"Celebrities Today Are Bad Role Models" or "Slow News Day"

[Seil]

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To use the language of the masses, WTF?

It’s time to put on the brakes, people. Time to say stop.

But how can we, when the generation of young women in the spotlight is increasingly sexual and sells that fact to their very young fans?

Have you seen the former Disney divas in Spring Breakers? Well, let’s just say those girls are running away from their squeaky-clean images as fast as they can in tiny bikinis.

Here on Monday is one of the biggest bare-it-all stars, the 25-year-old Barbadian beauty Rihanna, who proudly waves the sexualization-equals-success banner.

The show is at Rogers Arena and, make no mistake, it is a show.

But, sorry — no matter how many hits, costume changes or spectacular sets you haul out, I just can¹t cheer for a young woman singing songs about a boy “going downtown,” and she doesn’t mean shopping, as thrilled tweens squeal with delight.

Or, how about donning bondage wear and singing to a crowd full of smartphone-waving girls the words: “I may be bad but I’m perfectly good at it. Sex in the air I don’t care I love the smell of it. Sticks and stones may break my bones but chains and whips excite me.”

So why do girls respond to this? Why is there a rush to push girls in this direction?

The answer is simple: The message is understandable, marketable, affordable and the media loves it.

Yes, it sucks that while Facebook COO, and now bestselling author, Sheryl Sandberg is telling women to “lean in,” Rihanna is saying lean back and stick your chest out.

Of course, aside from the over-sexualized songs and skimpy, not to mention horrible (hello-mom-jeans meets Pussy Cat Dolls) fashion sense, Rihanna has been on the hot seat for her choice in men. Or should we say, her choice in spoiled, violent jerks.

Yes, she went back to the guy (not mentioning his name because I don’t want to give him any publicity) who beat the hell out of her.

So I'm not really advocating the behavior of Rihanna, and while it's hard to shield children from every bit of radio and television that you wouldn't consider "wholesome," (or nearly impossible) do we really need it pointed out that these celebrities maybe aren't the best role models?

I'm not going to have my future kid sit through re-runs of Mr. Dressup and Mr. Rogers until they're in their twenties (and because that would result in a creepy effing child) because I know that through advertising, mass media and even their own friends, they'll hear about things like sex, drugs and whatever before I think that they'll be ready to comprehend them on more levels than "it's cool Seb!" (Because my hypothetical kid is named Sebastian.) Hell, I'm not even ready to understand that stuff.

I think my biggest complaint about this article is that the woman ranting doesn't seem to talk to her child. She watches her coloring in a Strawberry Shortcake book, and rants about Rihanna for a page and a half. At no point does she stop, sit down and go "Hey, Camille, (in this article I imagine the kid's name to be Camille.) what are you doing? That's a short skirt that girl is wearing, huh?"