The Rise of The Anti-Role Model

Why are they acting like that? Why won’t they put some clothes on? Don’t they know that they’re a role model for children all around the world?

Why are they so thin- don’t they know they’re encouraging eating disorders for children? Why are they so fat- don’t they know they’re encouraging child obesity for young people everywhere?

Daggers we’ve all seen thrown at celebrities and public figures in an attempt to shame them into toning down their image in order to make themselves more palatable for other people’s children.

However, no one ever seems to ask why pop singers and entertainers are tasked with ensuring that random children around the world remain innocent and untouched by adult sexuality and imagery in public media.

It’s always seemed so strange to me. It’s not exactly about about whether or not the celebrity knows that they’re a role model or not. It’s about why they should even care.

The Benefit of Blame- An Open Letter to Pinheaded Parents

Even if a celebrity were to embrace the ghastly title of “role model”; they’re only of limited use. A role model is only as powerful as the perspective of the student.

Dear pretentious parent- change your perspective around a bit and tell me it makes sense to you. In fact, since you consider yourself the role model police, you’re the role model in this scenario.

You’d better jump at this opportunity since you clearly don’t consider yourself a role model for your own children.

You’re at work sitting behind a computer looking at spreadsheets, when a child suddenly wanders into your office and sits on your lap. He randomly decides that you are his role model!

Now what? Do you quit your job for this random kid? Do you change the way you edit your spreadsheets to a way that the child prefers? Do you sacrifice your lunch break for this random child? Do you rush home to change your outfit to something that this child’s parents think is less provocative?

Or do you send this child back to their damn parents?

If your answer to any of those questions was ‘Yes’ stay tuned for another rant directed towards you.

Back to the point. Celebrities are doing their job. Singers sing. Dancers dance. They are on the clock. They are not responsible for supervising your children; they are not their legal guardian and are therefore not responsible for censoring what your child sees.

Much less how they creatively express themselves.

Much less what they eat, what they wear, who they date and what they say.

How dare you try to thrust your self prescribed parental responsibilities onto some stranger just because you refuse to hold yourself accountable for your own biological product?

I think it’s time we stop encouraging this strange narrative that celebrities singing and dancing on stage for a pay-check are somehow responsible for your child’s mental and psychological development.

If you as a parent don’t want your child watching something, be a role model and don’t put that in front of them.

Take some accountability. Do better; and if you can’t- don’t expect a stranger to do so for you.

The Value of the Anti-Role Model

The benefits of having a perpetually romanticised version to model yourself to may have some benefits; but how long can that really last?

The idea of giving children a ‘role model’ sounds idyllic, but can you give me an example of a time in your life when that worked for you? Was the straight A student really celebrated back in high school? Were they a role model for other students?

Did they mold their behaviour and personality to somehow motivate failing students?

As the idea of emulation becomes increasingly insulting and discouraged for younger generations, the power of the anti-role model is becoming more and more pronounced.

What is an anti-role model? A person whose behaviour, personality, characteristics and life trajectory you absolutely do not wish to reproduce. The ideology of having an anti-role model uses a person as an example of everything you don’t want to be, to inspire you to be better.

Say what you want about negativity and fear- but it sure is a great motivator.

Fear is the most powerful motivator that we can use to our advantage, simply because it’s part of our primal instincts. The fear of failure.

Many of us are so confused with what to do with our lives because we don’t know what success or morality is supposed to look like.

You know how when you need to make a decision, people say to remove the options that you absolutely don’t want? Same thing! Choose your anti-role model, and just don’t follow in their footsteps!

It not only allows children (do adults still choose random celebrities to be their role model?) to think for themselves and develop some sort of emotional skills; but will also provide them with the autonomy to decide their morals and make their own decisions. It’ll also allow ‘role models’ to live their lives in peace without having to please random children and parents.

Ah if only it were that easy- I choose the first celebrity I see on television doing their job; decide that their morals are my budding morals, their career is my future career path, their likes and dislikes are what I should teach myself to like and dislike…

Sorry kid! It’s not that easy; you might have to start using that little brain of yours to decide these things on your own.

Sorry parents! You might have to actually start raising your own children instead of turning on the television and deciding that the first person that pops up on screen is your kid’s brand new parent.

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Think I’m wrong? Tell me why in the comments below!

You can check out my last few posts here:

• The Scariest Things That Actually Exist
• borrowed poems from an anonymous- ‘Expressions of Love’ and ‘Experience’
• The Horror of Surveillance
• Pet Peeves
• Happy Panda- Random Blogger Interviews

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Until Next Time.