it up or they just might end up broke. Also, you can't control who your kid looks up to. What you going to tell your little boy not to like Batman, because he's not real? You can't do that, you don't have control over that. Anymore, then you can prevent your little toddler from repeating that bad word you accidently said. It just doesn't work that. Not to mention, no one can predict how a person will turn out down the line. So, any girl that looked up to Hannah Montana didn't know how the actress would turn out neither did their parents. So, it's not as simple you might think.

[mr90skid]

I've saying this for the longest :O
Celebrities are people just like us except their richer and more famous. If I was a celeb I'd be underground because I'd go about life my way not giving a fuck about popular opinion or social rules.

[myTake Owner]

i personally would never want to be famous. i value my privacy and anonymity way too much. but people who think celebs are there to act as the moral compass for their kids are deluded

[Bonnie12I27I12]

most celebrities (actors, singers) are not role models. thats not their job. their job is to entertain you. as long as miley shows up to her concert and does a good job then she's okay. she doesn't have to be "perfect" just to make your kid happy.

[myTake Owner]

yep, totally agree

[Anonymous]

Perhaps as a society we should just stop giving a shit about these over-paid, whinny, millionaire-narcissists who can't stand it when they are criticized for any reason. Just stop buying the magazines listening to the news, etc ., and just stop making them even richer because so many are just horrible people.

[fwbplease]

I agree perhaps it reflects directly on our society who we allow to become a celebrity.

[myTake Owner]

there is some truth in what you are saying, however i single-handedly cannot change the celebrity culture which out society revolves around so all i can do as a parent is teach my child right from wrong and not expect celebrities to do that job for me

[Opinion Owner]

No one individual can. All we can do is lead by example.

[myTake Owner]

luckily i don't buy any of that crap already :D

[Opinion Owner]

Good we need more people like you.

[RationalLioness]

I agree. Let those people live their lives as they want. They shouldn't be forced to be a certain way because people want them.

Besides, there are other role models that many parents can find besides celebrities. How about activists?

[bubble_tea]

I guess those parents feel like they have a voting power since they paid top $$$ to get so many stuff from those celebrities for their kids. But of course they are completely wrong to think they can dictate how others should live their lives. The only kids they can boss around are their own.

[Jersey1]

Celebrities are actually a role model because they are so visible. Parents should use them as a what not to be example though. Cyrus may be rich and famaous but she is pathetic in many ways.

So many of these pampered idiots end up having a screwed up life and die in there teens, 20s maybe 40s. When I see the antics of Cyrus, I think her father failed and he should be embarrassed.

[couldntthinkofaname]

Parents get angry with people like Miley Cyrus because some children who loved her show and adored her, look up to her and think she's great and might want to be like her. Now that she's acting up, those young children who adored her will start to try and copy her.
But you're right, it's the parent's job to tell their kids celebrities aren't that great people and show them the right people to look up to.

[rAiNbOwTeRdZ]

Well, they are good role models and bad ones. But in a way, the bad ones are actually good. Parents can teach kids not to be like the bad ones or they'll end up like them. Parents can also tell their kids to look up to the good ones.

[Octavion]

Yeah but if kids can't look up to celebrities then who can parents turn to to have be role models for their children that they themselves are supposed to have the obligation to be...

[myTake Owner]

people who have actually achieved things... scientists, academics, activists, famous authors. don't get me wrong, some 'celebrities' have been truly influential but vast majority not so much, especially not the young ones i am referring to in the take.

[myTake Owner]

i'm not saying kids shouldn't look up to celebrities, but ultimately the parents have to be the ones to guide their children

[Octavion]

I was being sarcastic. I'm saying it's a parents job to be a role model for their children but there are a lot of lazy irresponsible parents who want someone else to do their job for them in terms of raising their children.

[myTake Owner]

oh, sorry. it's hard to sense tone when you're reading a typed message lol. yeah i completely agree with u

[WhatTheHellAmy]

I think celebrities can do whatever they want. Parents have the responsibility to guide their children to the right path.

[Yc2K15]

yep, miley especially uses her body as a marketing tool. I just saw her new album cover on the net the other day and what do you know... she is naked... with a pig...

[abundantlyrich]

They are not role models but the parents let their kids idolise them. So who's fault was it to begin with anyway? The parents had control of tv, pooter and ipod and lets the kids use it freely.

[Bards]

Why does Hahana Montana have cooler clothes than me?

[myTake Owner]

bc she rich

[Bards]

Well DAMN

[phanindra554plus]

Actually they are not role models so parents have to guid kids to chose there role models and good paths. Then this world will be a great world😊

[Hannah591]

I totally agree! Good take!

[Ihav2fart]

Who said they are?

[myTake Owner]

parents who get angry when these young, famous people step out of line

[Ihav2fart]

Maybe those parents should learn to teach their children instead of letting them rely on media.

[myTake Owner]

yeah. that's what i'm saying lol :D