Think back to the people you looked up to when you were a kid. For most of us, it wasn’t Barbie or David Beckham – it was a lot, lot weirder than that. From cartoon characters to musical divas, here’s what I learned when I asked my friends about their very first idols…
1. Kids love animals so much
So much that Alysia took a while to think of an actual human idol, because you know what? Kids REALLY, REALLY love animals. Chloe wanted to be Eliza Thornberry – she loved ‘the whole talking and getting to meet wild animals thing’. Steve Irwin was a popular choice; Chad was a little more philosophical and thought David Attenborough had the perfect life. Personally, I used to read the autobiography of a random vet from ‘Animal Hospital’ over and over again. Even the bits where he’d stick his hand inside a horse to deliver a foal safely. The amount of love we all felt for animals and the people who care for them is all kinds of adorable.
2. We all thought being a pop star was achievable Britney. Shakira. Beyoncé. Queens of the choreographed dance routine, these singers inspired us to think that we, too, could one day have a job that seemed to consist solely of hanging out with friends and wearing fun outfits on CD:UK. Kelsey’s idol, Celine Dion, perfected the kind of diva aura that drew us all to these singers. Ashleigh wanted to be in STEPS, while Jenna ‘desperately wanted to be a part of Busted’. The unpretentious, unegotistical way our childhood selves looked up to these artists meant we weren’t intimidated by them; it seemed totally plausible we could one day join their ranks. I think we ought to take a bit of that spirit into adulthood.
3. Fictional characters were REALLY importantLike, REALLY REALLY important. While celebrities showed us a variety of different cool things we could grow up to do, the people on TV and in our books showed us whole other worlds. I looked up to Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Sarah from ‘Labyrinth’; teen girls who were learning how to navigate the world, making mistakes along the way. Ashleigh liked Ariel from ‘The Little Mermaid’, Chloe thought Raven from ‘Teen Titans’ was ‘the coolest person EVER’, and Chad idolised Legolas from ‘Lord of the Rings’. Wanting to be like fictional characters was a way to escape and imagine a future that looked nothing like our present. This is why having diverse characters in children’s media is so important; if kids see parts of themselves reflected back at them, then they’ll learn to accept and love those parts a whole lot quicker.
Edited by Tia Ralhan
Image sources:
http://spreadinghope.net/post/90070450265/tribute-to-steve-irwin-a-guy-who-genuinely-loved
https://giphy.com/gifs/spice-girls-pop-10z4AIndv2QPfO
http://queenof-newyork.tumblr.com/post/118023876065
https://badsalad.wordpress.com/2013/01/11/unpopular-opinion-why-im-compl…