Celebrity Role Models

A short while ago, I was featured on Socialite Dreams Blog and I did a guest post on role models I would like to share for those who may have missed it...Check out Vonnie's blog too!

Hey Socialites!

As we try to find our way through life, we often find ourselves looking for inspiration and encouragement. As we all know, Today, many teens and children are strongly affected by celebrities. Popular celebrities are always shown on the covers of magazines and on television for them to view. They look glamorous and beautiful, causing teens and children to want to be like them.  Many of them look up to these role models but most of these popular "beauties" affect teens negatively. Adults do it too, whether it is trying to recreate an image or general life choices. This is why I decided to put together a list of my favorite Celebrity Role models. Whether they provide inspiration for a young adult or child in your life, or even yourself, these ten are setting an excellent example. Enjoy!

10. Keke Palmer

It's a bad girl’s world according to stars such as Lindsey Lohan, Britney Spears, and Paris Miley Cyrus. But Keke is breaking the mold by showing young girls you don’t have to go through rehab to be successful. She is actress and singer from humble beginnings in Harvey, Illinois who rose to fame for her performance in the 2006 film Akeelah And The Bee. She also starred as the title character in the Nickelodeon sitcom True Jackson, VP. Palmer earns $20,000 per episode of True Jackson VP, making her the fourth highest paid child star on television. Be on the Lookout for Keke, She will be starring in a film alongside Dolly Parton and Queen Latifah called Joyful Noise, to be released in January 2012

9. America Ferrera

"Ugly" has never been this beautiful! As bushy-browed brace face Betty Suarez on ABC's Ugly Betty, America Ferrera charmed audiences, made the endearingly hilarious series a must-see hit, and turned herself into a Golden Globe, SAG and Emmy Award winning star. Ferrera, who married longtime boyfriend Ryan Piers Williams in 2011, was saluted by Congress for providing a role model for young Latinas, while landing on PEOPLE'S Most Beautiful and Time's Most Influential lists.

8. Brandy and Monica

I know, I know, this is two people, but I think they exude the same message: You don’t have to compromise being a lady and over sexualize yourself to be a successful woman in the music industry.

And they also break the stereotype of females not being able to get along. Both immensely successful, Brandy and Monica together won a Grammy Award in 1999 for their duet, "The Boy Is Mine”, which appeared both on Brandy's Never Say Never and Monica's The Boy Is Mine.  Brandy, who wrote the song (along with Japhe Tejeda and Darkchild), approached Monica to sing it with her in order to dispel rumors that the two despised each other as competitors.  They definitely accomplished that, it certainly brought immense success to both R&B divas.

http://youtu.be/020ANdmaMqQ

With all the media about Athletes behaving badly, I found myself asking "is this the death of the sports role model"? The next three are proving to me and the rest of the world there is still hope!

7. Dwayne Wade

This NBA dad says, "I strive to be the role model I always needed." Wow. He goes on to say, "unfortunately, I've never had anyone come to the community I grew up in and give out that helping hand. And to give us hope, in our community, that we can do something special. I always heard that we couldn't or you know, its one in a million or something like that.

Well, our job and my job at the Wade's World foundation is to go out and let these kids know that we believe in them. And there's more than what you see out your front window or your front door that's in life. And you can do anything you want."

When asked if he thought he could change the world..."I think the main thing you think of is to know you can change the whole world, but you can touch many people on the way. And my main thing is like, when I go out and talk to kids or I do different events through my foundation, I just want to change one person's thought in that room. They had a negative thought or belief coming in, I want to make them believe. And if I can change one kid's mind, he can change someone else's mind, and it can be a chain effect that can continue to keep going."

6. Venus and Serena Williams

There's no sibling rivalry between these two, they support each other and work together on and off the court.  Along with their numerous accomplishments in tennis, they also have ventured out into other interests. Since 2004, Serena has also been running her own line of designer apparel called "Aneres"—her first name spelled backward. In 2009 she launched a signature collection of handbags and jewelry. The collection, called Signature Statement, is sold mainly on the Home Shopping Network (HSN).

In early 2010, Serena became a certified nail technician in preparation for her upcoming nail collection with a company called HairTech.

