Role Models

There seems to be two words on everyone’s lips at the moment. For the last few weeks they have dominated the twitter hashtag, become the main topic of idle office chit chat and been sprawled all over Instagram stories. I’m fairly sure you’ll have heard of them: Love. Island. 

I’m afraid to say that I have to bow out of every conversation relating to this show as I don’t watch it. Actually, I did catch a glimpse of it the other night when they attempted to discuss evolution and I had to change the channel. I understand it’s reality, I get that it’s meant to be light-hearted and easy watching, but I can’t help but feel a growing sense of unease of where our society is heading. Reality TV has taken centre stage and it seems that everyone is lapping it up, while I struggle to get on board.

While I understand that it offers some much needed light relief from what is happening in the world right now – which can only be a good thing – I’m not entirely sure this is the best distraction.

I often think that the role models for children today vary so greatly to those of 50 years ago. If and when I have children, I want them to admire the great adventurers, explorers and inventors of the last few centuries, rather than the wannabe celebrities plastered across our TV screens. Of course, this is very much down to me and my means of parenting, and not forgetting the influence of social media and peers, but I do worry that ‘role models’ today are so focused on materialism and appearance that children inevitably become blind sighted to what really counts in life.

The word ‘celebrity’ has become so tainted in recent years with the rise of reality TV shows, that children are now in danger of failing to comprehend that reality is, in fact, rather different to how it is so often portrayed. I can’t help but feel they are indirectly encouraging children to grow up too quickly, to dismiss their childhood and leave behind the last dregs of innocence; in favour of make-up, relationships and consumerism.