Good and Bad Celebrity Role Models

Ke$ha

Too much time idolizing this pop star, and your kids could start heading to the liquor cabinet when it comes time to brush their teeth — or worse, they might start signing their names “@shley” or “Me!!i$$a.” Oh, the horror.
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Tiger Woods

Tiger Woods has given the following advice to young fans: “When you make a mistake, step up to the plate and take ownership of it.” It took quite a long time for him to own up to his multi-mistress mistakes though, so you might want to encourage your kids to pick a different Wheaties role model.
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Taylor Momsen

This 17-year-old former Gossip Girl reportedly delayed the release of her band’s music video because she opted to go nude in it when she wasn’t of age. She also once flashed her audience while performing on stage. We prefer our kids to stay clothed in public.
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Kanye West

Cautionary tale for kids: Be nice, share your things, and don’t interrupt people when they’re talking. Otherwise the whole country won’t want to be friends with you anymore, and the president will call you mean names.
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Miley Cyrus

Miley’s most recent album, Can’t Be Tamed, is appropriately named given her questionable activities of pole-dancing, giving lap dances, and smoking from bongs — all by the ripe age of 18.
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Spencer Pratt

The last things you want your kids to be saying to each other are Spencer’s words of brotherly love from an especially touching episode of The Hills: "We're brother and sister. At the end of the day … I can't make you un-my sister. Trust me, if I could in the past, I would've."
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Heidi Montag

… Speaking of Spencer, his girlfriend’s also a winner. With 10 reported (and purely cosmetic) plastic surgeries, Heidi isn’t exactly the poster celeb for positive body image.
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The Entire Cast of Jersey Shore

The reasons to keep your kids away from this notoriously raucous bunch are too numerous to list, but here’s a start: their idea of a productive day involves going to the gym, tanning, and doing laundry; two are in an abusive relationship … with each other; one got arrested for being a public nuisance in broad daylight; and they’re orange — and it’s not from eating too many carrots.
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Amber Portwood

Teenage pregnancy is actually pretty far down on the list of reasons why you don’t want your kids to emulate MTV’s infamous teen mom. What ranks higher? Nude photos of her plastered all over the Internet and allegedly beating the crap out of her baby’s father, for a start …
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Charlie Sheen

Do we really need to explain this one?
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America Ferrera

This former star of Ugly Betty (RIP) is anything but ugly, inside or out. Ferrara is all about promoting positive body image; she made her feature film debut in the HBO film, Real Women Have Curves.
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Jonas Brothers

No worries of these boys promoting sex, drugs, or alcohol to your kids. Despite receiving criticism for their decision, the three brothers remain committed to abstaining from all three (well, maybe until marriage for the first one).
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Dakota Fanning

Fanning is proof that child actors can make a graceful transition into adulthood. The pint-sized bubbly girl who captured the hearts of millions in touching films like I Am Sam has grown into a confident young woman — and future NYU student — who’s as talented as ever.
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Anne Hathaway

Your kids may only know her as the princesses she’s played in Princess Diaries and Ella Enchanted, but Hathaway also exhibits style and class in real life. The actress is involved in several charities such as The Lollipop Theatre Network, an organization that screens films to
critically ill children.
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Justin Bieber

“Bieber fever” may have caused a parental headache or two, but we don’t mind our kids looking up to him (or having crushes on him). He recently took a stand against underage drinking by banning alcohol at his 17th birthday party and he spent his Valentine’s Day visiting sick kids at a hospital.
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Selena Gomez

The 18-year-old Wizards of Waverly Place star might play a smart-mouthed underachiever on TV, but in real life, she’s anything but. Gomez is also a budding businesswoman with a K-Mart clothing line, which makes sense to us; her impeccable sense of style is always age-appropriate.
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Emma Watson

At just 19, this Harry Potter star was named the highest-paid actress in Hollywood, but instead of letting the fame go to her head, Watson decided to use some of that money to pursue an education at Brown University. And the bold choices she does make — like cutting her hair pixie-short — are admirable rather than cringe-worthy.
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Daniel Radcliffe

Who would have guessed that the on-screen wizard has trouble tying his shoes in real life? Not us! Despite a mild form of the neurological condition dyspraxia, which causes Radcliffe to struggle with fine motor skills, he exudes confidence and cheerfulness wherever he goes. He's also known for supporting various charities including Demelza House Children's Hospice, to which he has asked fans to make donations instead of birthday presents.
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Taylor Swift

If there were an award for keeping cool under pressure, it’d be sitting on Taylor Swift’s mantle next to her four Grammys. When Swift wanted a record deal at age 11, she marched into every label in Nashville until she finally got one. Instead of bad mouthing ex-boyfriends to the press (or even Kanye West after his charade at the 2010 VMAs) she channels the frustration into her songs.
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Beyonce

Even Michelle Obama has called Beyonce the perfect role model for her two daughters. Beauty, poise, pure talent, Jay-Z — this 29-year-old R&B star has it all.
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