Celebrities

Celebrities - glamorous, rich and the focus of the media’s attention. They can make us laugh, cry be shocked and even inspired but does this make them positive role models for us the 'common' people? Or should the youth be careful not to be drawn into the world of fame?

Firstly many famous people are sport personalities for example, David Beckham a wealthy footballer who many look up to. The majority of famous sports men/women are good role models for young people. They may become healthier in both mind and body, joining a club involving a sport may boost their confidence that would encourage them to become fitter and perhaps socialize with other children their age. Constantly seeing their role model on TV and in magazines can provide ongoing support and encouragement for kids to stick to their goal in their hobby or to try new things, To become a footballer, singer, actor to make them happy. If young people have a goal in life, it can basically keep their will to live, if they want it badly enough.

Celebrities are also seen to be quite loose with their money, especially so in the case of donating large amounts of money and time to well known charities, such as the Live Aid appeal. A large number of singers and musicians joined together to persuade the world to donate money to the mission of helping poverty-stricken people in the Third World. If your idol is generous like this, then you may like them even more, and follow suit and pledge money to a good cause. An example is Terry Wogan, who usually presents the Children In Need show, and also encourages listeners of Radio 2 to donate money, and he also appears in adverts for this cause.

However, though celebrities can seem so friendly and generous, it does not dismiss the fact that they can be extremely bad influences. Though donations are large and graciously accepted, celebrities often contribute not out of kindness, but to make themselves look good and boost their status in the papers and on TV, instead of having exaggerated rumours written about them in the tabloids. The donations should be helping those in need, not celebrity “careers”!

When there are millions of beings in pain and dying in the world, what is the action taken by celebrities and TV programme producers? To ignore all the chaos and anguish and instead spend money striving to create several dim-witted reality TV shows, the most famous: Big Brother. One of the latest contestants in Big Brother who appears to have emerged as a “favourite” of the nation is Nikki. A ditsy, self-pampering brat, this 20-something year old, though not actually winning the show, has made a name for herself by having tantrums in front of the whole of Britain, and gets paid with money that could be better spent elsewhere. This, apparently, is entertainment.

Big Brother can influence young people that it is good to get money the easy way. My sister is keen to go on it, describing it enthusiastically as a “quick and easy way to get rich and famous”. Shouldn’t famous people encourage young people to work hard for what they want? Rather than be lazy attention seekers who parade around like huffy drama queens for everyone to see? Their behavior is not admirable in the slightest. Great examples of these unworthy role models include Paris Hilton, Chantelle, Jordan and generally anyone else who will sell themselves out on TV. Paris Hilton got her money from daddy without lifting a finger, and Jordan gets by flaunting her cosmetically enlarged breast at cameras, and plastering her naked body all over magazines, entirely degrading herself.

As well as indirectly encouraging young people to become corporate whores, these so-called celebrities are also sending a message to mostly young girls that they must alter the way they look to be pretty and thin.

Especially when it is unneeded, they take drastic measures such as cosmetic surgery. In the last year or so, there has been a 50% increase in the number of teenagers seeking plastic surgery; even a third of teenagers asked said that they would pay whatever they had to undergo plastic surgery. It’s a relief, however, that 80% agreed that Jordan had gone too far, but the figures are still astonishing.

But the bigger concerns are eating disorders in teens. Nearly one sixth of high school boys and one third of high school girls show some of the symptoms of an eating disorder, such as bulimia or anorexia.

These have very bad effects on growing teenagers, and it can cause depression when they see themselves as fat compared to their stick-thin pin-ups. Being obsessed with celebrities is terribly unhealthy, especially when young people set out to rape themselves of their individuality and originality to be exactly like someone who is far from perfect.

Even in music, several artists show no creativity and freshness in their songs, and when teenagers follow that example, they can end up droning you the same material that often has no relevance, importance and especially no decency. Yet remarkably, in my opinion, these songs go straight to the top of the charts! I really don’t understand how this is possible.

Examples of these types of songs include “Don’t Cha” by the Pussycat Dolls that repeats lyrics that a primary three student could come up with, and to me, one of the other most dreadful songs is “Candy Shop” by 50 Cent. If the lyrics to this song aren’t blatantly obvious sexual innuendos, then I don’t know what is. Even if someone can’t realize it from the lyrics, then watching the video should convince them. It sends a message to males that it is acceptable to treat woman as objects created for their pleasure, and to females it seems to suggest that it is suitable to degrade yourself to be desired. I believe that it is inconsiderate and offensive lyrics and videos like these that lead people to think that roles models of this sort have adequate behavior and originality.

Overall, I believe that the large majority of celebrities set an extremely bad example to their young fans, including eating disorders, plastic surgery, degradation and lack of originality. Famous role models should rethink their actions before they can influence young people, as too many celebrities are famous for the wrong reason:

Doing whatever they can to get the money.