Danica McKellar: Girls Should Not Look Up To Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan
Posted: Monday, July 30, 2007
by Stephany Springer
We have all seen the headlines over the past few weeks. Lohan arrested yet again and in rehab yet again. Hilton released from jail with a vow to change. Nicole Richie going to jail. It is easy to see the role models for our young girls today is severely lacking.
But one beautiful actress is trying to take a stand against this type of behavior vowing to show girls that smart is beautiful. Who better to show girls then America's first sweetheart, Danica McKellar. You will remember McKeller who played "Winnie" on the hit show Wonder Years. Her beauty is never fading and for most boys who grew up during the 90's, she was what true beauty was all about.
The 32-year-old told Newsweek that when girls see the antics of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan, they think that being fun and glamorous also means being dumb and irresponsible, but I want to show them that being smart is cool, she said. “Being good at math is cool. And not only that, it can help them get what they want out of life."
The book includes tips to avoid mistakes on homework, ways to overcome test-day anxiety and profiles of three beautiful mathematicians.
What an awesome concept! As a mother of a girl, I already worry about her self esteem. We live in a princess driven society. I love the idea of make-believe but when her role models are so few and far between, it is refreshing to see a beautiful woman step forth and take a stand against Lohan and Hilton.
Honestly, with Hilton-she is not really in the limelight where my daughter sees. Lohan, on the other hand, is a Disney channel regular so it is hard for me to even let her watch those movies. It is depressing in this day and age with all the research on the effects of self esteem on girls to continue to allow misfits such as Lohan and Hilton to get publicity.
Thank you Danica McKellar for being a real role model! Thank you for taking the initiative to teach girls that it is better to be sexy and smart than dumb and foolish!
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Top-level comments on this article: (3 total)Stephany Thank you for an interesting article. This is a difficult one, isn't it? I'm glad my daughter is a grown woman. Our daughters do look to these girls, and it has ever been such that dumb is considered the 'best' possible way forward for females. It's also true that in the long run mothers are the most important role models for their daughters. So, it is up to us to live strong, well rounded lives with a sense of humour, without taking ourselves too seriously, and with a confidence which allows us to admit when we're wrong and take different steps if necessary. My 32 year old daughter often mentions things she modelled in herself which are part of me. There are no mentions of teenage idols. Their affect, if any, was transitory at best. I borrowed a pair of gloves from my daughter last week when I left her home late and the pair she handed over reminded me of a pair I used to own many years ago. She grinned and said, 'I always liked those gloves of yours. That's why I bought these.' So, take heart and live your life the way you want your daughter to live hers, which I would assume is fully, openly, safely and with integrity and understanding of others, and she will take your example on board even if she strays from time-to-time with the odd fad or fashion. It is during these times, when she seems to be her most difficult or likely to stray, when she needs her mother to be as solid as a rock, especially in her confidence that her daughter will be fine in who she is. That is one of the best gifts we can give our daughters, and we are also models of this strong behaviour for all the girls we meet. I don't know the actress you mention, but she sounds like a wonderful, pro-active role model. More power to her. HannahThanks for the comment! It is my prayer that my daughter does not look to Hollywood to model after!
I love Danica. Fell in love with her on Wonder Years. Thanks for the update. I always thought she had a head on her shoulders.
How many fans of Danica McKellar (Winnie Cooper on the "Wonder Years") has noticed her startling resemblance to Robin Tunney, the female lead on the current series "The Mentalist"?
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