Celebrity Role Models

"I am not a role model. Just because I dunk a basketball doesn't mean I should raise your kids," Charles Barkley, a former star on the Phoenix Suns, once said.

But the truth is that he and other sports and Hollywood types are indeed role models for teenagers.

Celebrity magazines like US and People are very popular with teens. In fact, a report from Experian Consumer Research found that 23 percent of teen girls had read US Weekly in the first six months of 2004, compared to 6 percent in 2000. These magazines and their websites provide constant updates on the lifestyles of the rich and famous, who are frequently involved in drugs, alcohol, unmarried pregnancies, and serial divorces. Some formally charged with drug possession or drunk driving include Eddie Van Halen, Yasmine Bleeth, Nichole Richie, Kate Moss, Paris Hilton, Gary Busey, Courtney Love, Drew Barrymore, Whitney Houston, and Robert Downey Jr.

Stories about celebrity lifestyles often include quotes like these:

"My mind seemed to have a huge neon sign on it that blinked nonstop: COKE. GET COKE. It was great for dieting, partying and picking up my mood." - Drew Barrymore

"I've slept with too many women, done too many drugs and been to too many parties. I loved acid … I did like blow …" - George Clooney

"A shrink told me to write down how much I did in a week: 20 E's, 4 grams of coke, six of speed, half an ounce of hash, three bottles of Jack Daniels, 12 bottles of red wine, and 60 pints." - Colin Farrell

There is some evidence that girls are more celebrity-conscious than boys. For example, in a 2005 poll of more than 2,000 teens, girls put three celebrities (Hilton, Lohan, and Christine Aguilera) on their list of their five most admired people, but boys admired only one celebrity (Ashton Kutcher), mentioning achievers like Bill Gates and Donald Trump more often. Girls are more influenced by beauty ideals and fashions presented by celebrities. Ninety percent of teens with eating disorders are girls.

When 17 teens at a small high school in Massachusetts became pregnant in the same year, many experts blamed the incident on celebrity role models. Dr. Lisa Boesky, author of When to Worry: How to Tell If Your Teen Needs Help, said, "Instead of unplanned teen pregnancies, what we're seeing is actually planned teen pregnancies. … I think it is part of this celebrity culture. If you look at all the celebrity magazines, you can't turn a page without seeing more and more celebrities getting pregnant."

Parents have to help their children deal with celebrity culture. What can be particularly upsetting to parents is when their child's favorite celebrity suddenly morphs from wholesomeness to X-rated. In recent years, celebrities like Britney and Jaime Spears, Hannah Montana, Christina Aguilera, and Lindsay Lohan started out as ingénues and became something else. In these cases, you have to discuss the changes with your teen and give reasons why you are upset that that person remains your child's ideal.

Many times a teen's favorite celebrity represents values that are the exact opposite of parents. Adolescence is a time when teens establish separate identities from their parents, and this is one way they do it. The trick is to allow your teen some space without losing everything you value, and to keep communication open, even when you disagree with their choices. Try watching your teen's favorite movies and music videos with your child. This gives you the chance to discuss your objections to certain material and ask in an open way why your teen admires it.