Idolatry

It appears to me that we as a society have some serious issues with the way in which we idolize celebrities.  It is understandable that we look up to celebrities, and hold them to higher standards because of their public exposure; but, there are times when I think that our expectations go a little too far.

People are in an uproar now about Lea Michele, star of the Fox show Glee, posing for the cover of Cosmo wearing....are you ready for the moral outrage....clothes.  Check out the cover here.  Apparently, the low cut blouse is "confusing" to twelve year old fans.  Look, if your twelve year old is reading Cosmo, you've got bigger problems than them being confused about Lea Michele.  This, of course, comes on the heels of Lea and her castmates posing in GQ last year.  People are up in arms that these actors and actresses would pose in sexually suggestive poses and clothing.  C'mon, now.  They're all consenting adults.  And they all have smoking bodies.  If they want to pose like that, it's completely up to them.  If your children are reading GQ and Cosmo, it's certainly not the models fault!

And now, a Texas store has banned the magazine from their shelves!  Why?  Because Lea's character in Glee is a role model to young viewers!  Look...I've always had issues with the whole role model argument.  It's ok for your kids to look up to someone, but, let's teach them to look up to something in the realm of reality.  Who really thinks that students break out in song and dance in the hallways of highschools in America?  If something like that happened, there would probably be some intervention from the school.  Admiring the way a character on TV acts is a far cry from mimicing their actions in their lives.  Just because an actress models for a major ADULT magazine doesn't mean your kid is going to strip down into their underwear in the middle of the school.  Or, maybe it does....but, I'd suggest that there are other factors at work if your child is running through school in their underwear.

And why is it that Lea is the only one getting hammered for this?  Naya Rivera did a Maxim photo shoot last year in much racier outfits (check them out here), and didn't get beat up as badly as Lea is.  Nor was there talk about banning the magazine from store shelves.  Why?  Because Maxim is recognized as an ADULT ORIENTED magaine, and no one is letting their twelve year old children read it. 

Heck, Heather Morris has had some nude portraits done, that are widely available on the internet, but she's not even getting the attention that a low cut blouse is getting for Lea.

So, parents, take some responsibility for what your children are looking at.  Teach them the difference between characters on TV, and actors and actresses in real life.  If they aren't able to differentiate between real life and TV shows, you've got bigger things to be concerned about than what they're wearing in professional photo shoots.