COMMENTARY
We must find positive role models for girls
By Betty White
Today, we are inundated with polarizing images everywhere we turn. For example, in a nanosecond, repeated again and again, you might see an image of Britney Spears and then Hillary Clinton; in another, Madonna and then Condoleezza Rice; and still, in another, Paris Hilton and then Gov. Linda Lingle.
As young girls in our society search for role models, the all-out media tug-of-war between polarizing images powerfully pulls their attention in divergent directions. Which role model — the seductive or the stalwart — prevails in the tug-of-war?
Newsweek's recent "Girls Gone Wild" coverage refers to "prosti-tots" in our "sex-saturated culture." The scantily dressed "celebs" featured in the article are well known to every pre-teen and teen in Hawai'i. Britney, Lindsey and Nicole need no last names to imprint their faces, bodies and attitudes onto our youngsters' minds. On the other hand, one can also fairly inquire if Donna, Rosalyn and Colleen carry the same super charge. A quick reality check tells us no, although Hawai'i state Senators Mercado Kim, Baker and Hanabusa have been in the news lately reflecting far more significant leadership and service to society's needs than the sassy seductive individuals that our fast-paced pop culture boasts.
Appealing to our "rascally side" through alluring images and outrageous anecdotes makes money, but it's incumbent upon parents, mentors and educators to teach and show our young people how to control the rascal in all of us. Of course, a glance at the ever-present seductive image is not prohibited, but focusing on the stalwart image is so much more productive and rewarding for our young girls.
A fine stalwart image on which to focus is Colleen Hanabusa, Hawai'i's new Senate president. She is the first woman to lead either side of the aisle in Hawai'i's Legislature. Of her new assignment, she recently stated that she "hopes it encourages young girls and women to enter politics and become a stronger force in the Senate."
And there are many other excellent role models in leadership roles: Lingle and City Council Chairwoman Barbara Marshall, along with State Sens. Donna Mercado Kim and Rosalyn Baker. Looking at the national level, we see U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York throwing her hat into the ring for the next Democratic presidential nomination and U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi recently being elected the first woman speaker of the House of Representatives.
However, the American public, fueled by a media with a voracious and indiscriminate appetite for a sensational story or situation, has always been fascinated with the rich and powerful — the movie queens, TV heroines, Grammy winners, and the pop-stars-of-the-week, whoever and wherever they may be at the moment.
And, although fame is often fleeting, there is great danger in the inundation of seductive messages and continuous reflection on less than wholesome images. Some believe, as the above Newsweek article suggests, that the effect of emulating these out-of-control young women creates out-of-control teens throughout the country, leading to an increase in premarital sex, drug use and underage drinking.
While we quietly commiserate about featuring the "celebs" of the world who go with underwear worn on the outside — or maybe not at all — and are ready to enter "rehab" at a moment's notice when they are caught in an illegal or very difficult situation, millions of adults and teens remain quizzically attracted to these sad, but tantalizing, human soap opera scenarios.
Yet, the millions of us who watch the "celebs" also acknowledge that these are exciting and groundbreaking times, with women moving into political positions of authority in increasing numbers — we now count nine governors, 71 House members and 16 U.S. senators — the highest number of women in history to assume political positions of power.
So, why not feature a young actress going to college such as Brooke Shields, who graduated with honors from Princeton University while pursuing an acting career. Or, instead of aping Britney, young pre-teens, who want to emulate young singers, should be encouraged to take a look at "The Cheetah Girls" who recently performed in Hawai'i. This Disney-sponsored group drew large crowds at the Blaisdell Arena, and, so far, at least, portray a clean-cut image of a wholesome young lady.
Of course, titillating, salacious headlines and stories and supermarket tabloids about those famed by celebrity and money will always occupy a perch on the rascal scale for us, but our job is to focus our young people, especially our girls, on the overriding goodness and stalwart nature each human being possesses. The stalwart images of Speaker Pelosi, Senator Clinton, Governor Lingle, state Senators Hanabusa, Mercado Kim and Baker, and Council Chairwoman Marshall are, indeed, role models to treasure and offer up — again and again — to Hawai'i's youth.
Betty White is principal of Sacred Hearts Academy and is a trustee of the National Coalition of Girls Schools.
Correction: Brooke Shields is a graduate of Princeton University. A different university was named in a previous version of this column.