In August 2009, Serena and Venus Williams became part-owners of the Miami Dolphins. The formal announcement was made during a press conference overlooking the practice field. The Williams are the first African-American females to obtain ownership in an NFL franchise.  In 2008 Williams helped to fund the construction of the Serena Williams Secondary School in Matooni, Kenya. She received a Celebrity Role Model Award from Avon Foundation in 2003 for work in breast cancer. Williams has also been involved in a number of clinics at schools and community centers, particularly those which have programs focusing on at-risk youth. She has also won the "Young Heroes Award" from Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater L.A. and Inland (2003) and the "Family Circle and Prudential Financial Player Who Makes a Difference Award" (2004). In response to the 2010 Haiti Earthquake, Williams, along with other ATP and WTA stars decided to forego their final day of preparation for the 2010 Australian Open to form a charity event in which all proceeds will go to the Haiti earthquake victims.

5. Derrick Rose

 Chicago Bull's Derrick Rose is creating a legacy for those young boys and girls who missed out on Michael Jordan. The 2010-11 MVP—the youngest to ever capture the award, so, not only is Derrick a great player, is an incredibly positive role model for how a person should approach the game of basketball. Derrick Rose carries a humble attitude and cool demeanor which is rare in the aggressive, trash talking world of the NBA. After the devastating Japan Tsunami, Rose dedicated $1000 for every shot he made in a Bulls vs. Grizzlies Game, and if you know how many points Rose averages a game, know he ended up donating $25 to $30 thousand Dollars.

4. Tyra Banks

 Model, media personality, actress, occasional singer, author and businesswoman. She first became famous as a model in Paris, Milan, London, Tokyo, and New York, but television appearances were her commercial breakthrough. Banks is the creator and host of the reality television show America's Next Top Model, co-creator of True Beauty, and host of her own talk show, The Tyra Banks Show. 'The Tyra Show' gives young women the 'girlfriend' they want to hang out with, and the role model they need. With hot, young, celebrity guests, topical issues, makeup, fashion, and lots of goofiness and even more real-ness.

In 1999, Tyra Banks established the TZONE program, which aimed at leadership and life skills development. The program was created for the primarily disadvantaged teen girls in the greater Los Angeles area, and involves sending teens to a week-long overnight camp outside of LA, where Tyra personally lived among and bonded with the campers.

In 2005, TZONE transformed from a camp into a public charity, the Tyra Banks TZONE Foundation, with a mission who honors TZONE's camp origins, and seeks to create a larger “sisterhood” among girls and young women. It makes grants to grassroots organizations, and supports organizations that serve women and girls ages 13–35.

3.Angelina Jolie

 "We cannot close ourselves off to information and ignore the fact that millions of people are out there suffering. I honestly want to help. I don't believe I feel differently from other people. I think we all want justice and equality, a chance for a life with meaning. All of us would like to believe that if we were in a bad situation someone would help us." - Jolie on her motives for joining UNHCR in 2001.

According to Forbes in 2009 Angelina Jolie is the Highest Paid actress in America. Does this mean she sits around all day being pampered and shopping? No way.

Since 2001, Jolie has been on field missions around the world and met with refugees and internally displaced persons in more than 20 countries, including Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Cambodia, Pakistan, Thailand, Ecuador, Kosovo, Kenya, Namibia, Sri Lanka, North Caucasus, Jordan, Egypt, New Delhi, Costa Rica, Chad, Syria, and Iraq, to name a few, and most recently visited earthquake victims in Haiti on her latest trip to help survivors of conflict and natural disaster.

The Jolie-Pitt Foundation, dedicated to eradicating extreme rural poverty, protecting natural resources and conserving wildlife, donated $1 million to Doctors Without Borders, an international medical humanitarian organization created by doctors and journalists in France in 1971. The organization provides aid in nearly 60 countries to people whose survival is threatened by violence, neglect, or catastrophe, primarily due to armed conflict, epidemics, malnutrition, exclusion from health care, or natural disasters, for emergency medical assistance to help victims of the Haiti earthquake.

