Cheryl Cole - person who has made the most positive impact in the world today?

[NorhamGardens]

My Sister's very gifted 14 year old daughter was asked to pick the a person to do a project on. The emphasis was on choosing someone who had overcome huge odds to make a positive impact on the world today or similar. Person that deserves huge admiration and respect, that sort of thing. Deserves to be a national icon and so on.

Three quarters of my niece's class chose Cheryl Cole. No Nelson Mandela? No Mother Theresa?

I questioned her. She explained that it would have been all to easy for Cheryl to descend into drugs like others on her Estate. She has huge talent and gifts - a great dancer who studied at the Royal Ballet School and stayed despite teasing and bullying. (A quick google showed she did a summer camp or similar and didn't pursue in part due to bullying/teasing).

I am noticing that my niece and her generation appear to value 'prettiness' above all else and that is really why they admire Cheryl in the main. That and thinking she's cool. Let's face it if she was plug ugly it's very likely she would never have gone as far as she has.

AIBU to think that it's pretty shocking they didn't think to choose someone else? AIBU to hope that so many didn't tie up their self worth with their 'attractiveness'. (A look at their Facebook accounts would make you weep? Or is it all about being a teenager and Cheryl is to be admired in this way? She's cool, she's down to earth, beautiful and talented etc..Maybe I am the old fart here ?

which is why we should emphasise education, self sufficiency,and work to our children -
not fancy,not funky but make good sense

pick a job you like.work to maintain friendship and family. explore your choices and chances

do take care of your appearance and exercise as it is linked to self esteem,and that is the biggie do it for yourself

and esp for wee girls to be self reliant, solvent and not hoping someone else will sort it for you.there is no happy ever after.No mr right to make it all right

Apocalypse - Do try and keep up. He husband (half black) screwed around so she dumped him. The woman she punched and screamed racist abuse at was a black toilet attendant.

cheryl not racist?ask the toilet attendant her opinion then

scottishmummy I can see what you mean. But surely there should be some people out there from their social mileu that would also fit the bill? Richard Branson, Sally Gunnell, Paula Radcliffe, etc. Must be others I can't think of too that are noteworthy.

the racist angle was not proved.
I'm sticking to thug - she punched someone

absolutely agree.as it goes i like dizee.former bad boy speaks out against crime,violence.inspired by teacher who saw his obvious talents to record boy in da corner.diverted with a purpose and able to reflect upon his life and circumstances.isnt avoidant in the least

ellen mcarthur

Can't someone use a racist term without being racist?

Slhilly but she also allegedly gave the toilet attendant a lot of racist abuse. We hang, draw and quarter Jade but forgive Cheryl because she had a hard upbringing on an Estate? Why? Because of her beauty and her down to earth charm and relative articulateness (if there is such a word) compared to Jade.

Beth Tweddle. But she's probably not beautiful enough to be a role model to girls

That's very sad then Norham Gardens. By todays standards I am a complete failure: average looking, not very well off, intelligent but never had a career due to laziness not going to uni.

However, have a gorgeous dd, lovely fiance, great family and live in a lovely area of the country. I would say those things mean more than having perfect hair and nails and rails of designer clothes...but hey maybe I'm just deluded!

Well, with any luck the teacher will ask them to have a think about why they've chosen a rich pop star rather than, say, Nelson Mandela

Given Chery's wealth and popularity perhaps she could do something positive for a worthwhile cause to atone for her appalling behaviour. I mean, what is she actually for?

awww tametiger but she's worth it

I agree and find it sad that so many of us on here, myself included are such harsh critics of ourselves. I feel an insecurity which increases with age about things that shouldn't matter - ageing, outward appearance. I do make an effort and look perfectly presentable and am an educated professional but I struggle.

I would like to change things for the next generation, get rid of ageism and sexism in society. Perhaps Mumsnet could launch some sort of campaign?

I've just asked Ds2 who he would pick
Dr Who
Craig Gordon
Nelson Mandela.
They have been doing South Afric as a project at school which is probably why he chose him

she is a vaccous speak your weight schleb.plenty of them around

This has got me thinking.
I want a book of bedtime stories I can read my (5yo) dd about women who have achieved different things. (I told her a story about the Suffragettes the other night and she loved it ).
Does anyone know if such a book exists? (And if not, does anyone else think it's a good idea?)

I always thought the Cole marriage was one of convenience, what with her being racist and him being a closet gay black and both needing better PR!

wouldn't 80% choose Princess Diana and the rest choose Marilyn Monroe though?

oops, sorry, I thought they had to choose a woman. probably quite a lot would still choose Princess Diana though. but it would better than Cheryl Cole.

My DH is a teacher and encounters this all the time - it's a mix of Katie Price and Cheryl Cole at his school.

I think it's deeply unfair that people are saying that Cheryl Cole Tweedy is a racist thug - who knows what happened in that loo with that attendant - and who knows what lessons she may have learned from it since. She certainly doesn't behave in either a racist or a thuggish way now. And in some ways she is a good role model - she appears to have learned her lessons, she is articulate and warm, she has conducted her divorce with utter dignity, and though she obviously tried to make her marriage work and believed that marriage was forever, she also stood up for herself when she needed to. So it's not all bad. And I guess we're all attracted to beauty.

Don't know where that came from, actually, since I also think it is sad that so many girls have no other ambition than to be pretty/famous/rich, and especially that this shapes so many of the judgments they make about careers, about their bodies, about men, and so on. In my DH's school many girls drop out of academic subjects at 14 to take hair and beauty courses which do not even qualify them for working in hair or beauty (they still have to go and do post-16 training if that's the path they choose), and so they miss out on a rounded education. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with that as a career (my sister is currently training to be a hairdresser) but I wonder how many girls make that choice because of the value they place on looks, rather than because it is what they really want to do. Many girls in my DH's school are afraid of looking clever, or being sporty, for instance, because it is considered to be unattractive. That kind of trend is related to the Cheryl thing, but goes much deeper IMO.

There was no evidence of it being a racist attack, or that she uttered a racist remark.
Tametiger- what is the point of the 'half black' comment?
I'm no Cheryl Cole fan but some of these comments are bizarre.
Thug, by all means, but calling her racist is silly

I wouldn't expect a 14 yr old to chose mother theresa or nelson mandela either, but surely there are more options than Ccheryl Cole?

jade goody and michael jackson too