Role Models

 Prompt: Can people who are not famous be better role models than people who are famous?

Some of the best advice I’ve ever heard was to be the kind of person you wish you could meet. What fills your mind when you think about that? I get messy artists who have posters all over everywhere and travel to galleries and conventions all over the place, and who play drums like a boss and go for runs with their dog and have crazy hair and have parties and are inspiring and leave an impression and change lives and sing in public places and can actually draw a crowd. Like, that’s what I want to be like. Now, see, those people are imaginary, meaning even people who aren’t necessarily real can be role models, also meaning there is no certain amount of fame a person must hold to be a role model.

I find the prompt to be a stupid question. Can they? Yes, they can. Duh. Famous people tend to be role models because they have money and can put themselves out there and get a message across because.. well, they’re famous. People want to be as well known and successful as whatever-famous-person-they-admire, and plus famous people are like, household names. Everyone knows who they are, and what they’ve done, and so others can understand what you’re trying to achieve if its close to what the famous person achieved. Now, non-famous people can totally be role-models too. Like, every person can accomplish admirable things and be proud of who and what they are, and if you’re around them and develop a relationship and they’ve done something you strive for, BAM they are a role model. Just because they aren’t on tv doesn’t mean jack.

Who your role models are depends on you and who you want to be, and I’m struggling with the prompt and the thought that people need to think about this. I feel like most of the prompts the teacher gives are stereotypes, or something. I mean, do people actually think like this.? Do people really have to think about whether or not some 20 something who works at walmart can be a role model or not.? I mean, are people out there seriously so shallow.? The ability to be a role model does not stem from having money. It stems from being something people can look up to. And even then it’s not that, it’s being something people can connect to. Not relate, that’s to stuck up sounding, like something in english class where “oh, this and this are similar, they must relate” that makes it the stuff in the middle section of a Venn diagram, and that makes them look up to soembody. I mean connect. Like you feel it in your gut, like theres a string attaching your hearts together. THAT there is something to feel, and I think being able to feel that makes it work. I don’t know if I’m really making sense, but you shouldn’t relate to them, you should feel them. (not like actual touching, but like.. you know.?)

I look up to Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun, and my people I wish I could meet, and Hayley Williams and people who aren’t afraid to do and try new stuff and Johnny Depp and techies and people who already are who they are and charismatic strangers and Augustus Waters and people with pretty smiles. I’m not like, picky about it. If I like it, I like it, and I’ll try to be something such as. Like, I wish I could be a female Augustus Waters, because, come on, he’s amazing and charming and attractive and puts the killing thing between his teeth but doesn’t give it the power to kill him. What it is you want to be is all in your head, and it isn’t so hard as people like to make it seem to figure out.