Why are politicians and policy makers so keen for celebrities to set a ‘good example’ for young people to follow? Can celebs reach the parts that parents and teachers cannot? Do young people eat more healthily, study harder or behave more responsibly – because a pop star tells them to? Or do our politicians invest too much faith in the power of celebrity and too little in the public? Are parents so degenerate and the young so dumb it really is a case of ‘monkey see, monkey do’?
What is certainly clear is that when celebrities such as Tulisa, Rihanna and Miley Cyrus step out of line, they are deemed ‘toxic role models’ and widely vilified. Yet when Marilyn Monroe played up her assets in the 1950’s she wasn’t accused of creating a dysfunctional generation.
In this WORLDbytes special on celebrity culture and role models, WORLDwrite Coordinator Niall Crowley gets to grips with a series of tough and searching questions posed by young volunteers and he argues, the whole idea of role models should be ditched.
