Young Female Role Models
I once read that if your comment on a post is longer than five lines then you should write your own post. Here is my response to Living with Kids post Pink doesn’t Stink! This shouldn’t be read as a personal response to that post, rather a general response to the idea that Katie Price is a successful businesswoman and thus a good role model for our girls..
But while I’m sure they wouldn’t view the likes of Katie Price, the princess of pink, as a positive role model, she’s an incredibly successful businesswoman.
I’m not sure about ‘pink stinks’ but I know that Katie Price’s success is built upon one thing. Agreed the money she’s made from it has been ploughed into other ventures but it doesn’t change the fact that her initial success came from parading herself around half naked. Now I don’t mind people parading themselves around naked, live and let live. In this economy first priority is to earn a living and put food on the table. However let’s not confuse this as real ‘business success’.
Katie Price made a lot of money doing what she does best, it was the money she made from doing that, that funded her other business interests and no doubt they are run by proven business people. Do you think KP does all this herself? Of course she doesn’t, she’ll have a number of advisers telling her what to do next, and how best to capitalise on her intial success as topless model and general girl-half-naked-around-town.
Don’t think I’m ripping into KP, she’s not my cup of tea but I wish her all the success in the world. She works hard no doubt, and pays a certain price for her success, but if we’re looking for business role models Katie Price certainly doesn’t fit the bill in my opinion.
Do we really want our girls believing that the route to business success needs to be built on a foundation of glamour modelling? I don’t, which is why, for me, Katie Price is not an ideal role model.
As I came to my conclusion of this post I tried to think of successful, young, businesswoman in this country that are in the media spotlight, and do you know what, I couldn’t think of one. How very sad. Please help me out here there must be some young successful businesswoman (excluding reality tv stars, glamour models, IT girls), you know someone that has invented something, started a business from scratch or created a not for profit, or something amazing… Anyone have any suggestions?
If you could choose a female role model (under 35) for your daughter, who would it be?
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Themocracy
J K Rowling. Gurinder Chadha (Brit director). Annabel Karmel. Jo Fairley (behind Green & Black’s chocolate).
Love the J K Rowling suggestion and Jo Fairley. Good ones.
Anita Roddick (obviously she’s not about anymore, but a positive role model nonetheless), Shami Chakrabarti (Director of Liberty, human rights organisation), Jo Wood (Ronnie’s ex, has own organic toiletries company), Oprah Winfrey.
I agree, Katie Price is a terrible role model. She also comes across as a complete b*tch. I’m definitely Tem Peter!
Under 35 you say? That rules me out then! Cheesy as it may sound, I would like to be my daughter’s best role model.
I agree with your point about KP. You put it more politely than I probabaly would have done. Sex sells and I don’t want my daughter looking up to someone who capitalises on that. I feel sorry for her own daughter. Yes, I know that sounds harsh.
Martha Lane Fox who set up lastminute.com? Probably over 35 now but was in her twenties when she did it. Not sure what she’s doing now though. Karen Brady, Birmingham City boss in her twenties and one of SirAlan’s mates. Older now as well. Laura Ashley. Can’t think of anyone more contemporary which is a shame. Let’s not forget Katie P is a successful novelist too *cough*.
Karen Brady definitely.
Don’t think I’ll be purchasing her ‘novel’. I actually asked for some autobiographies for crimbo but explicitly said no celebs!
Karen Brady was the only one to jump to mind.
It’s a shame that the lines between business woman and celebrity are so blurred. Branding is everything these days.
There is no doubt KP is a huge success in her field (whatever that may be, and good luck to her). Like you, I’m not certain that she is the model of success I’d like my daughter to be influenced by.
Michelle Mone? But then I guess she parades other women around half-naked….
I’m not too snobby about role models, I prefer to look outwith the world of business for them for sure. Ann Gloag even being nominated as a potential Greatest Scot turned my stomach to tbh.
This isn’t a girl problem as most of the professionals our children come into contact with at a young age are women, primary teachers in particular. I think it’s just as hard to identify suitable role models for boys. It’s not a pink issue, the problem is what is deemed valuable, aspirational and even remotely attainable. Ask a 16yo to write about their dreams and how many will begin “When I win the lottery….”?
As you may have guessed I don’t have answers – just gripes!
Hum-bawbag…
I agree with you completely Erica. As for role models?? Lauren Laverne?? Extremely intelligent, likable, funny and cool. Or Fern Cotton even, in that she’s gone her own way, is again intelligent, likable, not afraid to speak her mind and not one to follow the crowd.
I suppose neither of them are business women, but they are women with a voice, with talent, common sense, brains and ‘balls’. They’re also people who have worked hard, got themselves educated and not relied on their looks to become successful in their fields.
Like Mrs W says, so many people these days want something for nothing. I want my kids to aspire to being successful at something they love, whether it is writing, gardening or being a librarian or a blumming sheep smuggler.
Ok, I don’t really want them to be sheep smugglers, but you know what I mean right??
Sure do, fame is something that should come because your good at something. Simply wanting to be famous is not a good enough ambition in my book.