Going Panty-less
Britney Spears is not a Role Model
By Daniel Muniz

My concern is the impressionability of young people. I think that some young people are going to say, 'Wow, if Britney Spears and Paris Hilton can do that, I wonder if I can do that.

Peter Post
Director of the Emily Post Institute of Etiquette and Manners

I always cringe every time people show concern over the antics of celebrities and about the impact they can have over impressionable youngsters.

Pop superstar Britney Spears created a furor when the paparazzi photographed the panties she wore under a very short leopard print dress while she was going to a number of fashionable nightclubs. But that wasn’t enough. She then ignited a tremendous firestorm when she was subsequently photographed wearing absolutely no panties at all underneath a skimpy miniskirt while she was partying with socialite Paris Hilton.

Of course such an outcome was patently deliberate because this starlet knew full well that the paparazzi would take pictures of anything, including her bare private parts.

And just as she anticipated, her panty-less pictures spread like wildfire throughout the Internet attracting millions of curious onlookers who wanted to see for themselves what this glamorous sex symbol looked like without underwear. The major media sources also didn’t want to miss out on this explosive tabloid story so they also gave her plenty of coverage on what she didn’t have covered.

And Britney is definitely not alone.

Other celebrities like Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan created their own uproar with sex tapes and flashing the paparazzi. In a two month time period, Lohan went panty-less four times in front of hordes of cameras.

Consequently, a famous person being naked or at least giving full frontal nudity is more than enough to create a media sensation. And the tabloids and the press loved it.

However, a number of people keep asking about the kind of impact this will have on young girls.

Will teenagers all of a sudden discard their underwear and go panty-less in their short skirts in hopes of creating their own sensation just like Britney Spears?

Unfortunately, too many people have an unrealistic expectation of celebrities being role models to young people.

Britney Spears is not a role model. And neither is Paris Hilton or Lindsey Lohan.

More often than not, their outrageous behavior is done to garner publicity and attention or to feed their own insatiable egos. And of course there will young people who will want to emulate their antics mostly because they do not have much of moral guidance from anybody else.

But if parents in particular and society in general are actually expecting these beautiful sexy starlets to be positive role models to young girls, then they are going to be terribly disappointed. These rich, glamorous celebrities who already behave in a reckless fashion really have nothing of substance to offer as guidance to ordinary people except for entertainment.

The same goes for movie stars, professional athletes, rock and rap singers, and other celebrities. Having fame and fortune alone does not give anyone the status of a role model. Perhaps accomplishments and talent can lend some credibility but that too is often clouded by the wiles of fame and fortune although there are exceptions.

NBA superstar Charles Barkely created a backlash when he adamantly insisted that he is not a role model.

Lots of people were taken aback and some basketball fans were furious by such a bold but truthful statement. But as iconoclastic as Barkley is, he is definitely right when he further asserted that ordinary people like parents and teachers ought to be the role models for kids.

It is time for people to trash their expectation of celebrities being a positive influence to our youth.

And it is also time for ordinary people like parents to step up to the plate and behave like mature responsible adults so that they can give kids the direction and support they need, especially during the turbulent times of their lives. And most importantly, parents who create a nurturing environment can have a profound influence upon their children if they apply themselves to it and become a moral authority that can be respected.

Instead of allowing popular culture and celebrities to become the teachers of our youth, ordinary people can make the difference and become real role models.

However, if parents fail to step up to the plate and assert their influence, then Britney Spears and others will be more than happy to influence the next generation of youth.

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