Call me a weirdo, but in my tweens, I chose Howard Goodall, the acclaimed British composer and television presenter, as my role model. As a musicophile, I grew up watching all his documentaries on Ovation TV and got myself hooked. In 2007, when I joined the chorus in my senior year of high school, I rediscovered my childhood and lifelong role model, who became the National Singing Ambassador half a year before the first semester started. I didn’t just become fascinated with him because of his looks, curly hair, and singing voice, but his role since that time has been a driving force behind music education advocacy in his own nation. Because of his work in music education, alongside the need for such in our own nation’s schools, he prompted me to choose St. Cecelia as my confirmation saint for that matter.

So why did I choose a boring TV guy like Howard Goodall at age 9 or 10 when I was supposed to favor Britney Spears or Beyonce? Why, as a preteen girl, did I have to choose a male for a role model? Why did I choose chorus very late? I replied time and time again to those questions thrown at me like snowballs by many peers – I chose the right role model because I watched the right television shows. Unfortunately, culture nowadays is mostly about looks and actions which would provide serious consequences. While parents are the best role models, children look up to figures in the media, like actors, musicians, and fashion models.

On the feminine side, many girls go for their media heroes in excessive makeup and scanty clothing. Regarding the old saw, “clothes make the man,” they emulate their celebrities by dressing up like them, and that worries many parents, educators, and modesty advocates. I for one had my fill of my female peers dressing provocatively like their pop stars, many in midriffs, out of school dress code. I don’t follow the crowd – I still looked up to Howard Goodall and many others who neither solely rely on clothing, makeup, complexion, nor other exterior trait. The spartan attire is more than a modesty issue – while childhood obesity is prevalent, eating disorders are further fueled by pictorial and moving picture media, often displaying the bare midriff. Conversely, the daughters of President Barack Obama, Sasha and Malia, exposed their modest clothing to the media, in response to the R&B female standards of today. Scantiness in our culture is prevalent, and it’s manipulating girls’ minds.

The masculine side is the polar opposite – boys tend to do violent crimes or do drugs. In the case of Latarian Milton, a former 7-Year-old in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, he learned how to drive by watching his grandmother. Things took a turn for the worse as he befriended a minor (about his age) who smokes tobacco (in cigarettes) – after a row with his mother, he took his grandmother’s keys, joined his friend, started the car, and drove away from the house. He damaged four cars on the way, and crashed into a curb on a suburban construction site. Also, boys who favor rappers and hip-hop artists tend to wear sagging pants, something that even President Obama disapproves. Although boys can’t ave the slim, coveted looks of their female counterparts, the actions their role models do can be harmful to them.

Of course, you can always encourage them to choose you, the parent, as a role model, but there are ways to help them select ones besides you. Have them walk around the neighborhood and show them those who work in civic professions, like firemen, policemen, or public works employees. They are excellent role models as far as citizenship and compassion go. Watch TV with them and ask questions about the protagonists in the reality or fictional shows. If you are on the religious side, encourage them to observe the actions and accomplishments of the clergy – your pastor, priest, or nun. Look no further than your aunts, uncles, or other relatives who set a good example. A role model, in my opinion, dosen’t live on bikinis, sagging pants, or “hood-rat stuff” alone – all it takes is how they influence your children from the inside out!