Being in 2020, with the recurring theme of celebrities having to apologies for old comments that have been brought back to the light, I feel it is time we stop forcing celebrities and sports stars to be role models.

This is not because they are not capable of being good role models, as they are very capable as seen by Marcus Rashford’s free school meal campaign. However, the pressure that comes with having fame is not for everyone and we need to accept that. Some people might flourish under the light’s others crumble. At the end of the day, they are only popular for being good at what they do, whether that’s kicking a football or singing. These people aren’t famous because they are especially good people who deserve a Nobel prize.

The majority of celebrities are popular because they provide a form of entertainment. Now when the cameras stop rolling or they go home they should be obligated to be this wonderful human being or put on a charade of someone they’re not. I understand that children want to look up to someone who is good at what the child likes, so there’s an argument to be had that the people who fall into those categories should have to behave in a way that is deemed professional. But I would argue that the parent needs to understand that the child should only idealise the person for their talent and not what they do outside of that. If a celebrity donates a large sum of money to charity, we can praise them for doing good, but if another celebrity chooses not to, we should not grab pitchforks and start going after them. The child should have other role models to look to, to help guide them into being a good person such as parents or other family members.

Such pressure to be a good role model should not be placed on talented individuals, who may not be well educated and able to make well rounded decisions, instead these pressures should be placed more on people within our communities like teachers and medical professionals.