Supermodels With Style And Grace

Yesterday's closing ceremony extinguished our beloved Olympic torch and everyone seems a little lost today.  Or, are we?  Since the athletes hit town, I have noticed an underlying current winding it's way through twitterland.  Don't worry, it's a positive one.  I can pinpoint the moment it happened.  Last saturday night, Jess Ennis, bringing home the gold in the heptathlon event.  Suddenly, noses twitched, sleepy eyes were rubbed and people sat up.  Cue light bulb moment.  We have an alternative to the celebrity culture built on botox and silicone chicken filets, who knew?  And, after reading a recent article in the guardian, which posed the question, what should the legacy from these games be?  I found myself pondering the question further.  Who exactly are our positive role models today?  And, not just for young girls but for women of all ages?

Ask any teenager whose style they'd like to, 'emulate'?  The response is likely, a roll of the eyes, 'whatever', perhaps an irate, '1D' hurled over shoulder in your general direction.  That's 'One Direction' to anyone over twenty years old.  Okay, and, if not 1D, then, I dunno, Miley Cyrus, Megan Fox...um, um, Kirsten Stewart?  Actually scratch the latter.   Of course, if they're uber-hipsters, you won't get a response at all.  Hold up a picture of Kofi Annan or Mother Teresa, you'll probably draw a blank stare.  Hilary Clinton, Steve Jobs?  Maybe there's a glimmer of recognition, maybe... 

Take a stroll into any news agency, you'll find wall-to-wall fashion magazines.  Beautiful faces, perfectly photo-shopped, bee-stung lips, slims hips.  Some surgically enhanced, others... well you can't really tell.  Switch on your TV in the evening and it's non-stop reality shows at your fingertips.  Oh, I could lament the state of reality TV and it's wishy-washy celebrity with dead-pan eyes.  However, I'll spare you the pain.  It's so not worth it.  Jungles, sing-a-longs, real-life, dirty laundry, trash-heaved upon-trash- all terribly sad.  And tragically, this is where young people form their ideals of what to strive for.  Material wants, false looks, yes, false idols.  I know, I know, it's entertainment too and I'm not denying that it's not compelling viewing at times.  Morbid curiosity isn't a figment of our imagination, but the side effects are damaging to certain vulnerable minds.  Give us something of substance to bite down on, not the paper-thin celebrity, puh-lease!

Every Olympic games begets a new wave of talented superstars, this summer, I spotted a few young ladies providing inspiration for next generation, - Jess Ennis, Jade Jones, Liz Cambage, Nicola Adams, the list is long!  I don't know about you but I'm excited that there are true super models in our midst, not all hip and cheek bones either!  They're fit, healthy, motivated, and above all they are human too.  So, I say, more positive supermodels, less of the silicone types.  And, maybe we should take this whole 'gender thing' out of the equation.  Yesterday, I was lucky enough to watch Australian Super Fish, Ian Thorpe give free swimming tips to anyone who turned up at a local pool in London.  That for me, is the perfect example of providing a legacy and actions like those, are, what really inspire a generation. 

Tell, now, in any aspect of your life, -who is your ideal supermodel?


A/N: I'd like to apologise to my blog for mentioning Miley Cyrus and 1D in this post,  don't worry, -it won't happen again. Ever.  Yours,  T xox