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WHO DO KIDS LOOK UP TO?

ROLE models are an important part of growing up – and parents may wish that teenagers would aspire to be like Marie Curie or Sir Winston Churchill.

But, sadly, mum and dad don’t have a say in who their children choose to emulate, and all too often theyre inappropriate idols, to say the least.

That’s especially the case in today’s celebrity-obsessed society, when youngsters aspire to be like the most glamorous, trendy or famous person, irrespective of what they’ve achieved or their behaviour.

Consequently, current role models for teenage girls are people like Peaches Geldof, who’s one of Tatler’s 2006 top 10 fashion icons and has her own fan club. Yet she is famous for little more than her parentage and partying lifestyle.

Then there’s Wayne Rooney’s other half Coleen McLoughlin, famed for her shopping sprees, and former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham, queen of the WAGs.

WAGs such as McLoughlin and Beckham have just topped a list of women judged by other women to be the most inappropriate role models for young girls, followed by Celebrity Big Brother contestant Danielle Lloyd, Steven Gerrard’s fiancee Alex Curran and Peter Crouch’s girlfriend Abbey Clancy.

A survey by the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) showed 91 percent of UK women believe the lifestyles of WAGs are over-exposed and portray a negative image of women.

The research suggests more than two-thirds of women feel the focus on WAGs exploits, their body image and expensive bling overshadows the real achievements of more positive female role models such as Kelly Holmes, J K Rowling, Anita Roddick and Ellen MacArthur. Nearly three quarters of those surveyed were concerned that WAGs offer inappropriate role models for young girls. Just 3 percent saw Beckham as a good role model for the young and only 1 percent thought this was true of McLoughlin – unlike many of the younger female generation.

Commenting on the survey, relationship psychologist and life coach Corinne Sweet says: “Role models are absolutely essential – from the age of about two, children start copying their parents, and they are the most important role models.

"But as they become teenagers, role models move from heroes to sex objects or people who look good. They want them to be noble and heroic too." But that doesn’t explain the popularity of girls like McLoughlin and Geldof, Sweet explains: “At the moment young teens are all looking to celebrities - they’re the new gods.

“But negative images of WAGs, focused on shopping, drinking and bling can hold young women back.

“It’s much better if role models achieve things rather than just aiming for money and glamour.”

The best way for parents to affect role model choices is to behave as a positive role model themselves, she says.

“If you’re a parent who behaves like Coleen, spending lots of money and so on, your children will think that’s normal.

“But if you sit down with your children and talk to them, remain a steady influence on their lives and encourage them to become their own person, you’ll be their role model.

“It’s not what you say, it’s what you do.”