A couple of days ago I ended up in a heated debate with a colleague of mine about Beyoncé. Who knew Queen B could cause such massive arguments (other than her sister assaulting her husband in a lift)? She was arguing that the world famous popstar couldn't sing, had no talent, and whilst she was a great performer she was nothing of a role model for young women, and that parading around on a stage in very small underwear was nothing to be proud of. We moved onto the pop industry in general and other names were thrown up: Rihanna, Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga. All of these women attract constant media attention for their outrageously sexy outfits, as well as their latest love, sex or drugs scandals.
And I have to admit, that whilst I am a firm believer that Beyoncé has an incredible voice and is a world-class performer (which is what the argument centred around) it did get me thinking: who are the female role models of today? The quote 'remember: you have as many hours in the day as Beyonce' is meant to make us all feel in awe of Beyonce, as though she is some kind of super human that achieves more than anyone else. But is she truly aspirational?
I'd never really considered before how pretty much every woman/girl band in the music industry uses their sexuality to sell records. In fact, you're hard pushed to find one who doesn't. Now there's nothing wrong with a short skirt or a low cut top (in fact, that can often make women feel more empowered and confident) but surely we have to be mindful of the fact that young girls are growing up, aspiring to be like these celebrities who wear next to nothing, spend their life working on their image, and create scandals wherever they go.
So I sat and thought...who was my role model as I grew up? Who did I want to be like? My first thought was the Spice Girls. I don't think any 90s girl escaped that craze. I had the posters, the CDs, the videos, the outfits (I was Baby, naturally) and even the body spray. When people remember the Spice Girls the words 'girl power' are invariably quoted; making it without a manager in the industry and putting girl bands in the chart for the first time. However, later revelations showed the internal feuds within the band, Geri Halliwell's battle with anorexia, and they certainly weren't afraid of showing some skin. So did they really represent ultimate girl power?
I thought some more. And then I realised that there wasn't really anyone in the public eye that I aspired to be like. Hand on heart, I didn't look at any female figure and think 'I want to be just like her.' Yes, I admired their clothes, bodies and talent (I am an awful singer) but I didn't want to BE them. So who did I want to be like?
My Mum.
I realised this quite late on in my teenage years. Growing up I always got on with my Mum but I was a Daddy's girl at heart and my Mum was a bit of a nagger (she still is). However, as I grew up I realised how unbelievably incredible my mother is. Without going into great detail, my Mum is the glue that holds my family together even when things feel like they could fall apart. She's the peacemaker, the co-ordinator, the organizer and the sympathizer. She holds down a 60 hour a week job which involves living in London for 3 days, visits my Gran in a nursing home 2 hours away every other weekend, and yet still manages to have nights with her girlfriends, go to the gym and run the household (even when she isn't there). Plus, she's still there to organize family day trips, make a special meal at home or sit on the phone to me whilst I moan about my first world problems. I honestly don't know how she does it.
So forget Beyoncé; the quote instead should read: Remember, you have as many hours in the day as your Mum. If I can get anywhere close to being the woman that my Mum is, my family and I will be very, very lucky. I just hope that every young woman has a Mum like mine that they can look up to because the celebrity industry really isn't cutting it!
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