Celebrities in TrainingA new survey conducted in London by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers found that 53% of elementary school children aspire to be like Posh and Becks rather than their own parents. One student was quoted saying "I want to be like Victoria because she is rich, skinny and very pretty." This study also found that 32% of middle schoolers wish to be like Paris Hilton... (yikes.) ATL general secretary said that she was not the least bit surprised by the impact that celebrity culture has on children. "It reflects the current media obsession with celebrity and the effect of celebrity culture on society as a whole. We are deeply concerned many students believe celebrity status is available to everyone. They do not understand the hard work it takes to achieve such rank and do not think it is important to be actively engaged in school work as education is not needed in order to be a celebrity. Celebrities are the reason for the increase in school drop-outs."
This study raises a bunch of important questions-- do you think kids are more impacted by celebrity culture than adults? What kind of message are kids getting to make them want to be like Paris rather than aspire to be a teacher or a doctor? Do celebrities have a direct effect on kids, such as causing them to drop out of school? At what point does the experience of idolizing go too far?
1 comment:
I think there is a big difference between idolizing David and Victoria Beckham, and idolizing people like Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie. I can make a better argument for David, because he can be looked up to for his athleticism and career as a soccer player. If he wants to use his celebrity that he gained from talent, all the more power to him. Victoria also started as a music star. Some people will criticize their "talent" but they were incredibly successful and actually try to have a positive message for girls: Girl Power! Now she has a legitimate fashion show; she was even invited to judge the final show of the reality show Project Runway. I don't think these two individuals should be looked at as poor role models; they have a family and careers and have hardly had any scandals. Paris and Nicole, on the other hand, are probably not sending the best message to young girls.
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