Is Rihanna a good role model for children?

[ciallkennett]

The title of the topic says it all basically. I've seen and hear countless things by CFers and on Twitter/Facebook about young children repeating the lyrics of Rihanna's songs without realised the blatant - often explicit - sexual context which lies within them. Many of these songs get UK radio airplay with little or no censorship.

Here's a few examples:

"I may be bad but I'm perfectly good at it. Sex in the air, I don't care, I love the smell of it. Sticks and stones may break my bones but chains and whips excite me. I like it, like it, come on!"

Come here rude boy, boy, can you get it up? Come here rude boy, boy, is you big enough? Take it, take it baby baby, take it, take it. Love me, love me!

The things we could do in twenty minutes girl. Say my name, say my name. Wear it out, its getting hot, crack a window, air it out. I can get you through a mighty long day.

I could go on and on quoting masses of lyrics.

That's just one thing. The often sexualised clothing she parades on stage has also been said to be explicit and inappropriately. There were complaints when she appeared on X Factor last yea wearing clothing many deemed "inappropriate for family viewing".

She was also found using the c-word on her Twitter account, to which she has over 4.5 million followers many of which are teenage girls.

Having said that, she was strong throughout and after she suffered domestic violence at the hands of Chris Brown, and is an advocate of many women's aid charities and raises a lot of money and support for them.


BUT, is Rihanna in your eyes a good role model for teenage girls in the 21st century?

 

[Nic]

No, she's an irritating, untalented slag. The sooner she ****s off, the better.

 

[Will]

I'm going to say the same thing out loud when this topic title came up on my screen.
You're a berk, Kennett
She's a bit awful, and if a metaphorical child of mine was influenced by her, it'd make me a bit sad. And red hair really didn't work for her...

 

[Ian]

If a celebrity influences a child more so than his/her parents, then the parents deserve to be sterilised.

 

[gavin]

Fuxake, get thee to a nunnery, Ciall.

Why should she be a role model? She's not the first singer to dress like a hooker and sing about sex. Growing up with Madonna never did any of us any harm.

 

[ciallkennett]

Fuxake, get thee to a nunnery, Ciall.

I'd rather 6 year olds didn't know what BDSM is, I'd rather I surprise them with it when they turn 8 thank you very much

 

[Ben]

Rihanna is quite bad for being sexually explicit, but, at the same time, she is just bad in general, and people shouldn't not listen to her because she's a whore, but, because she's awful.

<3

 

[gavin]

^He's ridiculously fit. I'd happily put up with the domestic violence.

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

No, she isn't, but I can think of about a million other singers who aren't good role models either. I don't think Rihanna is the worst one, either.

get thee to a nunnery, Ciall.

Hamlet <3

 

[Hixee]

**** off is she a bad influence. There are just as bad, if not worse, rappers/singers/artists out there. Yes, her song(s) are a bit risqué for the radio, but frankly I don't really give a toss. It's just trying to find fault with nothing. I can see your point, but all these things just wash over me.


Anyway, she's fit so...

 

[kimahri]

When I was a little kiddywink we had that 'I wanna have sex on the beach' song playing alot. Chill out, it's not like this is the first time it's happened and look how I turned out!

 

[Ian]

When I was a little kiddywink we had that 'I wanna have sex on the beach' song playing alot. Chill out, it's not like this is the first time it's happened and look how I turned out!

Christ! I was dancing to that in nightclubs when that song was released. I can safely say that it didn't lead to me having sex on the beach, despite trying once in 2003 (I think) and that wasn't because T-Spoon had made me want to do it.

 

[tks]

Oh who gives a flying ****?

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

Haha, I remember singing the song Californication by the Red Hot Chili Peppers in public really loud when I was like, six, and my mom got all angry and embarrassed and told me not to sing it. I didn't understand back then .

 

[Will]

Hamlet <3

And that gets today's award for 'things I REALLY wasn't expecting to read...'
Also, she's really NOT ridiculously fit, she's almost as much not that as she is not a role model
But then again, find me a celebrity (as opposed to a famous person) who actually is these days! And I don't really mean that as a criticism, only that the majority of people have their own lives doing things that are perhaps best left uncopied.

 

[AJ]

<3


and

"The things we could do in twenty minutes girl. Say my name, say my name. Wear it out, its getting hot, crack a window, air it out. I can get you through a mighty long day."


This is not Rihanna. It's Drake.

 

[jokerman]

Singers don't have to be good role models, that's not their job. It's not like she's singing on Blue Peter for crying out loud.

 

[AJ]

^ this.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

I don't understand why she should be seen as a role model in the first place?

I've never understood this "role model" crap.

 

[furie]

So much to say on this, but no idea how to formulate it into a coherent post :lol:

I agree with Joey, WTF is a role model, and why should any 'pop' star be one? Surely saying that is akin to saying "my child is raised by mindless corporations pumping my living room full of easy to sell pap 24 hours a day"?

My kids have never heard a Rihanna song. They wouldn't know her if she turned up half naked and started making sexual innuendos in the front garden amongst the raspberry bushes. The reason is simply because we don't listen to the radio and we don't watch "popular TV".

If you are concerned about the kind of role model your kids have, then stop exposing your kids to it?

Now, the question here is... Am I socially inhibiting my children and potentially making them social pariahs in the future by keeping them from being exposed to "popular media"? Rihanna may not be a good role model, but at least everyone in the playground knows her "work" and there is a common social point for kids and parents (and those growing up) to discuss such common day exposures to the media.

Should I criticise parents for allowing their children to experience and enjoy popular music and TV shows? Would you follow suit Ciall and close down everything but your own choice of "parent approved" media to expose your kids to?

the answer is, of course, each to their own. If parents don't see a problem with exposing their kids to Rihanna (or allow RIhanna expose herself to them ), then what's it to do with us? As jokerman so succinctly puts it "she's not on Blue Peter". If you think the biggest piece of poor parenting at the moment comes from tedious malingering talentless drivel from a half naked woman*, then you're way off.





*it's okay, I got Madame_Furie into a dressing gown, pulled her off the streets and mopped up the drool