Should celebrities be considered role models in any way? (Features Directioners and Beliebers, sadly.)

A role model is someone we aspire to – someone that we would want our children to be and that has, we assume, done admirable things in life. Simple.

But despite the immense perks that come with celebrity - money, adoring fans, a free reign – the pressures of constant paparazzi and growing up in the spotlight mount up. Don’t believe me? Britney Spears; the blonde-haired teen with the angelic smile, who innocently posed in an iconic school-girl outfit lost her way and, in 2007, after a spate of odd behaviour, sparked a media frenzy by shaving her head allegedly under the influence of amphetamines. Lindsay Lohan, the freckled, pretty redhead from the Parent Trap, has now faced numerous prison sentences. Macaulay Culkin. Corey Haim. Do I need to even mention Amanda Bynes? Pressure and fame go hand in hand, and younger stars have a record of not being able to handle it.

Lets quickly consider a few 'role models'. Chris Brown – a singer convicted of beating his girlfriend. Miley Cyrus - an often foul-mouthed, provocative singer. Once a fresh-faced boy, Justin Bieber has faced a string of odd behaviour, including public urination, drug rumours and, most recently, spitting on his fans. Nicki Minaj often uses sexually suggestive and crude lyrics, wears provocative outfits and speaks of the benefits of extensive cosmetic surgery. Kim Kardashian – a woman who made her fame from a leaked sex tape. Inspiring, right?

It’s no secret young people are impressionable; the celebrities they see regularly have an impact on their attitudes. It’s a well thrashed out debate that airbrushed models have helped a culture of eating disorders and a striving for perfection in young people. A YMCA survey revealed that 25% of young girls compare their bodies to people on TV, with 30% admitting they would like to look like what they see. We are suggestible, whether we realise it or not.

Earlier this year, CouponCodes4u surveyed 2,407 parents on who is the worst role model. 58% of parents, refreshingly, believed that celebrities shouldn’t be role models at all. Chris Brown came in at number one with 71%, Miley Cyrus with 68% and Justin Bieber with 65%.

And, it can get dangerous.

The recent response of fans to mens’ magazine GQ’s One Direction covers is disheartening, to say the least. Comments that include wanting to “stab” the workers at GQ stemmed from a caption on the Harry Styles cover: “He’s Up All Night to Get Lucky”. Admirers interpreted this to mean that the GQ editors were calling Harry promiscuous. Fan groups ‘directioners’ and ‘beliebers’ form a worrying attachment to the boys, an attachment resulting in the disturbing Twitter hashtag ‘#CutforBieber’ earlier this year, which saw dozens of teenage girls self-harming for the attention of Justin Bieber.

Something needs to change.

The current situation of celebrity as something we should aspire to is bad. It just is. It can influence young people’s attitudes towards delicate matters like drug use, sex and violence, and alter their behaviour, from promoting a lifestyle that is unattainable and often unrealistic. It’s also detrimental for the celebrities themselves, shown by a depressingly long list of stars deemed ‘role models’, who subsequently lost their way to pressure.

Admittedly, I have no solution. But, if I could say one thing to any young person reading this article, it would be this: Try and remember that celebrities don’t always live the glitzy lifestyle they appear to. They are often desperately unhappy, struggling with the pressure and turning to extreme coping methods, which are dangerous and unhealthy. The lifestyle is not perfect, and does come with downsides. There are much better people that you can be inspired by – businessmen and women, athletes, politicians (well…). Don’t live your life by that of a half-naked, drug-using teenager who hasn’t even found their own feet yet. Please.

By Lauren Cope.