Role models are people who motivate us to improve our qualities in both our private lives and work. It would be silly to think we can’t be better at who we are and what we do. Role models show us the way and push us forward. So we can see that people we admire are extremely important and influential1.
When considering the above statements, we understand that choosing the subject of our admiration is something that matters and that we should be careful about whose footsteps we decide to follow.
I’m sure you’ve already heard and read a lot about how dangerous it is to admire famous people. For one thing, we don’t actually know who they are. Only a few of us know some celebs in person. Most of us depend on what the media or other people say. It means we can’t be sure whether we admire a real person with fine qualities or an image created by unreliable2 sources.
Moreover, it is easy for us to shut our eyes to the wrong things. Imagine someone’s been caught cheating on his or her partner. We all understand it’s wrong. But what if the “someone” turns out3 to be your best friend or a family member? We can easily come up with4 some reasonable explanation why what he or she has done isn’t that bad.
Now, if we admire an actor, a model or a sportsman, it is quite possible we can justify their alcohol or drug abuse, eating disorder5, wild partying, bad language or other forms of unacceptable behaviour.
On the other hand, it would be wrong to say that celebrities don’t deserve our attention at all. A lot of famous people have made this world a better place. We can admire their talent, hard work, charitable work, stamina6, etc. We enjoy the results of their creativity and talent – music, films, books, and sporting events, – and wish we could be as successful as they are. There’s nothing wrong about that.
If you admire a celebrity, think about what makes him or her so special. Is it just the fame, popularity, money or good looks? Or is it something that can help you become a better person? If that’s so, a famous person can be a fine role model after all!
STOP TO THINK:
• Have you ever admired a famous person? Explain.
• Do you think it is possible to choose who you (don’t) want to admire?
• How do celebrities influence young people’s lives today?
Miroslava Dubanová
Vocabulary: 1 vplyvný – vlivný; 2 nespoľahlivý – nespolehlivý; 3 ukázať sa – ukázat se; 4 prísť s – přijít s; 5 porucha stravovania – porucha stravování; 6 výdrž