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By Isabella Poderico
We all saw Raye absolutely dominate the BRIT awards, earnt by her own merit, determination and uniquely raw talent. There is nothing better than watching women succeed, especially when they aren’t a nepo-baby. A record breaking BRIT sweep like the one achieved by Raye who not only faces a glass ceiling, but a concrete ceiling, is ground-breaking. Her success deserves to be celebrated by all feminists, not just intersectional feminists, as success such as this paves the way for future generations.
The importance of positive female role models, particularly for young impressionable girls cannot be understated. Due to the media commonly selecting to portray women stereotypically, as either plain traditional housewives, or ‘bimbo-esque femme fatales’, there is very little representation of female success where their image and representation isn’t mediated, or dictated by their record-label or movie studios. These depictions are often calculated specifically to appeal to ‘the male gaze’. And whilst these crippling societal pressures certainly remain, women in the media are debatably beginning to truly be themselves, regardless of these common ideals. I believe we are seeing an emergence of young talent, who are paving the way by being strong female figures. Are more women in the public eye starting to give a middle finger to societal expectations of passivity, where they can be successful, powerful, and strong? Women are expected to be effortlessly thin, but curvy, passionate, but not bossy, and silent, but not unassumingly so. However, is this media trained image of femininity starting to change?
Renee Rap has dramatically shot to stardom since starring in the musical adaptation of Mean Girls, playing the iconic Regina George. In my humble opinion, Renee is a fabulous example of an unapologetic, and positive role model for young girls. She is bold, and unafraid to speak her mind, calling people out and using her public voice to share important messages to her fans and followers. One example which gathered a lot of attention was when Renee called out a bus touring company for being disrespectful and misogynistic to her friends. But why shouldn’t she? Misogyny and rudeness should never be tolerated, and just because she is in the public eye, and society tells women that it is ‘not very lady-like’ to cause a scene, why should she have to keep this experience to herself. Calling out rudeness and holding people accountable should never be shocking, it should be accepted and normal. If a man slated someone for being misogynistic they would be praised beyond all belief. But when a woman does it she is making a scene. Well I am all for Renee’s call out. Renee if you ever stumble across this article, never give into the personality suppressing media training.
Melissa Barrera is another brilliant example of a great young star using her platform to promote and voice what they believe is morally right, sacrificing her starring role in the Scream franchise to voice support for the people of Palestine. Women are stereotypically expected to remain passive and voiceless in times of political turmoil, and through stars like Melissa Barrera, Bella Hadid, and Emma D’Arcy, they not only bring attention to the ongoing war crimes, but jeopardize their careers. This statement proves their passion and power, cementing them as positive role models. Hunter Schafer is arguably one of the most famous gen-z actors, defying the odds that have been stacked up against her. She has been vocal throughout her career on issues such as trans and LGBTQ+ rights, and has even been arrested for protesting against the genocide in Palestine.
People in the public eye have a duty to use their voices to support important topical matters, and being a positive role model to impressionable fans is certainly important. Tackling expected societal gender norms, and promoting things like body positivity, rather than the use of drugs like ozempic, or those (almost) useless gummy vitamins for profit, should be the norm. Let’s ignore celebrities like Kate Moss, pushing for eating disorders by famously saying ‘nothing tastes as good as skinny feels’ and instead focus on Dolly Parton's new cookbook, or the wonderful Florence Pughs ' Cooking with Flo’. I am glad to see a new generation of female ‘stars’ use their voices, fight gender stereotypes, and be unapologetically loud, because that is what we really need.
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