The question as to whether celebrities should be seen as role models for inspiring the generations of young people is controversial. On the one hand, some stars have poor values and should not be elevated to the place of authority. On the other, famous people have reached fame because of their skills or talents, which are relevant points for inspiration.
However, the answer to the question leans toward the negative rather than the positive. Celebrities or athletes should not be role models for the youth because they have personal life paths that they have selected for themselves. A basketball player usually considers themselves eras just a player and does not want to be responsible for others’ choices (Source 3).
A pop star that has been in the limelight due to the extreme media frenzy due to her relationship issues, as illustrated in Rihanna’s example, struggles with finding herself and communicating her message to the fans clearly (Source 5). Celebrities are people first, and they may make missteps and experience bad things in life, which means that idolizing them is pointless.
The negative reputation that some celebrities have developed is a problem in the context of them being role models because of the bad examples they set for the youth. Moreover, the increased media exposure is challenging as it is: when an athlete, for instance, is a law-abiding citizen, they do not get enough attention for their accomplishments.
When stars get involved in a scandal and apologize, they are quickly named “role models” for being strong enough to acknowledge their mistakes (Source 2). Therefore, there is no point in elevating celebrities to the status of role models because their lives are not perfect and cannot serve as examples of following to everyone.