**TL;DR The younger generations are idolising the wrong people.** If you were to ask the younger generation who their idols were, or who they aspire to be like, it is almost guaranteed that they will say one of the hundreds of arguably untalented celebrities which constantly fill our TV and phone screens. With many now turning their obsession into the pursuit of celebrity, instead of focussing on career aspirations. The media obsession with celebrity and the culture as a whole is proving damaging to younger generations and can cause people to lose touch with the harsh realities of the real world. Mary Bousted, the general secretary of Association of Teachers and Lecturers claims that ‘celebrity culture can perpetuate the notion that celebrity status is the greatest achievement and reinforced the belief that other career options are not valuable’, with many deciding that academia is not important as money will come from fame. Further to this, the media’s representation of such celebrities is damaging in itself as majority of press and reports surrounding celebrities are negative, promoting the bad behaviour and deviance of which they engage in. The majority of the celebrities that are being obsessed over are not themselves good role models and thus this works to perpetuate these behaviours through younger generations.

**TL;DR Celebrity culture is not new. There has always been a rampant obsession with celebrity figures from the general public. Celebrity culture is not necessarily growing but rather fans are able to connect and be inspired by their idols and role models better than ever before through social media.** There have always been celebrities across history who people at the time were obsessed with, and many are still fascinated by to this day. These include figures such as Cleopatra, Caesar, and Napoleon just to name a few. Places like [Madame Tussauds](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_Tussauds) which opened in the 1800s suggests that a cult for celebrities certainly existed in the past. In more recent history, figures such as Marilyn Monroe and the Beatles, who were just as famous as the modern celebrities of today evidence that celebrity culture was just as big then as it is now. The only difference is that now, thanks to social media, everyone has direct access to their favourite celebrities and are able to get new content as and when they please from their idols. The obsession with celebrity culture is not necessarily damaging to younger generations either. Although there are certainly celebrities which might have damaging influences upon their fans, there are many, many more public celebrity figures who have positive influences as an idol for younger generations. Many people regard celebrities are influential figures and this can be [greatly beneficial upon younger generations]( https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/empowering-teens/celebrities-influence/#:~:text=Celebrities%20can%20have%20a%20positive,can%20also%20provide%20unhealthy%20examples.&text=Moreover%2C%20parents%20and%20teachers%20can,about%20health%20and%20personal%20choices.) who might find their passion and motivation to pursue their goals from celebrities.

I think there are currently many celebrities who are actually a positive influence on younger generations. For example, from the top of my head I think about Lizzo. She is an American singer who champions topics such as body positivity, female independence and strength. Through her songs, she encouraged people to love themselves and find their self confidence. This is a really important message for the younger generations, especially as many in their teenage years struggle from insecurities and body image issues. So, I think that as long as younger generations are looking up to the right celebrities, then they are not damaging younger generations. It could well be that they are in fact having the opposite effect.

I'm afraid I have to disagree because there's a lot of celebrities that show good reference to young generations. Of course, many famous people harm them, but I think this is slowly changing. For example, one of the celebrities I always referred to is Rihanna. I've been a massive fan of her since I was a child, and these last years she has been influenced a lot of people for good. Her cosmetic line, Fenty Beauty, has over 50 shaded for every skin colour. She has been the first person to do this, and even there are thousands of famous cosmetic lines never considered integrating more foundations colours. And her new lingerie brand, SAVAGE X FENTY, want all women to feel sexier if everybody, spreading body positivity and normalizing every type of size and it should be.

**Tl;Dr Celebrity culture can be damaging but celebrities do not have a responsibility to be a role model if they don't want to be** I think the type of influence a celebrity has on younger generations depends on who younger people idolize. It all depends on your perception. For example, Kim Kardashian may not be the best role model for younger people to idolize because she endorses cosmetic surgery and an unrealistic image of herself through photoshop and video filters. When you’re younger and don’t realize how normalized photo editing is on social media, this may lead to body confidence issues. However, using Kim Kardashian as an example again, she also is pursuing a law degree later in life, as she has always aspired to be a lawyer. This sends a positive message to followers of hers that they should always strive to achieve their goals and be ambitious in life. It is not down to these celebrities to be role models, even if they are seen as one. It is up to younger people to acknowledge if following a certain celebrity is having a negative impact on their mental health, and unfollow them if this is the case.