No place in list for Hillary Clinton, Marissa Myers, Melinda Gates.
By Sujeet Rajan
NEW YORK: Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai is amongst the top five role models for girls in the US, with no place in the list for celebrated women like Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, Marissa Myers, Melinda Gates and Meg Whitman, according to the fourth annual What To Do With The Kids® survey.
Over 900 people submitted their choices through the organization’s website and social media, according to a press release.
“Popularity seems to play a big role in what people feel are good and bad role models. In our 2012 report, Usain Bolt (#2) and Michael Phelps (#4) were coming off great Olympic performances and were thought of as good role models for boys but we haven’t heard from them since. Paris Hilton was the number pick for worst role model for girls in 2011 but has not been on the list since because (thankfully) she has been keeping a low profile, at least by her standards,” said the release.
The release added that “notoriety today is best described as a “Kardashian,” and now a “Jenner.””
The organization also asked this year to look outside the world of celebrity for good role models, but many said it was “quite a difficult thing to do.”
Other than Michele Obama and Malala Yousufzai , there were only a handful of nominations outside of Hollywood. A number of people, however, felt that it was important for girls to have role models that were not a part of the Hollywood scene and although they did not gather enough votes to make the top 5 in 2014, they are listed below.
Best Role Model for Girls
- Jennifer Lawrence, Actress
2. Michele Obama, First Lady
3. Taylor Swift, Singer & actress
4. Malala Yousufzai , Pakistani activist for the rights of girls
5. Mayim Bialik, Actress (Big Bang Theory), author & Neuroscientist
Best Role Model for Boys
- Justin Timberlake, Singer & actor
2. One Direction, Musicians
3. Peyton Manning, Football player
4. Josh Hutcherson, Actor
5. Bradley Cooper, Actor
Worst Role Model for Girls
- Kim Kardashian, Reality TV star
2. Miley Cyrus, Actress & singer
3. Niki Minaj, Singer
4. Lindsay Lohan, Actress & Singer
5. Amanda Bynes, Actress
Worst Role Model for Boys
- Kanye West, Singer
2. Justin Beiber, Singer
3. Robin Thicke, Singer
4. Chris Brown, Singer
5. Ryan Lochte, Reality TV star & Olympic athlete
The following non-celebrities were nominated but did not make the top list. Many said that these women are positive role-models for girls and that they should be given the same amount of media exposure as celebrities, said the report. They are:
Melinda Gates, Co-Chair and Trustee, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation;
Hillary Rodham Clinton, Former U.S. Secretary of State, Former First Lady;
Marissa Myers, President & CEO of Yahoo!, Former Executive of Google;
Chelsea Clinton, Vice Chair, Clinton Foundation;
Meg Whitman, Chairman & CEO, Hewlet-Packard;
Sara Blakely, Founder of Spanx.