Whether we like it or not, “famous people” such as actors, musicians, singers, songwriters, and even dancers, are all influencing the way we do things. Why? Simply because they are the people under our watch. A quality past time such as watching TV is filled with all of the people just described above. Other factors such as internet, radio, and magazines come into play. Through all of these outlets all of America and even people from all around the world are practically forced to enter the lives of celebrities. We watch their every move. We question what they wear. We judge them for practically every decision that they make. By doing all of this, they virtually become our role models whether we want them to be or not. The young children, the “next generation” of this country, are completely under the influence of these people because of all the devices that they have access to in today’s society. Every 8- year old today is seen carrying an iPhone in one hand and a tablet in the other, constantly scrolling through Instagram and staying updated on not only their friends, but popular celebrities that they may follow. The decisions that these celebrities make influence the decisions that the audience watching them will make in the future. That is why society puts such a large burden on their shoulder, they are practically carrying our country just for the sole reason that they have a talent and want to showcase it to the world. Not all celebrities are in the limelight for the sole reason of getting bombarded by paparazzi and being on the cover of tabloid magazines. Some of them do what they do because they have a passion for it, and those people are recognized all over the country, putting them in the vulnerable position of being role models. Lindsay Lohan, Miley Cyrus, and Russell Brand are all examples of people who took the power that they had in being in the spotlight and went in different directions with it.

Lindsay Lohan. When that name is first said, think of the first word that comes to mind. For me, some examples might be crazy, insane, or drug-addict. Now think of what that name meant 10 years ago. Many people saw Lindsay Lohan as the adorable little red-head with freckles that was a phenomenal actress and starred in many successful movies. In a few short years it is amazing what a turn Lindsay took- and it was a turn for the worse. Since she had such a successful childhood stardom and was known as “America’s Sweetheart”, all eyes were on her. People watched her every move, expecting her to grow up and be the perfect teenager and adult just because people were watching her. The pressure on her kept growing and eventually made the poor girl just lose it. She completely went off the deep end, disregarding what anyone thought about her. She just stopped caring. America, even the people from outside of the country who admired her, are the ones who did this to her. We put all the pressure on her to grow up and become perfect. We put all the pressure on her to be a role model for young girls everywhere. We are the ones that made her crack.

            Miley Cyrus, a.k.a. “Hannah Montana”, was a popular Disney star since about the age of 13. Her show was extremely successful and watched by millions everywhere. America put the same kind of pressure on Miley as they did on Lindsay, except Miley had a better way of handling it. Miley admitted that throughout doing her show on Disney Channel for countless years, she didn’t feel like herself under that blonde wig being peppy and happy all the time. She admitted that she didn’t feel like herself when she was forced to sing dumb pop songs that she didn’t even write. So when Hannah Montana ended, Miley became who she wanted to become. She chopped off her long beautiful brown hair that every girl coveted, died it blonde, and shaved it into a boy-like haircut. To this day she makes music videos half- naked and swinging on a wrecking ball. Her changes and decisions cause huge controversy throughout the nation and upset many people. But that doesn’t matter. Miley is happy. She is the person who she is and that is all that matters. Compared to Lindsay Lohan, Miley is a way better role model because she taught America a lesson: Be the person you’ve always wanted to be, not the person that everybody else wants you to be”.

Russell Brand is by far one of the most impressive role models that I have studied. Russell went through a very bad drug addiction- cocaine especially. He was in the spotlight during that addiction and many people judged him and started hating on him because of it. But, eventually, Russell slowly started to beat that addiction. He started to overcome it, day by day. He now speaks out as an advocate for people struggling with an addiction. He wants people to know that they are not alone, that he has been through it. Russell is taking the negative things that happened in his life- while people were watching him- and using those experiences to show regular old people that anyone can overcome anything that they are going through. That even though he made mistakes, he is using his popularity to help others by showing it is not hard to become clean. Russell is one of my favorite celebrities for that sole reason. He admits that he made a mistake, and shows how he fixed it and examples of how he did. He uses his popularity to an advantage that helps everybody. Our society puts too much pressure onto celebrities to be role models, when in reality they are all just regular old people like us and make the same mistakes that we do. The way that the celebrities actually deal with their mistakes, though, is a true exemplification of their character.