In 2003, Jolie was the first recipient of the newly created Citizen of the World Award given out by the United Nations Correspondents Association to those who have made a significant contribution

2. Michelle Obama

 is the wife of the 44th and incumbent President of the United States, Barack Obama and is the first African-American first lady of the United States. Raised on the South Side of Chicago, Obama attended Princeton University and Harvard Law School before returning to Chicago and to work at the law firm Sidley Austin, where she met her future husband.  In 2011 Forbes Magazine named Michelle Obama the most powerful woman in the world in Forbes Magazine's list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women. She has become a fashion icon and role model for women, and an advocate for poverty awareness and healthy eating. One thing I admire about Michelle Obama is her intention on instilling values into her daughters. At the White House, there is no avoiding chores, and the staff paid to answer every beck and call of Sasha and Malia, are told not to by Michelle. In the Obama White House, bedtime is still at 8 p.m. The girls still set their own alarm clocks and get themselves up for school in the morning. They make their own beds and clean their own rooms. And when the much-anticipated pet arrived, they walked the dog and scooped its poop.

You can't have a role model list without mentioning this person. Well she's at the top of mine.

1. Oprah.

When it comes to being benevolent and giving to charity, one person comes to mind: Oprah Winfrey.

She has donated millions of dollars to various charities and organizations, with most of her money going to three foundations: The Angel Network, The Oprah Winfrey Foundation, and The Oprah Winfrey Operating Foundation.

Using her talk to show to publicize The Angel Network, Winfrey has said that 100% of any donation you give, goes directly towards funding a project. Some examples of the projects are The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa and Rebuilding the Gulf Coast.

One of the academy's most vocal fans has been Nelson Mandela, who called Winfrey his hero because she understood that South Africa's gains in democracy would be nullified unless future generations were educated. He was quoted in Time Magazine as saying:

The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls—located near Johannesburg and educating girls in Grades 7 through 12—is therefore a wonderfully appropriate gift to the people of South Africa, one that will endure over many lifetimes. When I went to the opening of her school, I looked at the shining faces of these young women and thought every one of them has the potential to be an Oprah Winfrey. The school is important because it will change the trajectory of these girls' lives and it will brighten the future of all women in South Africa. Oprah understands that in Africa, women and girls have often been doubly disadvantaged. They have had the curse of low expectations and unequal opportunities.

The academy was honored by Bill Clinton when he featured it in his book GIVING: HOW EACH OF US CAN CHANGE THE WORLD as an example of how to give back to the world. Clinton predicted that the school would change the lives of many young women and interviewed Winfrey to find out why she decided to build the school. Winfrey explained that caring teachers "made education an open door" for her and that she wanted to help girls who grew up like her, "economically disadvantaged, but not poor in mind or spirit".

The Oprah Winfrey Foundation is run exclusively by Oprah Winfrey. (You cannot donate to this organization, because it’s funded by an endowment.) The Oprah Winfrey Operating Foundation was initially created in 2007 to give money towards the Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa. Through these organizations, Winfrey has truly established herself as an altruistic person. She has extended her arm and influence far and wide throughout the world.

Besides these organizations, Oprah has volunteered her time with other, various charities. Oprah signed a wooden dog bone for an auction that will benefit the Mississippi Animal Rescue League. Oprah also gave 300 members of her audience $1000 each to donate to a charity of their choice. Winfrey helped design and signed a pair of shoes for the Stuart Weitzman charity shoe auction benefiting ovarian cancer awareness and research.

Oprah is also a big supporter of the Clinton Foundation, which supports many causes including treating HIV and AIDS and fighting climate change. She donates to Project Cuddle, which rescues hundreds of babies from abandonment and abuse every year. She is one of the largest contributors to Free The Children, an organization dedicated to building schools for children in developing countries. Oprah has also auctioned off some of the cars from her collection for charity.

On The Oprah Winfrey Show, she has talked about various issues including the importance to donate to charity. Winfrey also created www.oprah.com, a website that shows information related to her show, book club, and, of course, public charity. On top of all this, Oprah also has a will that will donate 1 billion dollars to charity.
Oprah Winfrey is, beyond all doubt, one of the greatest philanthropists in the 21st century

So there it is. Seek out your own favorite role models and allow them to encourage you and yours. Remember that we are all human and role models too have flaws. It is important for us to idolize them for their talent and work ethic, not their bad habits.